Bronze keel

[fishermantwo]

I have just had my 26 foot M&W quarter tonner up on the slips. These were designed by Ben Lexcen in about 1970. I have owned it for two years but this is the first time I have had it out of the water. Plenty of shell on the keel. After I scraped it all off I was expecting to see some rust stains, I always thought the keel was cast iron. I sanded it with a disc on a mini grinder and was surprised to see it come up looking like gold on the bare patches and that unmistakable smell of sanded bronze or gunmetal. My fishing vessel has a bronze rudder and shaft support so I am used to sanding a bit of bronze. After an hour or so it was a dull grey colour and I overcoated it with Primicon, I did not have a camera handy at the time. Photo below shows the boat with antifouling. The rear bottom edge goes into a fairly sharp point its a bit hidden by part of the slips.

I have never heard of a bronze keel before, how unusual is this?

 

[roly_voya]

Given the value of bronze I would keep the fact quite!!

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Maybe it's a depleted uranium keel /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif - about the best material possible for a keel. That's a yellowy colour metal. Did a previous owner work for BNFL?

 

[fishermantwo]

[ QUOTE ]
Given the value of bronze I would keep the fact quite!!

[/ QUOTE ]

My son actually drives a truck for a metal recycler. His boss reckons $2.60 a kilo, its about 500 kilos.

There has been a few propellers going missing off boats on slips lately.

 

[tobble]

particulary good if you're sailing in heavy water... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Blueboatman]

Or areas of heavy marine growth...

 

[Twister_Ken]

Proof positive that yacht racing was popular before the Victorians, in the bronze age.

 

[flyingscampi]

Where did you say you moored?