Frank Langer
1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
Hi,
I'm having some work done at our local boatyard, including dropping the keel as this hasn't been done in the 33 year history of the boat. The seven keel bolts did not want to release their nuts and washers--took about two hours of hard work and a very big yard worker with extra leverage to get them off. However, the keel then dropped off without any extra persuasion, with the fork lift driver saying it's the easiest he has ever seen. There was no damage to the fibreglass and both surfaces were smooth. On inspection, I noticed that the upper fibreglass side of the joint was quite shiny, as has been reported by other Ericson owners who have dropped their keels--I guess Ericson neglected to rough up that surface to get a really good seal. The bedding compound looked like Sikaflex or similar and looked ok, though I would have liked a thicker layer of it to ensure a better bond and to increase the chances of keeping the water out.
The seven one inch diameter keel bolts had a slight bit of surface rust on some areas, and one of them showed a very small amount of corrosion, but the others cleaned up nicely with a wire brush. Even without rebedding, this keel would probably still be solid many years from now.
We cleaned all surfaces, roughed them up with a grinder, cleaned the bolts and then rebedded the keel using a large amount of epoxy rather than just re-caulking the joint. My reasoning on this is that I think the likelihood of needing to remove this keel in the future is very low, and I think the epoxy will/did ooze out all around the joint when the boat was dropped on the keel and also came up the keel bolt holes inside the bilge ensuring a very solid keel and no chance of any water coming in. This may have been "overkill" and a sealant like sikaflex or 5200 might have been fine.
My conclusion on this part of the job I'm doing is that it has solidified the keel a bit and given me peace of mind that the bolts are in good shape and I won't have to worry about any water in the bilge from that joint. However, the boat would likely have been fine for another 20 or 30 years without this rebedding, so unless there is an obvious need, I don't think I would recommend dropping and rebedding the keel as a normal part of preventive maintenance. However, I know that there are pics on this site and others showing very corroded keel bolts and various cautions, but I'm guessing that there was evidence on these boats of a problem with the keel/hull joint, or seawater in the bilge, or some other clue that it needed attention.
This is just my experience, in the hope that it might help others who are contemplating rebedding their keel.
Frank
I'm having some work done at our local boatyard, including dropping the keel as this hasn't been done in the 33 year history of the boat. The seven keel bolts did not want to release their nuts and washers--took about two hours of hard work and a very big yard worker with extra leverage to get them off. However, the keel then dropped off without any extra persuasion, with the fork lift driver saying it's the easiest he has ever seen. There was no damage to the fibreglass and both surfaces were smooth. On inspection, I noticed that the upper fibreglass side of the joint was quite shiny, as has been reported by other Ericson owners who have dropped their keels--I guess Ericson neglected to rough up that surface to get a really good seal. The bedding compound looked like Sikaflex or similar and looked ok, though I would have liked a thicker layer of it to ensure a better bond and to increase the chances of keeping the water out.
The seven one inch diameter keel bolts had a slight bit of surface rust on some areas, and one of them showed a very small amount of corrosion, but the others cleaned up nicely with a wire brush. Even without rebedding, this keel would probably still be solid many years from now.
We cleaned all surfaces, roughed them up with a grinder, cleaned the bolts and then rebedded the keel using a large amount of epoxy rather than just re-caulking the joint. My reasoning on this is that I think the likelihood of needing to remove this keel in the future is very low, and I think the epoxy will/did ooze out all around the joint when the boat was dropped on the keel and also came up the keel bolt holes inside the bilge ensuring a very solid keel and no chance of any water coming in. This may have been "overkill" and a sealant like sikaflex or 5200 might have been fine.
My conclusion on this part of the job I'm doing is that it has solidified the keel a bit and given me peace of mind that the bolts are in good shape and I won't have to worry about any water in the bilge from that joint. However, the boat would likely have been fine for another 20 or 30 years without this rebedding, so unless there is an obvious need, I don't think I would recommend dropping and rebedding the keel as a normal part of preventive maintenance. However, I know that there are pics on this site and others showing very corroded keel bolts and various cautions, but I'm guessing that there was evidence on these boats of a problem with the keel/hull joint, or seawater in the bilge, or some other clue that it needed attention.
This is just my experience, in the hope that it might help others who are contemplating rebedding their keel.
Frank
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