Rick Morel wrote:
On Mon, 25 May 2009 04:20:28 -0700 (PDT), derry
wrote:

Hi all
I seen there a while back someone had the problem of a swing keel
stuck in the keel trunk.
I have the same problem. and am now at a crossroads with it.

I drilled a hole in the steel keel and used a 800kg ratchet winch onto
an large anchor weight
this pulled the keel down with some effort. I removed the keel winch
and the keel pin.

but still cant pull the keel out with the rust around where the pin
was.
I guess I need some thing to dissolve the rust that will not damage
the gel coat.

I have tightened up the ratchet pressure again and soaked the keel in
diesel. And left it over night to see what will happen .

Anybody got any better ideas on this.


Muratic acid should dissolve the rust and won't hurt the gel coat. In
fact boatyards use it to clean hulls. Most auto supplies and paint
stores have it.

Be CAREFUL!

I usualy put it, straight, into a spray bottle. It just takes a few
seconds to remove crud and rust from the hull, deck, etc. Probably a
little longer for your application. Note that it will instantly SMOKE
when you spray it in.

Only do this if you're sure you can rinse everything thoroughly with
no proplem.

Rick

The fumes(smoke) are toxic and can kill you so make sure you do it out
side, or at minimum in a well ventilated area.