This doesn't look good

[Ken Honeycutt]

Took this picture the other day after haul out. After pondering for awhile I thought I would post it on this forum to see if anyone else has seen this happen on their keel. Thinking I will grind some of this out to see how deep the fissure is but it has me a little nervous.

 

[Grizz]

Hunter Smile : - )

Common byproduct on an iron keeled Hunter. The archives have a wealth of info relating to methods and preferences used to treat this. Walk your storage yard and tally the number of boats w/ a similar occurance between keel to hull. Come March/April you'll see those owners working on this joint as part of their 'Rites of Spring'. Have fun!

 

[Tom Lueck]

Iron keel crack

There is no real lasting fix for this... it's just one of those things you deal with every couple of years.

 

[Warren Milberg]

Iron Keels...

are gonna rust a bit. As keel/hull joints go, yours is not bad at all. The key is making sure no water is getting to your keel bolts. If not, just grind/wire wheel the rust off and apply any number of coatings and bottom paint over it in spring. As Grizz says, lots of stuff on this in the archives. Each of us with iron keels have our favorite solution. Mine is to use a product called POR-15, available online, as it bonds with rust makes it inert. You could also use Petit Rustlok or any of the zinc chromate paints. If you keep up with keel maintenance, having an iron keel is no big deal.

 

[Hunter voyager]

Keel

Looks like the crack is actually in the keel casting and not between the keel and the hull.Any crack within the casting itself is very serious and probably cannot be repaired. Yes, grind it all out and get a good look. If its in the casting maybe it can be welded . If its the joint between the keel and hull its no big problem.

 

[Nereussailor]

POR-15

I used POR-15 on a Jeep frame that I restored about 10 years ago. Great product. It holds up forever.

 

[GailForce]

I've Got A Smile Too....

Ken, My 1993 H33.5 has a cast iron keel also. Every two years we pull her out and come spring we tend to the keel. Don't be to concerned, the smile is not unusual. The trick is to grind the rust spots down to shiny metal and seal them up as quickly as possible. Jeff

 

[Alan]

Jeff

Your 33.5 should have a lead keel. That's not to say that this crack wont develop in lead also. Grind a deep "V" grove and fill with a flexible sealer, then paint it. Check the torque on your keel bolts to be sure all is secure. POR-15 is great for protecting all metals but it wont prevent water penetration if the crack redevelops.

 

[Don s/v Tellico]

Second Por 15

Old timer at boatyard got me on it when I had my former H31. Your's is the smile, don't worry.. Grind it down a little, coat it and dump it and go sailing.

 

[GailForce]

I Must Have Rusty Lead

Alan, the keel is definitely cast iron. Wish it was lead though. I'm not sure when the change to lead was made. Other changes were under way at that point. My fuel and holding tanks came in aluminum while the fresh water tank is plastic. Was that typical for a while?Jeff

 

[Warren Milberg]

POR-15 also makes

a POR-15 putty ("POR Patch" with same consistency as caulk), in addition to the paint on stuff. Very useful for working into keel/hull joints on boats with iron keels.

 

[Ken Honeycutt]

Thanks for all the good responses

I'm ordering the POR-15 caulk and paint - thanks to all for the responses - I had searched the archives before posting, but what concerned me was the crack, fissure, whatever - was more severe than just the infamous 'smile'. Thanks to the responses and Dan's photo, I can sleep a little better tonight knowing the old girl still has a lot miles left under her keel.

 

[Ken Honeycutt]

Thanks Dan!

Verifies what everyone has posted.

 

[Tom Brown]

Jeff

Jeff, My 1992 H33.5 also has a cast iron keel, aluminum fuel and holding tanks and a plastic water tank. What year is yours?Toms/v Orion's Child

 

[Rubicon 1983-31]

Fuel, waste, water

In my 1983 Hunter 31 the fuel tank (16 gal.) is plastic.The water and waste tanks are built-in to the fiberglass liner.ScottS/Y RubiconKey West