Gap between hull and keel

[Guest]

Hi,

can someone tell me what should i do , I have 27' jeanneau w/iron keel my boat on dry dock now and find a small gap between a hull and the keel in the front of the keel. someone told me tide the keel bolt more bring the gap down and put expoxy around the gap. But all my keel bolt cover by expoxy form the factory should I break them and tide them up. Thanks for help

 

[davidwf]

If its sitting on the keel its unlikely tightening the keel bolts will reduce the gap. Had same problem on a dufour simply filled in the gap with Sikaflex been fine for 2 seasons now. I was sceptical at this approach but Dufour insisted it wasn't a problem.

 

[jfkal]

Same here. You should open the glassed caps to see whether the bolts are fine or corroded. Spray them with cold galvaising zinc. The caps are nice but they conceal existing breach of seal under the water line.
The gap was there all along or someone grounded and shifted the keel .
In any case remove all sealant. Flush the gap with plenty of fresh water. Dry thoroughly. Sand like hell. Clean with acetone, prime keel (if cast iron). Use the right Sika primers for hull and keel and seal everything up with sikaflex.
And --- if the bolts had been rusty replace them first(((