Anderson 22

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Poulb

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Hello There, Loking for advice/help. Found an Anderson 22 that i would like to buy. Problem is, keel is stuck in raist position. what could be the course of this, Is there some way to free it without taking the boat out of the water. winch is ok. Owner didnt lower the keel as he just sailed with the outboard engine . Could there be som serius damege in the keel box, or is it rust that has expanded so that the keel is stuck. searching the internet didnt come up with enything, so hoping someone here has experience with this boat. please excuse me if my spelling isnt correct i am danisch and live in denmark. kind regards poulp.
 
Could have been sat in the mud & stones have jammed it in place. Even dried mud could be holding it. Dried mud has been known to plug a leak on a boat that crossed the Atlantic.
I would imaging the answer would be to get it out of the water, into slings & jet wash it. But make sure the keel is partly retained as one would not want to be under it when it released!!!
I do not know the construction, but can the top of the keel box be removed & the keel hammered down with a heavy hammer & a piece of wood? Anderson owners might comment.
 
Welcome to the forum. Seajet who used to post and had the p taken out of him mercilessly by some to the extent that he withdrew was an Anderson acolyte.
They are good boats.
 
This is a good starting point anderson22class.co.uk it includes a link to a facebook group which seems to be active. Most of this material was put together by a guy called Andy (Seajet) who used to post regularly here, but he has been ill for some time so doubt you will be able to contact him.

However there is enough on the site to show the construction with the keel lifting in the keel box. As others have said probably stuck with mud or stones or simply lack of action. The keel is a substantial casting and very heavy, so the advice to have a strop around the boat underneath the keel is sound. Doubt you will be able to shift it without lifting the boat and supporting it about a metre off the ground so that you can access the keel from the underneath.

Excellent boat of its size and type and owners are usually very knowledgeable. Suspect you will get good advice from the owners on facebook.

Good luck with the boat.

Forget the jokes posted by some. These reflect the fact that Andy was often over enthusiastic in his claims about the boat's speed. Does not detract from it being a very capable boat.
 
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Welcome to the forum!

There was a recent post on here about products for rusting keels. It linked through to another thread and post by Seajet. On that thread he stated that the A22 centre plate had to be lowered, cleaned, primed and painted each year. One year he did not do this and the centre plate stuck in the housing due to rust; he was quite open about the fact that it was his omission and lack of rust treatment at the end of the season which caused this. A search of the forums, as stated above, will produce that thread.
 
I have always admired the Anderson 22, it was well designed and the quality of manufacture excellent, it also sails very well.
 
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One of those easy to overlook , deceptively self effacing but in reality very good boats by a great designer !

Good luck . A jolly good pressure wash and some enthusiastic waggling and levering ( with the lifting tackle set and a safety wooden block to stop it slamming down more than a couple of inches !) should be a good start
 
I own an Anderson 22.
Mud or stones are unlikely to get up the keel case as it is pretty well blocked off by the bulb, which is shaped to fit tight to the hull when raised.
The keel is a close fit into the case and even too much paint can cause it to bind, so rust expansion is a likely culprit.
I would try slacking off the lifting wire a little then levering between the keel top and the underneath of the mast support using a slim crowbar and some wooden blocks.
It is going to need inspecting to be sure the corrosion is not too bad with excessive plate thickness lost. The plate is 3/4" thick as manufactured. It is even possible to source a new keel if necessary
Advise is available on the Facebook pages and you will be welcomed I am sure.
 
Praxinoscope said:
I have always admired the Andersen 22, it was well designed and the quality of manufacture excellent, it also sails very well.
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I have its little sister, the Hunter 490, which is very similar in every way and sails like a witch. No reasonable offer refused. Good trailer included.

OP, the keel system is more or less identical on the two boats. There is a bit cast-iron lump at the bottom, pinned onto a 3/4" steel plate (may be thicker on the A22) which lifts into the boat, leaving the bulb outside. The winch is a Dutton-Lainson "braked winch" which must absolutely not under any circumstances be replaced with a standard trailer one, though they look similar. The proper winch can hold the keel in inermeditae positions and requires force on the handle to lower it. So first of all, are you sure that it's OK? Can you turn it in the lowering direction, but only with quite a lot of force.

Stones caught in the keel box are unlikely, because the bulb seals it (some people put rubber on top of the bulb for a really good seal) and also hold it above the sea bed. The plates do rust, though. Can you wiggle the top of it from side to side? Finally, there are two guide rollers for the front and back edge in the keel box, and I suppose they could fall into a corroded notch on the leading or trailing edge.

I'd put the boat on stands so that the keel was about half its lowering length in the air, put a tyre under it, slacken the wire (maybe remove it) and then go mad with a big prybar, taking care never to be actually under it.

Andy/Seajet is a spectacularly friendly and helpful chap (he gave me lots of advice when I got the 490) and always keeps a new keel casting in stock, so even if you have to destroy the old one a replacement should be easy.
 
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