Help with wooden keels.

[Tinbasher]

Hi , I've have a Senior 26 boat with wooden keels that need replacing ,they bolt through the GRP hull. Can someone please advise what wood would be good to use for the keels and which sealant I should use to seal against the hull. Also do I need to treat the wood before it goes back into the water? Thanks in advance.

 

[Stemar]

I've no pretensions to expertise but, since no one else has replied, here are a few thoughts.

Teak would probably be best, but you'll want to be sitting down when you find out how much a keel's worth will cost.

Of the woods easily available at an almost sensible price, oak is probably the densest and most rot resistant. I'd put a good coat of epoxy on it and sheath it in glass cloth - a few layers on the bottom, where it's liable to get scraped and finish with a couple of coats of paint. As for sealant, Screwfix OB1 seems to have a good reputation here, and won't break the bank.

Is there a forum or club for owners? If so, they'd probably be a good source to check if the above is good advice or total bollox

 

[Easticks28]

Elm - if you can find any,
Blank Page 7

 

[Wansworth]

Iroko will do the job,poor mans teak,a simple bedding compound and servereal coats of wood primer andunder coat before fitting

 

[Wansworth]

Elm - if you can find any,
Blank Page 7

Can you still get Elm after the Dutch elm disease?

 

[jim.howes]

I've no pretensions to expertise but, since no one else has replied, here are a few thoughts.

Teak would probably be best, but you'll want to be sitting down when you find out how much a keel's worth will cost.

Of the woods easily available at an almost sensible price, oak is probably the densest and most rot resistant. I'd put a good coat of epoxy on it and sheath it in glass cloth - a few layers on the bottom, where it's liable to get scraped and finish with a couple of coats of paint. As for sealant, Screwfix OB1 seems to have a good reputation here, and won't break the bank.

Is there a forum or club for owners? If so, they'd probably be a good source to check if the above is good advice or total bollox

I would not paint the keels but finish them properly with 2 coats of gellcoat/antifouling primer then finish with antifouling.

 

[Hacker]

A dense hard rot resistant wood is needed. In the UK oak, teak or iroko would work. I wouldn’t use Elm, its too soft. Put a coat of G4 sealer on and then bed with OB1 or EBT or Arbomast. Don’t use steel bolts, they will cause iron sickness; invest in some bronze bolts. I wouldn’t encapsulate in GRP, it can trap moisture. If you need abrasion resistance then fit a bronze keel band.

 

[Ian_Edwards]

I wouldn't encapsulate a wooden keel in polyester or epoxy. You can't be sure that it will remain completly sealed, especially with keel bolts going through it. Once water gets in, it'll probably rot.
I'd coat with a conventional primer and antifouling paint.

 

[Rappey]

I think some of you completely underestimate just how long something like Iroko will actually last underwater with just primer and antifoul.

 

[alan_d]

Can you still get Elm after the Dutch elm disease?

I know "Blank Page 7" is not an enticing title, but if you follow the link in post #3 you will find an answer to your question.

 

[Hacker]

Yes you can get Elm but it is becoming difficult. We are just completing the build of a Cornish Gig. The planking is all Elm. Traditionally it would have been Cornish small leaf Elm. We managed to obtain a trunk from Scotland that provided most of the planks but had to source some more which came from France. The French Elm was noticeably softer. We didn’t need to countersink the nails, they just pulled in.

 

[johnlilley]

A lot of useful information posted.
Elm used to be used for centreline keel construction on timber boats up until Dutch elm disease stopped use. Most builders transferred to iroko without any difficulty. Does not need to be GRP encapsulated & perhaps should not be GRP encapsulated. Iroko will not rot in salt water, in fact very few timbers rot in salt water. . Remember no proper timber built boat is epoxy sheathed or sealed. other than primed & painted. Teak is overkill & too expensive. Oak is OK but it does tend to get shakes when large sections dry out if the vessel is ashore & will cause corrosion to ferrous bolts. You can also use larch, sapele and one or two other less common timbers such as Idigbo (can cause corrosion to ferrous bolts) Generally hot dip galvanise bolts will last fifteen years provided they are reasonable diameter & well sealed. Fit stainless steel rubbing band if you want. Make sure the shape is exactly right otherwise you can distort the hull when bolting if the sections are large & very rigid. Seal onto the hull with your chosen bedding compound, various choices. Job Done.

Hi , I've have a Senior 26 boat with wooden keels that need replacing ,they bolt through the GRP hull. Can someone please advise what wood would be good to use for the keels and which sealant I should use to seal against the hull. Also do I need to treat the wood before it goes back into the water? Thanks in advance.