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Terry Spragg
 
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Default From swing keel to fixed keel

Haakon Dybdahl wrote:

Do you have an accurate as-built sectional view of the modification


available?

No, but I can try to explain in more details. The following link shows the
original design of the boat.
http://www.cashflowfactory.com/keelrepair/Index.html

There are no brackets in my boat. The new keel looks very much like the old
keel. Instead of the brackets, four bolts are holding the keel. These bolts
go through the well and through the keel. Since the well the keel is placed
in is heavy built, the keel seems to be fastened well. However, because the
brackets are missing, and because of the bolts, I would like to have a water
tight conjunction at the buttom. The new keel is covered with fiberglass
which is also covering the area around the keel, but because of moment of
the keel this is not water teight. The problem is how to get this water
teight.

Haakon



First, it must be made rigid, so it does not move. Wedges, spacers,
adjustable clamps, whatever, at top and bottom.

Then, cover the seam with glass cloth or fill with bog and fair it.

Perhaps a long (wide?) wedge tapped in along the gap, then fixed in
place with screws and when trimmed off fair? The screws might only
go into the keel, and might pull the wedge up, that is into the gap,
making it tighter. Or, some big through bolts to compress the spacer
strips at the bottom?

Might wet wooden wedges expand, opening the c/b trunk, stressing the
hull? Perhaps you could just fill the entire gap with lots of
expanding foam around a few metal spacers? It might be removeable
with an acetone spray.

Will it be exposed to freezing while afloat? You don't want water
freezing inside an enclosed space.

Do you want to be able to remove it again?

I would consider not worrying about seepage, just so long as the
thumping is gone, and no water leaks inside the boat. A small seam
seeping into the trunk space won't affect your sailing speed like a
larger open gap might. You might consider a simple foam sealing
strip to calm the turbulence there, it all depends on just how
fanatical you are about fixing the c/b situation.

Terry K