how do these keel bolts and thru hulls look to you?

[Aaarrgh]

Sorry... While I was typing, the boat info was offered, along with more suitable replies.

[NevisDog]

An insurance company would ask for evidence the keelbolts have been x-rayed or inspected before they will insure the boat. I'd tell the owner I'd look at the boat again once the essential maintenance has been attended to. His boat - he should bear the risk. As-is, it's worthless.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

An insurance company would ask for evidence the keelbolts have been x-rayed or inspected before they will insure the boat.

[emoji23]Where do you people come up with this stuff?

[robert sailor]

Nobody with any knowledge drops the keel on a Moody 425 unless the seal between the keel stub and the keel has been compromised. If the seal is good the keel bolts are simply removed. A good friend of mine did his 425 a few years ago and it took him 1 day. Every stud he pulled was in like new condition but he had the new studs in hand and decided to replace them. It's been done many times. The Moody Owners Assoc. can supply the torque settings. He needed about a 3 ft cheater bar to do the job. He said if he did it again he would be much faster.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Nobody with any knowledge drops the keel on a Moody 425 unless the seal between the keel stub and the keel has been compromised. If the seal is good the keel bolts are simply removed. A good friend of mine did his 425 a few years ago and it took him 1 day. Every stud he pulled was in like new condition but he had the new studs in hand and decided to replace them. It's been done many times. The Moody Owners Assoc. can supply the torque settings. He needed about a 3 ft cheater bar to do the job. He said if he did it again he would be much faster.

This implies cast iron ballast, correct? If so, the above process sounds exactly right to me. Doing one at a time allows DIY success with little worry. If good, put back, if not, replace.

If it is lead ballast, how are the studs threaded into the casting?

Jim

[dayshine]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

This implies cast iron ballast, correct? If so, the above process sounds exactly right to me. Doing one at a time allows DIY success with little worry. If good, put back, if not, replace.



If it is lead ballast, how are the studs threaded into the casting?



Jim

Totally agree with Jim!

If the keel is iron just look at the bolts and replace if necessary, if lead you should know how they are molded into the keel.

Good luck!

[Twhitt]

Don't know about keel bolts, seems to be lots of avice.

We bought a Bavaria 38 year 2000 in 2016, first thing I did was have all 10 through hull seacocks replaced!

They don't cost much, so better safe than sorry.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

This implies cast iron ballast, correct? If so, the above process sounds exactly right to me. Doing one at a time allows DIY success with little worry. If good, put back, if not, replace.

If it is lead ballast, how are the studs threaded into the casting?

Jim

Your absolutely correct Jim, cast iron ballast.

[crankysailor]

so the follow up question to the shabby looking valve.. are those standard on Moodys from the era?

[Recy]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Nobody with any knowledge drops the keel on a Moody 425 unless the seal between the keel stub and the keel has been compromised. If the seal is good the keel bolts are simply removed. A good friend of mine did his 425 a few years ago and it took him 1 day. Every stud he pulled was in like new condition but he had the new studs in hand and decided to replace them. It's been done many times. The Moody Owners Assoc. can supply the torque settings. He needed about a 3 ft cheater bar to do the job. He said if he did it again he would be much faster.

Assume you have a cast iron keel with threaded bolts, how can you get grip of the bolt and turn it to get it out? Do you have to weld a nut to the bolt or is there some other way to do it.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

If it is lead ballast, how are the studs threaded into the casting?

I've had three keel boats in my life, a 20 footer with a bolt-on cast iron keel, a 30 footer with an embedded ballast, and a 40 footer with a bolt-on lead keel. All different manufacturers.

In both bolt-on keels, the ballast had through holes, countersunk on the bottom. The bolts either had heads or were threaded at each end. The cast iron (fin) keel had a flange where the bolt holes were, the lead (full/cutaway) keel just has very, very long bolts with access from the bottom.

While that experience lead me to think this is common, and that removal of individual keel bolts for inspection is trivial (you simply pick out some fairing and unbolt them by getting a wrench on each end) I'm starting to rethink that from what I read here. Sounds like its much, much more common to have J-bolts etc that are essentially impossible to remove? I guess for a lead fin keel maybe that's the simplest option?

[Three Sisters]

This keel bolt nut looks to have been removed at some point and clear silicone applied. You can see it curled up at the base of the nut. If accurate I couldn't tell ya the degree of importance.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Recy

Assume you have a cast iron keel with threaded bolts, how can you get grip of the bolt and turn it to get it out? Do you have to weld a nut to the bolt or is there some other way to do it.

Normally the stud is a bit longer and you double nut it and then use a socket with a cheater bar. In the situation you took a picture of...many times there is enough friction from the rust that the nut will stay attached and the stud will back out...If this doesn't happen and the nut comes off simply remove that heavy washer below the nut and that should be enough stud to allow you to double nut it.

[Cheechako]

If you are undecided, one way to lessen your risk is to make an offer that includes the current owner doing the repair before acceptance. ie: having the keel dropped and bolts replaced if necessary. Inspection by your surveyor. Getting a seller to comply with that is maybe not likely though!
The problem you have is there is no real indication it's an issue. Many old boats are going to look like that keel bolt/nut. Only dropping the keel will tell.
The same could be said of most chainplates out there. Unless they are bolted to the outside of the hull. They may be fine, or they may be about to break from hidden corrosion.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

If you are undecided, one way to lessen your risk is to make an offer that includes the current owner doing the repair before acceptance. ie: having the keel dropped and bolts replaced if necessary. Inspection by your surveyor. Getting a seller to comply with that is maybe not likely though!
The problem you have is there is no real indication it's an issue. Many old boats are going to look like that keel bolt/nut. Only dropping the keel will tell.

I'm curious...what would you learn by dropping the keel that you wouldn't know by inspecting the studs????