[Rhodes22-list] How's your keel work progressing?

[The Rhodes 22 Email List]

Hi Graham -

It may be time to find another boat project - or just take some time to
float around in another boat. Give the Rhodes' keel time to dry out. You can
help it along by making a skirt around the keel and adding heat - see if you
can get the keel a little north of 100 degrees and hold it there for a few
days - can you borrow or rent infrared heater(s)? If you use a kerosene,
oil, or gas heater, vent the heater's exhaust outside the skirt. Water is a
by-product of combustion, and may slow or stop the drying process. I know a
contractor who tried to dry out wet ground to meet a paving deadline by
strapping a jet engine to the back of a bulldozer - literally! It didn't end
well.

Keep a tarp over the boat, not only to keep out rain, but also to prevent
dew from condensing on interior surfaces. Add a fan in the cabin to move any
accumulated moisture out of the boat. Keep the keel warm for a few days (a
week if you want to be conservative), and you should be good to go. 

I wish I could suggest a way to verify the keel had dried out, but I'm
coming up empty thinking about it. 

Good luck - thanks for keeping us posted.

Dennis
Magic Moments
Anxiously awaiting the bits for the mast lowering rack


-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of The Rhodes 22 Email
List
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 6:56 PM
To: 'The Rhodes 22 Email List'
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] How's your keel work progressing?

Thanks Rummy:

I have tried both sucking and blowing. The water is at the bottom of the
keel in and around the cement fill which is cracked so I can't get a tube
down there to suck up the water. So now I have drilled some holes at the
outside bottom of the keel and have the  shop vac blowing in from the top in
the hope that the pressure will push the water out. It is working to some
degree and at least I can see if the water is dripping. When I drill a new
hole I often find that the material the comes out is damp. I doubt that
either strategy will work and even evaporation seems problematic as the
water is in and around the keel material where there would be very little
air circulating. If I seal it up while there is any significant water in
there I might well have the problem of the cracks develop come freeze up. 

I have wondered about these options: