Hunter 27 OOD | Keel Bolts

[DaveSkye]

Hello

I am slowly doing up my Hunter 27 OOD. I notice the top of my keel bolts look to be very rusty.
Does anyone know how to go about replacing them?
How are they connected to the iron keel?

Any help would be great!

Cheers. – Dave.

 

[rotrax]

Loose keels dont seem to be a problem on British Hunters.

First Mate and I had a third share in a 27 OOD. I seemed to get most of the maintainence duties.

I slacked off each keel bolt in turn, starting at the middle ones, and re-tightened using my biggest socket bar, while it was on the hard. IIRC, the bolt heads were rusty, but I would have expected as much.

Big difference between surface rust-even fairly deep surface rust-and corrosion.

Only you, on the spot, can make that call.

 

[jamie N]

Did you actually remove and inspect the bolts, or was it purely to retorque? I'm in this process on my Folkboat, and have an interest.

 

[rotrax]

Did you actually remove and inspect the bolts, or was it purely to retorque? I'm in this process on my Folkboat, and have an interest.

It was a long time ago-they may well have been studs and nuts-I cant remember.

I did not retorque, I just pulled them up tight after slacking them off one full turn. They mostly went one full turn and a fraction more, IIRC, on tightening.

They certainly tightened properly. The following year when on the hard I did them again, slacked off, they all came back exactly where they started. Well, as much as you can ascertain using a high quality knuckle bar and taking a reference point before slacking off.

IIRC they were 14 or 16mm, so a good size-and able to take plenty of welly!

 

[JimC]

I think it must have been the OP posted the same query on the Hunter Association forum. I replied to it there.

 

[DaveSkye]

Hello

I am keen to take one out and inspect it. Then if needed replace them all.

I now understand that they are studs that are tapped into the iron keel. Does this match up with anyone else's experience with Hunter boats?

 

[Ceirwan]

Hello

I am keen to take one out and inspect it. Then if needed replace them all.

I now understand that they are studs that are tapped into the iron keel. Does this match up with anyone else's experience with Hunter boats?

Its typical of the era.
Normal process is two nuts on the stud locked together to draw it out.

From experience I would take out the forward most bolt as this one is the one most likely to have suffered in a grounding. On my Eygthene 24 it was elongated considerably.

 

[Tranona]

Hello

I am keen to take one out and inspect it. Then if needed replace them all.

I now understand that they are studs that are tapped into the iron keel. Does this match up with anyone else's experience with Hunter boats?

What leads you to think there is a problem? There really is no need to take the keel bolts out unless there is evidence that the seal between the keel and the hull has broken and water has got in. The usual sign for this is rust streaks running down the keel in line with the positions of the bolts/studs. If none of this is evident then leave them alone. It is, however worth cleaning the nuts and checking that the plates underneath are sound.

 

[rotrax]

What leads you to think there is a problem? There really is no need to take the keel bolts out unless there is evidence that the seal between the keel and the hull has broken and water has got in. The usual sign for this is rust streaks running down the keel in line with the positions of the bolts/studs. If none of this is evident then leave them alone. It is, however worth cleaning the nuts and checking that the plates underneath are sound.

Absolutly.

Our keel showed no signs of rust at the joint, but the nuts were quite rusty from seawater getting under the sole from headsail changes.

As I said before, all nuts after being slacked off came up a fraction tighter. The following lift out they did not.

As our American friends say-if it aint broke, dont fix it.................................