[Rhodes22-list] Swing keel help

[Graham Stewart]

Lou:

I admire your nerve in cutting out the pivot slots. I have undertaken a few
adventurous repairs but something so critical and also inaccessible might
defeat me. Getting those pieces back in their proper place, perfectly
aligned and rock solid would have me up nights for a long time and probably
break my back before it was done. Good for you.

I can't help but feel that filling the voids in the keel would in itself be
an essential preventative step whether it is sand and epoxy as you did or
polyester resin as I did. The fact that there were such large areas that
would attract water seems to be a disaster in waiting. I have no idea
whether the voids were there from the start of formed later. I suspect the
latter or perhaps both. Voids might explain why the cracks formed at the
bottom of my keel and why the sidewalls pushed in in your case. Once the
cracks form the water gets in easily and can do a lot of damage very quickly
especially when the fill is cement. I can only hope that my fix lasts as
well as yours.

My advice to anyone but especially those with older boats and those that
experience freezing temperatures is to get right under the keel and examine
it carefully for any cracks or distortions there or in the sidewalls. Tap
with a wooden handle in areas that raise any suspicion and listen for
telltale sound of a space below the surface. If there are any signs of
trouble, fix it now rather than wait until the repair is truly daunting.

Your postings with such detailed instructions have been enormously helpful.

Graham

-----Original Message-----
From: Rhodes22-list [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of
Lou Rosenberg
Sent: April 28, 2016 10:28 AM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Swing keel help

Graham,

I read most of your response regarding your CB trunk repair.  Roger
originally recommended the Garolite because its properties offer superior
durability and easy to glass in.  THe job was VERY tricky to drop them in
with bailing wire, check for any big spaces then epoxy them in.  As I recall
some of the larger voids were so deep I used lathe wood to give me some
surface area and back support with which I  epoxied the G10. THen I still
had to glass over the seams which was the hardest part as I recall.

There  was another chap from Baltimore area a few yrs back who had similar
issues and just trowled in hydraulic cement incrementally. He then just
epoxied over that cement and it did work also.  Probably quicker and offered
more ballast.
To finish my job and add  ballast I added a few gallons of sand poured in by
drilling holes in my  bilge next to the slot where I knew the voids resided.

I added a few small batches of epoxy also.

I liked your idea of making the plywood template of the center part of the
board where the pivot slot operates. Good Idea
BTW: I also had to remove my pivot slots by cutting them  out VERY
carefully, taking them home and adding more glass and epoxy before re
glassing them back in. I took careful measurements and pictures to assist in
replacing them.  
The entire job took over a season on land.  I do remember I  began cutting
the trunk panels out when still on my trailer in the winter of 2004-05.  The
job finished around end of September 2005.

Then I began working on the bilge and stringers which needed to be replaced
due to water rot.

How many months do you get in  your part of Canada to sail?

be well
Lou



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