[Rhodes22-list] Lost ballast

[Graham Stewart]

I had a problem losing ballast through the bottom of the keel of my 1975
Rhodes 22 and wonder if others have had the same problem.
 
A few years back I got right down under the keel and noticed that a crack
had formed on both sides of the keel centerboard housing. On closer
inspection I noticed that flakes of metal were lodged in the crack and later
concluded that the flakes were actually lead. I appears that the ballast was
made, at least in part, from small lead flakes.
 
I seemed to fix the cracks by removing the centre board and then drilling a
series of holes into the the keel on the inside of the centerboard housing.
I then injected a runny epoxy paste into the poles. The epoxy then drained
down inside the housing and out the crack in the bottom. I then just kept
scraping the epoxy and pushing it back up into the crack until it thickened
enough to stay there. It was a terribly messy job as I had to lie directly
under the crack and ended up with epoxy everywhere on my body and in my
hair. It seemed to work though as the crack has not reappeared. Still I
worry that this might be an inadequate repair. My other concern is that I
have no idea how much ballast I lost.
 
I am wondering if anyone else has had this problem and, if so, how was it
repaired?
 
I wonder what I would find if I were to try to get inside the housing by
cutting holes in the hull from inside the cabin into the housing. Would I
find loose ballast that might be removed to repair the bottom of the housing
with fibreglass tape? Would I be able to add ballast or would I just cut
into a solid mass of ballast and cured resin?
 
Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
Graham
________________________________________________________
Graham Stewart
mailto:gstewart8 at cogeco.ca