Should weeping make me cry?

[Sea-Fever]

On my 40 odd year old Westerly with bilge keels my survey on purchase (out of water) identified minor surface corrosion on the keel bolts...nothing to worry about apparently.

Now in the water I noted a weep around one bolt that barely forms a drip but is otherwise ever present. I suppose the keel - hull joint leaks somewhere and seawater finds its way in.

I intend to strip back the keel - hull joint and reseal it. That's unless somebody wants to tell me that long term exposure of the keel bolt in this manner to small amounts of seawater requires the keels to be dropped and everything checked. At which point I will indeed start crying.

Thoughts?

 

[Sea-Fever]

On my 40 odd year old Westerly with bilge keels my survey on purchase (out of water) identified minor surface corrosion on the keel bolts...nothing to worry about apparently.

Now in the water I noted a weep around one bolt that barely forms a drip but is otherwise ever present. I suppose the keel - hull joint leaks somewhere and seawater finds its way in.

I intend to strip back the keel - hull joint and reseal it. That's unless somebody wants to tell me that long term exposure of the keel bolt in this manner to small amounts of seawater requires the keels to be dropped and everything checked. At which point I will indeed start crying.

Thoughts?

Bump

 

[Graham376]

Which model of Westerly? My Centaur and Berwick both had stainless keel studs and it was a relatively easy DIY job to lower the keels with the hulls on blocks and trolley jack under the keels. The Centaur just needed new sealant but I had to reinforce the Berwick's stubs as there was stress cracking.

 

[Robin]

Before taking any drastic action, be very sure about the source of you water, just being found near a keel bolt is no indication it originated from it.

 

[Bilgediver]

Just make sure that if you do remove the keels then ensure on replacing that if you have square stud washers you DO NOT line up the edges neatly or you may be crying for life. Put them bag like a row of diamonds. This is important especially if on a drying mooring. There is a fellow near here who thought neat was best and now regrets it :'(. It did take about 3 months for his keel to drop off on a drying mooring on sand! He took the keels off to reinforce pods .

 

[Sea-Fever]

Just make sure that if you do remove the keels then ensure on replacing that if you have square stud washers you DO NOT line up the edges neatly or you may be crying for life. Put them bag like a row of diamonds. This is important especially if on a drying mooring. There is a fellow near here who thought neat was best and now regrets it :'(. It did take about 3 months for his keel to drop off on a drying mooring on sand! He took the keels off to reinforce pods .

Not the sort of story I was hoping for but thanks all the same.

I'm not on a drying mooring so that's less of a worry. Its a W33 if that makes a difference. and yes....I'm pretty sure the source of the weep is the keel stud. Would post a photo but a)don't have one and b)don't know how to do it.

 

[Concerto]

To check if there is a weep you need to surround the keel bolt with a ring of plastacine or similar to collect any weep. If it remains dry, then the water is coming from somewhere else.

This article from the Westerly Wiki should be of help.
https://westerly-owners.co.uk/westerlywiki/index.php?title=Re_bedding_Keels

 

[Sea-Fever]

To check if there is a weep you need to surround the keel bolt with a ring of plastacine or similar to collect any weep. If it remains dry, then the water is coming from somewhere else.

This article from the Westerly Wiki should be of help.
https://westerly-owners.co.uk/westerlywiki/index.php?title=Re_bedding_Keels

Thanks...useful

 

[Seajet]

Sea Fever,

my father had an immaculate late model Centaur, which came with the keels reinforced, being an engineer he glassed in further strengthening.

A tiny drip from a keel bolt persisted - he used a box spanner with a 6' bar to tighten the bolts but it still gave a tiny drip building up over say a weekend; very bloody irritating, but nothing at all to worry about.

 

[prv]

I intend to strip back the keel - hull joint and reseal it. That's unless somebody wants to tell me that long term exposure of the keel bolt in this manner to small amounts of seawater requires the keels to be dropped and everything checked.

Can’t comment on whether it’s necessary to drop the keel to inspect the bolts, but you won’t be able to just “strip back and seal” the joint. Like any bolted joint with sealant in between, you can only properly repair it by opening up and applying the new sealant to the mating faces. Just dobbing it round the edges of the joint is not effective.

Pete

 

[Seajet]

PRV,

good point, I know owners at my club with Centaurs and other makes of twin keelers who have dropped their keels to re-seat them properly, using a heavy duty wooden jig to receive and hold the keel; I'm not sure how bad things were to prompt them to do this, as I doubt many would do it just for fun, but given the right club and DIY skills it's actually not that big a job.

 

[Graham376]

Sea Fever,

my father had an immaculate late model Centaur, which came with the keels reinforced, being an engineer he glassed in further strengthening.

A tiny drip from a keel bolt persisted - he used a box spanner with a 6' bar to tighten the bolts but it still gave a tiny drip building up over say a weekend; very bloody irritating, but nothing at all to worry about.

It's usual to place a donut of caulking cotton around the stud under the plate.

 

[Seajet]

Or modern sealant, either are good as long as under the bolt and washer - or hull / keel join - not added on top, as PRV mentioned.

 

[Sea-Fever]

Or modern sealant, either are good as long as under the bolt and washer - or hull / keel join - not added on top, as PRV mentioned.

Thanks chaps. It's a properly miniscule volume of water. It's the action of the salt water that concerns me - I'm unsure if the stud and washer are identical metals which would therefore create (galvanic) corrosion. I'll mull over this issue - whatever has been happening I suspect it's been happening a long time and the keel is still attached.