Water in the keel of a 1973 Pearson 30.
As I was ready to fiberglass the very bottom forward section of the keel ( repairing damage from a minor grounding last year ) I noticed a drop of water leaking onto the ground; about one drop every 20 minutes.
Tapping the keel reveals hollow sounds up about 2 feet in the forward portion. The sounds varied port to starboard. Are these normal ?
To the best of my knowledge the boat lacks keel bolts, and so water in the fiberglass around the ballast could be very serious. In the worst case I can imagine the ballast shifting inside it’s fiberglass casing.
The glass on the bottom of the keel is very thin, I ground away less than 1/4 inch of damaged glass prior to reaching the lead, so however Pearson designed the ballast it’s surely not the glass there that’s keeping it attached to the rest of the boat. If anyone can point me to original plans for this part of the boat I’d be very appreciative.
A friend in the yard suggested drilling into the keel at the spots that sound hollow, but can these indicate water intrusion ? I would think water would give a dull sound.
Any thoughts very welcome.
As I was ready to fiberglass the very bottom forward section of the keel ( repairing damage from a minor grounding last year ) I noticed a drop of water leaking onto the ground; about one drop every 20 minutes.
Tapping the keel reveals hollow sounds up about 2 feet in the forward portion. The sounds varied port to starboard. Are these normal ?
To the best of my knowledge the boat lacks keel bolts, and so water in the fiberglass around the ballast could be very serious. In the worst case I can imagine the ballast shifting inside it’s fiberglass casing.
The glass on the bottom of the keel is very thin, I ground away less than 1/4 inch of damaged glass prior to reaching the lead, so however Pearson designed the ballast it’s surely not the glass there that’s keeping it attached to the rest of the boat. If anyone can point me to original plans for this part of the boat I’d be very appreciative.
A friend in the yard suggested drilling into the keel at the spots that sound hollow, but can these indicate water intrusion ? I would think water would give a dull sound.
Any thoughts very welcome.
