leaking keels

[corrie]

can anyone advise me the best under water sealant to use round the keels on my westerly pageant before i antifoul , thanks for any advice, corrie

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Welcome to the forum Corrie.
If there is water comming in around the keel/hull joints, I would firstly suggest dropping them ad checking the bolts/studs, cleaning the joints then reseal using Sikaflex 291.
Dont just bang on sealant around the joint and expect it to be a wonder cure.

 

[EuanMcKenzie]

Thus speaks a man who can offer advice based on real experience. I'm with you on that one clyde wanderer

Cabatach

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

[ QUOTE ]
Thus speaks a man who can offer advice based on real experience. I'm with you on that one clyde wanderer

Cabatach

[/ QUOTE ]
Hi Euan.
Was beginning to think you never made it home from that night out at christmas.
How are you fairing out? drop me a pm.
BTW, can offer advice on a veriaty of repair topics now /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Cheers, and nice to hear from you.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Corrie and welcome aboard the YBW forums,

Is the keel leaking on the outside or inside?

Is it just a question of replacing the existing sealant of a sign of a bigger problem?

Any signs of rust stains?

The more information the better the answers.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[corrie]

thanks guys, there is a little water coming from the inside , there is no rust on the bolts ,ive tried to tighten the bolts and they seem fine, ive scraped out the sealant from between the hull and the keels and re sealed with a compound of something or other i was advised to do , however does all sekaflex work in the same way or do i need to have a certain type for underwater seals,

 

[vyv_cox]

Think about what the keels are doing now and what they will be doing when the boat is afloat. With the weight of the boat acting downwards, the keel joints on the upper side will be closed and those on the lower side will be open. Once the boat is afloat the situation will be reversed. So just putting some sort of sealant in the gap at the lower side is pretty much a waste of sealant and time, as the joint that is probably doing the leaking has none in it at all. As soon as the boat is in a seway the keels will be moving relative to the hull and it will be impossible to seal any gaps.

You need to determine how bad the situation is. If leakage and rust stains are a big problem you need to take the keels off and rebed them. If you can live with it for the time being, one possibility is to suspend the boat in slings and get some sealant into the upper joints, letting it set before launching or returning to the ground.

What you can't see is the condition of the bolts inside the keels and hull. It would be a good idea to draw one bolt per side and base your decision on that. The fundamental problem is almost certainly hull flexing, the implication being that the joint between keel and hull has failed. Water is inevitably getting to the bolts, the only question being how much corrosion has occurred?

 

[ashanta]

And possibly what condition the GRP is in around the keel area. If flexing has been occurring or if the keels have been slamming the floor at low tide, the grp may be weak and wet.

Best take the advice of the prevous replies and plan to reseal. Sling the boat, check the bolts for corrosion. Loosen sufficiently to raise the boat off the keels so that the joint is clear.
I would not reseal until i knew the condition of the GRP around the keel joints.
When thoroughly dry I would reseal if the GRP was OK. If there is a GRP problem I would seek professional advice.

 

[corrie]

thanks for the advice guys, i think i will lower the keels and try and rebed them as you advised

 

[watsonlwats]

Hi corrie,
i'm a new user and have had great help from other user's re. sail lowering on my warwick.
when i bought her i found an article from PBO mag onboard about keel leeking and how to fix without dropping same.
if you let me have an address i will post you a copy
les