V222 Keel Water Intrusion? (Fiberglass model)

[RustyVenture]

Hi all,

Hope everyone's staying safe and healthy. I've got a '72 V222 with the fiberglass-wrapped keel that seems to be generally in pretty good shape, but for the second time this summer I'll be grinding out and repairing a crack that has developed and is seeping(?) rust.

I haven't had it in the water for almost a full year, and even then it's been exclusively a trailer sailer. Are there any likely areas where water typically intrudes on these? Rainwater trickling down the cable? Can I keep putting out these "small fires" or is it indicative of a bigger problem? I do have an endoscope to inspect some of these areas but haven't seen anything obvious.

 

[rgranger]

Keel repair is not an easy job. I've done it three times. Once on a Mac v21, once on a Mac v222 and once on a Balboa 26. To do it right you would need to drop the keel and put it on a stand (engine hoist works well) then strip it to bare metal, treat for rust and barrier coat and then resurface. To do it on the easy and hope for the best... I'd recommend stripping the ablative bottom paint, fix the crack... then put two or three coats of barrier coat over the entire keel and hope it keeps the water out. But you would first have to be sure the inside was dry. Not sure you you do that.

 

[RustyVenture]

Yeah, I'm hoping not to need to do the full job anytime soon. I just went back in there with the endoscope, and after I cleared off most of the old seaweed, I'm thinking the likely culprit is around the cable. I was told it had just been replaced when I bought it 3 years ago, so I kind of hope that's not it, but who knows. I ground out the last one with my off-brand Dremel, hit it with some rust neutralizer, and filled with PC11. I actually don't have any type of antifouling paint, it's just not in the water enough to really need it. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the tools or facilities it would take to drop the keel right now.

 

[rgranger]

I hope that is it. You should be able to get at it and fix that easily. My V21 had a fiberglass encased keel but my V222 had a solid cast iron keel. But yours is clearly encased. It seems weird to me that they had different keel designs on the same boat. The V22 was a lot easier than the V21 to fix. I simply chipped off the rust, faired with thickened epoxy and barrier coated. The V21 had fiberglass cloth that had been wetted and used to encase the keel. I would not recommend trying to recreate that approach. I would simply encase it in epoxy "putty" and fair it to the right shape and size. For example,

I don't know what the original on the balboa looked like. By the time I got it, it was in very bad condition. For that one I faired it with thickened epoxy then barrier coated it. I "rented" an engine hoist off of craigs list that I was able to resell as soon as I was done using it. So you might be able to get the tools you need "cheap" on CL. I think if it were me, I'd do just as you suggested and try to fix it on the easy first and see if that holds. If you do have to go all in... here are some pics that might be helpful...

Before

After chipping, sand blasting and surface treating...

Faired and barrier coated...

Painted and ready to reinstall

 

[RustyVenture]

Yikes! That looks like it was a lot of work! Yeah, I'm hoping this will at least get me through this year. In the fall, I'm thinking about really tackling the interior which should include replacing the keel winch, and I'll probably do a more thorough inspection of the cable and wear tube then.

 

[rgranger]

I stripped my V22 to a bare hull and painted in and out... replaced all of the interior wood etc. Then sailed the hell out of her. She was a very fast boat.

 

[RustyVenture]

Wow! What a beaut. I think I'm on step 0.5 of that process, which was to strip everything out, pressure wash the interior, and let it dry-it had accumulated a lot of grime over the years. My plan is to do some sanding when it cools down, not sure I'll take everything down to the bare glass-I did an experiment using a Zinsser peel-stop water-based primer followed by a Behr semi-gloss enamel on the underside of the forward hatch last year and it seems to be holding up rock solid.

Like yours, much of my interior wood is a mess. Did you manage to stop it from leaking when rains? For now I've just invested in a couple of locking storage totes.

Can you give me a brief rundown of the materials you used? Did you have to replace any of the bulkheads? It's pretty clear it wasn't originally built with marine-grade plywood.

 

[rgranger]

I removed the side ports and took out all the cruddy caulk
It looked like dried plumbers putty so I used plumbers putty to Re-bed the windows. It worked very well.

for plywood I used exterior grade form the big box stores and sealed the edges... I replaced all the interior wood. I don’t remember where I got the paint but it was some high end marine paint that took a week to fully cure but it did level out well. I used roll and tip.

I’ll find some more pics Of the restoration if you are interested
I attached a PDF that has more pics in it

 

[RustyVenture]

I'd love to see those if you don't mind, thanks. Did you modify your rudder by adding that block? I'm considering saving up for a Ruddercraft replacement because I hate dealing with my kick-up rudder so much.

I found some pics from before I bought my boat, which I think show some likelier areas for water intrusion-I had forgotten that there's a bar running through it that the keel cable attaches to. I seem to remember as part of my (probably misguided) "repairs" grinding off the rust on that bar and then covering stuff in 5200. (I did actually apply glass to the rusted out tip) and some other areas). When I get a weather window, I'll see if I can shift things round and lower the keel a little bit on the trailer to get a better look.

 

[rgranger]

I'd love to see those if you don't mind, thanks. Did you modify your rudder by adding that block? I'm considering saving up for a Ruddercraft replacement because I hate dealing with my kick-up rudder so much.

Hahaha... I was showing off the tiller (which I made). The block was added by the P.O. It helps when lifting the rudder. BTW: I had a rudder craft rudder on my Balboa 26. They are very nice.

 

[rgranger]

I don't think you keel looks that bad. If you could get it off of the boat, I'd remove any loose paint, sand and fill in any missing chunks, then add two or three coats of epoxy barrier coat, then a hard enamel paint, then go sailing. You might want to get a moisture meter and see if you have water inside the casing. You can get them at Lowes for under $40

https://www.lowes.com/pd/General-Tools-Instruments-Digital-Test-Meter/3136919?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-google-_-lia-_-216-_-specialtyhandtools-_-3136919-_-0&store_code=539&placeholder=null&gclid=CjwKCAjwx9_4BRAHEiwApAt0zhKH0TCPGmPW7BpuRb3ZGeWjmSWlVfUzklXcnF7N9XsRcPKvanMOExoCBCAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you have water in the casing, you might need to drill a few holes in the case to let the water out. The meter can probably show you where to drill the holes. If you have a garage or shed you could maybe keep it our of the rain for a week or two (heat lamps or space heater???) Get it good and dry inside, then fill in the holes you drilled, then fair it up, coat well and go sailing. Iron must have BOTH water and oxygen to rust. So if you keep out either the iron can't rust. The barrier coat mostly helps with water and a few coats of a hard enamel paint (I use rustoleum but any quality enamel will work) will provide a barrier for the oxygen. Covering the barrier coat with an enamel will also protect the epoxy in the barrier coat from UV damage. For the cables that run through your keel... you should find a Stainless steel sleeve to put through the hole. I'd epoxy it in place then run your cable through. Same for the keel bolt. That will keep water and oxygen from entering through those holes.

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[Todd Atchison]

Greetings All! Did someone say repairing a keel on a V222, well have I got a story for you Rusty. Welcome to the club and if anyone hasn't already mentioned it... Your name is spot on for these types of keels and could be it's eventual undoing (though it sounds like you have some time). The fact that you have seen rust means the awful corrosion process has started... and by the way, it won't stop (like many things in sailing it a law of nature). You are in great hands here (Ranger knows of what he speaks) and I only offer my experience for what it's worth. Best advice patch it, sail it and when you think you want to give up a summer to strip it the iron core... do it (though I don't recommend it unless you are willing to commit a lot of sweat and cash and by the way a 475lb slab of iron isn't an easy thing to move around). The problem is that water "wicks" into places you can't imagine... and over time that rust has to go somewhere. You sound like a smart guy you get it... have fun with it and don't spend to much it's a V222 LOL! That's the great part about these boats... cheap and lots of parts. I recommend looking for a wrecked boat to salvage for the iron keel. At least thats what I plan to do. Yours sounds like it will hold up if you keep her on the trailer. DO NOT KEEP HER IN THE WATER for more than a few days or week... these beauties will swell up in the trunk and then you have reel problems. I chronicled my entire restorations on a post called "And so it begins." It could be helpful.

Fair Winds.

Todd