Where's the Keel Bolts?

[Joshua Glickman]

I have a 1972 O'Day 27. I'm trying to install a lightning protection system. My friend says to attach the ground wire to a keel bolt. The only problem is, I cant find any of them. Maybe they're behind the wall inside the bildge? If so Do I have to cut the wall? How far off center are they?

 

[Jim Cook]

Joshua - Permanent keel w/o keel bolts

I was curious about the same thing when I bought my '74 O27 last year. It was explained to me that the keel is permanently attached and does not have keel bolts (which are used to remove the keel) like most other fixed keel vessels.I'm new to this and I don't recall the specific terms they used, but the jist of the explaination is that you'll have to find another electrical route. My boat seems heavily grounded throughout with several groundings to metal throughhulls.Email me at jlcook@swbell.net. I would like to get together a list of other 27' owners.Good luck.Jim Cook"Dream Chaser"

 

[Don Evans]

Jims Correct Josh

O'Day encapsulated their keels in fiberglass. No pesky keel bolts, but no grounding point too. As far as lightning grounds, I installed 2 large Dynaplates (scintered bronze) through and below the hull, towards the stern. This spring I plan on running 4 guage battery wire cable from the mast tabernacle mounting bolts, down the compression post, and under the bilge board to the dynaplates. This is in addition to a portable copper grounding plate I attach to the shrouds using battery cable and clamps. This piece of copper plate is hung in the water beside the boat during electrical storms if I'm aboard (sometimes you do get caught out), to allow an exiting point off the boat if the mast is struck by lightning. I also have a lightning arrestor (Lightning Master) attached to the top of the mast to help bleed off static charge during an electrical storm...so far so good.Don

 

[Russ Marcks]

Dynaplate

I was just going to suggest one or more Dynaplates. They are a bit expensive but are probably the only solution. If you're not a huge hurry, you could visit the boating section on eBay and Yahoo! (eBay's much better). I just bought a large Dynaplate for a song.Russ

 

[R.W. Landau]

Just one

Joshua,If you are in salt water I would use only one plate. If you ground to two plates, your grounding may have different potentials, causing electrolysis, or increase the likelyhood of galvanic corrosion.r.w.landau