What's in a Bavaria lead keel?

[jonjo]

What\'s in a Bavaria lead keel?

This is not a trick question.

Yesterday I was skulking around Sparks boatyard killing time before the traffic on the M3 thinned out. There were many Bavarias in various stages of commissioning for their new owners and I was intrigued by the ones with lead keels.

These keels have a very rough machined finish that looks like ordinary lead. How can this be as surely lead has a tensile strength little better than putty?

Do these keels have an internal steel structure around which a lead shell is cast?

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[sailorman]

Re: What\'s in a Bavaria lead keel?

2% antimony or there abouts is added

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[Birdseye]

Re: What\'s in a Bavaria lead keel?

lead is soft but because of its density, it absorbs impact without much distortion. just try hammering a piece of thick old lead pipe. takes a lot of effort.

so there will be dints and bumps in use, but unlikely to be bad.

reputedly, spent uranium is heavier and harder. you'll find lots of it lying around in iraq. and it will certainly help nightime navigation in shoal waters to be able to see your keel - through the deck! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[Brian_B]

Re: What\'s in a Bavaria lead keel?

....would you need to antifoul a spent uranium keel?
There could be a saving here!

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[ArgoNot]

Re: What\'s in a Bavaria lead keel?

You'd need a lead keel between you and the DU keel. New definition of twin keel?

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[Trevethan]

Re: What\'s in a Bavaria lead keel?

I am sure you would need to have some pretty potenti a-f to deal witht eh mutant barnacle-octopus-shark mutantation growing .. however they might graze on the stuff on the rest of the boat and could prove very effective anti pirate devices.!

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[richardandtracy]

Re: What\'s in a Bavaria lead keel?

Try getting it through customs though..

'Yes Officer, I have to declare 2 tons of Uranium.. No, I'm not a terrorist, honest!'

I think it'd be all downhill from there.

Regards

Richard.


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