Swing Keel locking bolt glassed over.

[Ryan61065]

Hello fellow sailors,
Over the past year I have been in possession of a 1983 Hunter 20 which I'm slowly fixing up and preparing to sail. Everything is going smoothly however it seems the previous owner has glassed over the keel pin hole probably to stop it from leaking. My only concern is how safe is the boat now without a keel pin lock? Ill only be taking her out to the local lake which is Canyon Lake around here, it's not very big but I would like to race her a little. Are there any limits I should set upon the boat now that keel doesn't lock? What are unsafe winds? Is it even possible for a keel boat to exceed 90 degrees on a small lake? Is a swing keel too heavy to retract before 90 degree's? Looking for anybody with swing keel experience who can maybe shed some light for me.
Thanks!
Ryan

 

[LloydB]

If you turn the boat turtle the swing keel will retract whether you want it to or not it is after all basically a pendulum. Otherwise and I do realize that this is a serious question for you but for me to propose a concrete answer, my brain keeps telling me not to suggest anything other than if hurricane has a name or the waves are higher one foot don't go out.

 

[Captain Ron 18]

Mac 25 owner here -- I've been sailing my swing keel boat since 1985 and have never needed to lock the keel down. Ever. I'm not familiar with the Hunter specs, but my swing keel weighs 625 pounds and it ain't goin' anywhere unless I'm upside down.

 

[Ryan61065]

Mac 25 owner here -- I've been sailing my swing keel boat since 1985 and have never needed to lock the keel down. Ever. I'm not familiar with the Hunter specs, but my swing keel weighs 625 pounds and it ain't goin' anywhere unless I'm upside down.

Hey Captain Ron
My keel weighs about 400 lbs, you think it could retract before 90? Have you ever been knocked down before in a gust?
Ryan

 

[rgranger]

You cannot turtle a sailboat with wind alone. It has to be hit by a wave to turtle. So the lock-down feature is probably not needed on a lake.

BUT!... with your pivot pin glassed over, you cannot easily inspect it. I've owned 6 different swing keel boats (and restored 5 of them) so I've done a lot of work on keels. What I have seen is the pivot pin gasket has failed and instead of removing the pin and replacing the gasket, the PO glasses over the head of the pin. It is the lazy way to keep the boat dry but it also just kicks the can down the road.

The pivot pin has a ss washer that butts up against the keel trunk. The ss-washer should have a rubber washer between the trunk and the ss-washer. This provides the water seal.

You can buy rubber washers from McMaster-Carr but they sometimes come in packs of 50+... you can also make one out of goop... like this one I made

First make a dam out of masking tape on both the inside hole and the outside of the washer... then fill it in with a layer of goop and let it set up over a 48 hour period... then you are good to go...

 

[Ryan61065]

You cannot turtle a sailboat with wind alone. It has to be hit by a wave to turtle. So the lock-down feature is probably not needed on a lake.

BUT!... with your pivot pin glassed over, you cannot easily inspect it. I've owned 6 different swing keel boats (and restored 5 of them) so I've done a lot of work on keels. What I have seen is the pivot pin gasket has failed and instead of removing the pin and replacing the gasket, the PO glasses over the head of the pin. It is the lazy way to keep the boat dry but it also just kicks the can down the road.

The pivot pin has a ss washer that butts up against the keel trunk. The ss-washer should have a rubber washer between the trunk and the ss-washer. This provides the water seal.

You can buy rubber washers from McMaster-Carr but they sometimes come in packs of 50+... you can also make one out of goop... like this one I made

First make a dam out of masking tape on both the inside hole and the outside of the washer... then fill it in with a layer of goop and let it set up over a 48 hour period... then you are good to go...
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Hey thanks for the tip rgranger i'll keep that in mind!

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@Ryan61065

Attached is the diagram for your 1983 swing keel which should be helpful compliments from Al Fooks, owner of Sailboatowners.com.

May I suggest posting your inquiry for this boat under small boats under Hunterowners.com. I use to be a dealer

 

[Project_Mayhem]

One advantage to not having a keel locked is that if you hit something, the damage will be substantially less. My centerboard is only 50-60lbs and it stays in place without any lock

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@Project_Mayhem raises a valid point about the keel being locked down. Should you hit something and so forth, there will be more damage in the lock down position. The keel that is not locked but allowed to kick up will in many cases sustain far less damage or none. As a former dealer, I suggested to my customers with a lockdown never lock down any swing keel

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I partnered on a Catalina 22 for a summer. No issues with leaving the keel unlocked. The boat stayed on an unprotected mooring

 

[rgranger]

Well unless you are going to be someplace with breaking waves, your boat won't turtle and you will never need to lock down your keel... but if you are going to blue water your H20, and want to lock down the keel... I'd use nylon toilt bolts like this...

They will shear if you strike something hard.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@rgranger

Good morning. Never heard back on the hunter 19

On the bolts you suggested have threads on them which I have seen waller out the holes in fiberglass and cast iron too. In addition, if it too wavy, too much wind, etc., I would caution the use of smaller sailboats out in blue water. I had to repair an older h 20 centerboard before I knew you when the owner went out at the coast in rough weather

 

[Ryan61065]

Appreciate all the comments here guys will keep all this in mind thanks!
Ryan