Keel bolt replacement

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Crazer
Topside Painter
Posts: 133
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2011 3:07 pm
Boat Name: Clio
Boat Type: Rhodes Swiftsure 33
Location: Annapolis, MD

Keel bolt replacement

Post by Crazer »

After my boat was hauled out, the first time I've properly seen her out of the water, I discovered to my horror that the lead in the keel has separated from the hull by about 1/2" at the front. There is no comparable separation at the aft end but, after investigating further and discovering the problem was last "repaired" by jamming some line into the crack and sealing over it with 5200 or 4200, I've come to the unhappy conclusion that I must at least lift the boat off her keel and check the bolts and in all likelihood replace all 11 of them. Has anyone had any experiences with this project? I'm really kicking myself for not doing a proper short haul and survey when I bought her, but I was lazy and didn't have any experience with anything other than encapsulated keels. It won't be a terribly expensive project as the yard fees are comparatively cheap here but it's yet another thing to do before taking off voyaging.
As eccentric as my boat.

Rhodes Swiftsure 33
SV Clio
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atomvoyager
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Re: Keel bolt replacement

Post by atomvoyager »

Maybe someone with experience in this job will reply but for now I would guess that your keel bolts (especially if bronze into lead) are probably OK and that you had a bad fit from the factory that they covered with caulk. The original caulk may have fallen out over time and a previous owner added more. I've seen other boats with large or uneven gaps. But it's prudent to remove the ballast to check. If the bolts are good no need to replace since this could be a big and pointless job. Also,. if there was a problem that the bolts were stripping out of the lead or nuts and the keel shifted then I would expect there would be a fast leak in the area of separation. With the boat in the water it should be obvious. If hauled you could fill the bilge with water and look for leaks outside. If the keel actually shifted position as you suspect then I don't see how it's not leaking considering the caulk patch has partly fallen out.
Crazer
Topside Painter
Posts: 133
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2011 3:07 pm
Boat Name: Clio
Boat Type: Rhodes Swiftsure 33
Location: Annapolis, MD

Re: Keel bolt replacement

Post by Crazer »

The bolt heads are glassed over, so I wouldn’t expect a leak unless the glass has started to fail which doesn’t appear to be happening. The part that concerns me the most is that the keel is not nearly fair at the bow, and the gap is roughly equal to the mismatch between the fiberglass and the lead at the leading edge of the keel. This to me suggests the keel has dropped. It’s possible that the boat was built this way but it seems a little unlikely they’d have delivered her with an unfair hull.
As eccentric as my boat.

Rhodes Swiftsure 33
SV Clio
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