Countess 33 bilge keel bolts

[SmileyGiley]

Doh... one more question.

Anyone ever checked the keel bolts on a Colvic Countess 33 bilge keeler?

Cheers

SmileyG

 

[boatmike]

I think you will find they are glassed over inside. If there is no weeping on the joint externally (rust streaks at bolt intervals) and the external seal looks good from the outside, I would not worry.

 

[ex-Gladys]

...lots of the later Colvics had encapsulated keels not bolted.....

 

[boatmike]

Good point, and in that case there are no keel bolts, in which case you need to ask what sort of ballast infill they have.

 

[spidy]

our colvic atlanta 31 bilge keels are moulded to the hull and are filled with polystyrene balls and spay foam then glassed over, hope it helps , because i had a problem (cracked) and had to dig deep so i would say no bolts to see dont worry,

 

[jwilson]

Countess 33s have encapsulated ballast - no keel bolts. These hulls were generally supplied by Colvic with no ballast installed, and what people put inside the hollow keel stubs varied. Best of all was lead ingots and shot, laid into slow-setting resin, then glassed over.

Lead however was and is expensive, so iron or steel was often used, which is OK as long as it is well set into resin and glassed over, and no later keel damage ever lets water reach it. As many Countesses were home-built, you could find almost anything as ballast in the keels. If the yacht has been fitted out nicely and the visible bits are quality work, it's a fair bet to expect that the invisible bits like ballast are properly done too. Be suspicious however if the interior joinery or general fit-out quality is rough....

 

[tonykerry]

No Countess 33s had keel bolts, all keels were encapsulated.
Tony Kerry, Hon Sec, Countess Owners Association.
www.countessowners.com