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18-02-2015, 03:40
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Durban South Africa
Boat: L 34
Posts: 284
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How to check keel bolts
Surely any corrosion will be at the point where the bolts emerge from the keel casting?
So to check the bolts does that mean dropping the keel ? !!
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18-02-2015, 03:42
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#2
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Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,304
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Re: How to check keel bolts
X-ray
No need to drop keel.
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
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18-02-2015, 04:01
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#3
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,585
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Re: How to check keel bolts
Or... tap test if your hearings good...
__________________
It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
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18-02-2015, 04:42
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Boat: 48 Wauquiez Pilot Saloon
Posts: 5,975
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Re: How to check keel bolts
You could hire this guy...
__________________
In the harsh marine environment, something is always in need of repair...
Mai Tai's fix everything...
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18-02-2015, 04:48
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Boat: 48 Wauquiez Pilot Saloon
Posts: 5,975
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Re: How to check keel bolts
Honestly,
Dropping the keel isn't rocket science... Just a bit of work...
If you've got a weeping joint, water intrusion from the joint, or your studs n nuts look like hell... I would drop it for the piece of mind...
Pretty LARGE studs I have....
__________________
In the harsh marine environment, something is always in need of repair...
Mai Tai's fix everything...
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18-02-2015, 05:54
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#6
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CLOD
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: being planted in Jacksonville Fl
Boat: none
Posts: 20,364
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Re: How to check keel bolts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wotname
X-ray
No need to drop keel.
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Just where would you find a marina that could do an X-ray of this? I used to be in nuclear power and we X-rayed pipe welds all the time and the controls were pretty high. I can not imagine any marina service could do this.
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
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18-02-2015, 06:22
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: New Bern, NC
Boat: Holman & Pye Red Admiral 36
Posts: 512
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Re: How to check keel bolts
They use to do it in the boatyards on the Southern coast of England, but that was a years ago.
Maybe some place on the Gulf Coast in the US where all the drill rig pipes and equipment get x-ray'd?
Doug
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18-02-2015, 07:18
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 413
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Re: How to check keel bolts
if the keel bolts are double nutted this is a old boat yard trick when the lower threads are gone at the bottom bolts in way of the nuts.
have the keel bolt nuts torqued to the required spec, if they break free or turn freely they are gone.
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18-02-2015, 08:09
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Up the mast, looking for clean wind.
Boat: Currently Shopping, & Heavily in LUST!
Posts: 5,629
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Re: How to check keel bolts
And if you've got a significant quantity of lead down low in the boat, where the bolts are, what then? As I'm guessing that OSHA or whom ever isn't going to sign off on cranking up an x-ray machine high enough to "see" through all of that.
Or, as in the above pictures, that's a good bit of lead to look through in order to "see" the bolts.
Albeit, there are other types of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) which are a bit more people friendly, & would/will work on various different types of boat construction. Though I don't have links to said resources in front of me @ the moment.
If someone else does, I'd Definitely appreciate it if you'd post them. Heck, I'd even throw in a case of your favorite beverage for your troubles ;-)
__________________
The Uncommon Thing, The Hard Thing, The Important Thing (in Life): Making Promises to Yourself, And Keeping Them.
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18-02-2015, 08:14
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 413
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Re: How to check keel bolts
the sailing charteristics of the vessel are poor small sail area. heavy fat bopat that will not go to weather well and wallows down wind
in comarison to the catalina
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18-02-2015, 09:31
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Marina del Rey, California
Boat: President 43 Sportfish
Posts: 4,105
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Re: How to check keel bolts
If they are bolts just remove them, one at a time, and replace. If they are studs, you'll likely have to drop the keel.
__________________
1st rule of yachting: When a collision is unavoidable, aim for something cheap.
"whatever spare parts you bring, you'll never need"--goboatingnow
"Id rather drown than have computers take over my life."--d design
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18-02-2015, 09:35
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 25,483
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Re: How to check keel bolts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terra Nova
If they are bolts just remove them, one at a time, and replace. If they are studs, you'll likely have to drop the keel.
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I think this is the only reliable way...
__________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Broads and Boats. The rest I wasted" - Elmore Leonard
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18-02-2015, 11:17
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#13
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CLOD
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: being planted in Jacksonville Fl
Boat: none
Posts: 20,364
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Re: How to check keel bolts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Brown
They use to do it in the boatyards on the Southern coast of England, but that was a years ago.
Maybe some place on the Gulf Coast in the US where all the drill rig pipes and equipment get x-ray'd?
Doug
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It's one thing to x-ray a pipe or hull weld. But the 1/10 thickness of lead for gamma radiation is 2", so a 12" wide lead keel would take a mighty powerful gamma source.
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
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18-02-2015, 22:32
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#14
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Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,304
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Re: How to check keel bolts
Well I can only post of about a single experience with X-rays but FWIW, it was pretty easy to arrange in Perth, Western Australia.
When I purchased my current boat about 12 years back, I had the keel bolts x-rayed at the same time as the pre-purchase survey. I phoned the first NDT company in the phone book, explained what I wanted and they booked me in for the same day the boat was slipped at the yard in one of the bigger yachts clubs.
They turned up in a van fitted out as a mobile x-ray facility. They set up a few barriers, some signs and the equipment and as soon as the surveyor had finished they took a few sample exposures in order to get a good film. It took a little while to get the exact spot while the lead keel joined the timber section of the keel. Once that was sorted and the correct exposure was determined, they took a series of films in order to get a number of the bolts. There are 12 bolts and from memory I think we took x-rays of 4.
The films were processed in the mobile van and when the guys were happy with the results, they packed up and went home. I remember it took maybe an hour or two on site.
The report (a formal analysis) and the films were then posted to me a week later. The price was around $300 or $400 IIRC.
At work, we occasionally used a similar procedure to x-ray some sections of main wing spars when required.
The bolts were monel (I think) and according to the NDT guys, they were fine with no signs of corrosion, pitting or wasting at the lead interface or upwards from there to the keel / hull join. They were about 30 years old at that time.
Clearly they couldn't tell me what they were like inside the lead portion of the keel.
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
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19-02-2015, 00:15
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Malaysia, Thailand
Boat: Beneteau Oceanis 430
Posts: 860
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Re: How to check keel bolts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terra Nova
If they are bolts just remove them, one at a time, and replace. If they are studs, you'll likely have to drop the keel.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheechako
I think this is the only reliable way...
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Have you (anyone) done this with boat in the water (bolts)? Ok, or definitely not?
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