Venture 24 keel removal

[Radioop]

I have an older (1968-1971) Venture, hull number 813. The keel is in pretty bad shape and needs some major repairs. I have jacked up the boat and attempted to drop the keel out, problem is, the uppermost part of the keel wont come out of the trunk. The pivot bolt came out easily, and the keel will pivot but the upper part wont drop down. I went so far as to drill a 5/8" hole in the top of the trunk to see if I could drive it downward, no such luck. Am I missing something? Has anyone else ever had this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions? If I can get the keel out, I can work on it over the winter and the boat could possibly be in the water late next spring. I have completely stripped the interior and hope to have a couple coats of Kilz on by the time I have to cover her up for the winter.Any suggestions or comments sure would be appreciated. I would like to try it again next weekend. Thanks in advance... Radio Op.

 

[Isnibs]

It wasn't me

Not to state the obvious but are you sure that you took out The pivot bolt.Sorry.

 

[Radioop]

Isnibs, Well, as far as I can tell there are only two bolts in the trunk. The upper (Smaller) one is used to lock the keel in the down position, and the lower (Larger) one located in the compartment on the starboard side of the trunk is the pivot bolt. Unless I'm missing something I think I've done all that needs to be done. At first I thought the keel was wedged in place somehow but it seems to me that if it is free enough to drop down to the ground, the weight alone should be more than enough to make the uppermost part drop down. Thanks for the post, you can't take anything for granted around sailboats..Thanks, Radio Op

 

[Steve Paul]

Take a look

I suspect your keel is cast iron. The one's I've seen flake and swell after so long a time. I suspect you either have swelling and flaking where it's lodged the keel or you have marine growth compounding the situation. What I've read here has been to use a narrow blade, machete, hacksaw blade or something of that sort to chip and saw away between the keel and the trunk. Be careful if you keep the pivot bolt out this thing can fall in a heartbeat. Block it up and or use the pivot bolt for safety. You won't be able to handle it by yourself. A jack, a trolley or transmission jack might be the way to go.Let us all know the results.Steve P.

 

[Radioop]

Tried some spray

Hi Steve, Thanks for the info. Since I last posted, I have moved the boat to a more level place in my driveway (was on the lawn) and tried spraying some "Blast" type products between the keel and the trunk. Will spray a little more each day and on Saturday we will jack her up again and give it another shot. Hopefully, the spray will do the trick, if not, I'll surely give your suggestion a try. Thanks for taking the time to post your suggestion. Radio Op

 

[Radioop]

Still no luck

A friend who is a chemical engineer as well as a vintage wooden boat restorer/owner came over to take a look at the problem with the keel. He said that it is corroded from salt water getting inside the fiberglass and that corrosion has built up and has wedged the keel in place. He suggested taking a 'Saws-All' and cutting out the corrosion which should allow the keel to drop out of the trunk. I will try that today or tomorrow. In the meantime, I have broken away all of the fiberglass at the upper end of the keel thinking that I may be able to chisel the corrosion out but that didnt work. It's hard to beleive the amount of corrosion that has built up. I still hope to have it out before it snows (which could be any day now here in northern Michigan's U.P.), repair it over the winter, and float her next season. I'll keep you posted on the progress or lack thereof.... Radio Op

 

[Steve Paul]

It'l happen

Radioop,Keep at it, it will come down sooner or later. Use marine tex to patch up the trunk and you'll be good to go. Shave down the keel and coat it with primer and epoxy. Get 5 of your strongest best friends and push it back up in place when you're done Steve P.

 

[Radioop]

Thanks

Steve, Thanks for the encouragement, I need it right about now. I'll be sawing first thing tomorrow. I'll post how things come out, or not.. Radio Op

 

[Steve Paul]

One thought

Radioop,My thought is worth the price but can you jack this keel up any at all? Just a bit might leave room for debris to fall out or at least loosen. Wear your goggles and try to keep your mouth shut while sawing under there....Steve P.

 

[JonBill]

Steve Where Abouts You From?

Steve,My wife's maiden name is Paul - where abouts you from? Paul is not a very common sir name. She's from Mobile.Regards,JonBill

 

[Steve Paul]

We're Hoosiers

JonBill,We're from Indiana. Migrated from NYC into the MidWest in the early 1800's. It's a British Sir Name some believe was originally "DePaul" but we're still researching that. You're right, used to be real rare but we're a horny bunch and now we're everywhere. Does your wife have any history she can repeat on ancestors, that kind of thing?Steve Paul

 

[Radioop]

Won't budge

Steve, The strange part is that the keel is 100% free to pivot when I use the keel raising winch, even with the pivot bolt out it will pivot but the upper end of the keel won't drop down out of the trunk. The upper end of the keel is wedged into the trunk because of the rust/scale that has built up over the years. This boat used to be in salt water and the water managed to get into the keel between the fiberglass and the steel/lead and start a galvanic action which created the buildup of rust/scale causing the keel to be wedged into the trunk. I got a bit discouraged but I will keep at it till it's out. I really have no other options. You can bet that after this, even though it will now only be sailed in Lake Superior, I will remove the keel every other year for a good cleaning of it and the trunk. Thanks for your reply... Radio Op

 

[JonBill]

She's Irish

Steve,She tells me she's Irish. But I'm at work this morning and she's gone to Church so I'll ask her if so knows any more than that and let you know.Later,JonBill

 

[Radioop]

It's Out!!!

I finally got that keel out. I borrowed a Saws-All, got some metal cutting blades but the saw was useless against the corrosion. I did manage to cut away some of the fiberglass on the upper part of the keel. Then I got a good sharp cold chisel, and a good sized hammer and began to chisel out the corrosion. Took me about 3 hours,and my arms feel like they are going to fall off but... that darn keel is now sitting on a hand truck in my driveway.. What a good feeling... Now all I have to figure out is how to get it to a friends shop where we can work on it over the winter. I took another vacation day tomorrow and plan on sanding the inside of the boat and if I'm lucky I will be able to put a coat of Kilz on her next weekend...Thanks to all who took the time to make suggestions on this problem. I'm sure you haven't heard the last from me as I'm sure I'll run into other problems that require suggestions.... Happy sailing.... Radio Op

 

[Steve Paul]

congratulations !

Now you've been babtized. Welcome to trailer sailing 101.Steve P.

 

[Tim Grossnickle]

A key to keel removal on the Venture

With the same problems you encountered we discovered a key. Without pushing too far down, slide the keel back to clear the smaller slot, it will drop out where it widens toward the stern. My problem is how to reglass it.