damaged lead keel after impact with underwater hazard

This was the damage caused to a lead keel after hitting an underwater hazard.

Cast iron keel after hitting something underwater

This cast iron keel grounded on rocks but even after being blasted clean there is not much sign of any impact!

Keel Repairs

All sailing boats have keels and most shallow waters have rocks...not always a good combination!

At Mylor we see a lot of different keels with varying levels of damage caused by bumps and groundings.  The composition of the keel will determine how much damage a grounding or knock under the water will cause to the rest of the vessel.

Lead keels tend to absorb the impact but when inspected will look the most obviously damaged, usually with a chunk taken out of the keel.  This is due to the lead being slightly softer than other keel materials such as cast iron.

Cast iron is a lot harder and although may not appear to have a lot of damage on a visual inspection they may have caused stress fractures through the keel and into the hull.

Any collision with the bottom should be inspected by a surveyor to ensure there is no serious damage to the integrity of the vessel.

keel of a vessel removed from hull with new keel bolts

New keel bolts all ready to go back into the hull.

Cast Iron Keel

A recent bump on some rocks required the removal of the cast iron keel at the request of the surveyor to allow a full inspection of the keel and hull.  The surveyor was looking for any signs of fractures that may, in the future, cause the owner trouble either when selling or when actually sailing and putting the vessel under stress.

The boat was lifted in the hoist and the keel unbolted from the hull.  The keel bolts were suspected to have been original to the boat and therefore about 30 years old.  They were so rusted that seven out of the ten bolts had to be ground off and the holes drilled out.

As the bolts and nuts were so old and damaged they could not be used again, however it is advisable to have the bolts and nuts replaced with new whenever they are removed.  It does not cost much and is worth doing to give piece of mind for the next 10 years at least.

Once the surveyor had given the hull and keel the all clear, the keel was refitted. It was placed on a bed of Sika-flex and the bolts tightened. The small damage on the keel from the impact of the collision was repaired with epoxy to make it look good again and the join between the hull and the keel filled with epoxy and faired to make it smooth and seamless ready for antifouling.