corroded keel bolts on a kestrel 22

[ossygobbin]

hi,i am currently in the process of replacing rusted keel bolts on an old wooden kestrel 22, on examination,( and much heaving!) the nuts wont come off, the ones that have moved are just shearing off, the nut and top 3 inch of the bolt have sheared off, leaving a point reamaining in the hole itself. what is the best way of removing this? the bolts themselves are studs, tapped into an iron ballast keel. all help and advice would be gratefully received.

cheers

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[clyst]

If its studs then I'm afraid its a keel off job .Not what you wanted to hear but thats the only solution. Sorry!

Cheers

Terry

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[Peterduck]

I concur that it is a ballast keel off job. With the nuts that are difficult to remove, get a bar on to the spanner to get a greater leverage. If you end up rounding off the nut, drill down through the middle of two flats [parallel to the bolt axis] and use a cold chisel to split the nut. The bolts will have swollen badly inside the timber keel, so getting the ballast off will be no picnic. They may even be wasted so much that the bolt comes apart inside the timber keel. Support the hull so that the ballast has a space in which to fall and you'll be using the weight of the ballast to your advantage.
Peter.

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[ossygobbin]

thanks for the help, once the keel is off, how big a job is it to remove the studs (or what is remaining of them from the cast ballast keel. is this possible. or will the holes have to be re-drilled and re-tapped to accept a larger bolt? all advice is gratefully received cheers ian

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[Peterduck]

Ah dear, Ian; it depends on how strong the remnants of the bolts are, and will they turn in the holes in the ballast keel? Are they held in by nuts recessed into the bottom of the keel,or by inserts into pockets in the side, or by threaded hole in the ballast itself? It will be a case of discovering as you go, and responding accordingly.
Peter.

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