What do these big nuts cover? See photos

[SteelCruiser]

There are four of these massive nuts under my floor boards.
10 m steel, long keel cruising cutter.

Too big for any tool of mine to undo.
One is under the mast, 3 more evenly spaced on centre line further aft under cabin sole.


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[jstevens]

Keel bolts?

Please don't eat those raisins.

John

[belizesailor]

Those look like plugs, not nuts. Integral tanks?

[a64pilot]

Yeah, plugs, but PVC or cast steel?



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[Sailmonkey]

I'd guess those are to access the keel void to fill it with lead or cement an or oil.

An they're not nuts, rather pipe plugs.


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[jstevens]

Gotta agree - plugs. Maybe provide access to the keel bolts. Looks to be about 2" nut on the plug, which might provide access through the pipe for a 1" socket.

John

[Reefmagnet]

Steel boat with bolted keel? I'd vote for bungs to (a) keel tank(s)

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[Lepke]

Assuming a steel boat, probably for either future tank use or pumping out voids.

[Nicholson58]

Steel keels are often filled with scrap &/or concrete. To prevent corrosion, oil is often added. The question comes up often.

[JPA Cate]

Get yourself a 1/2 " drive 12 point socket large enough to fit the plug, and then a short enough extension to clear the floors, and a breaker bar (long handle also 1/2 " drive (sometimes a torque wrench will do), and open that puppy up and tell us what you find!

ann

[Brewgyver]

If you do pull a plug, have a bilge pump down there, perhaps an appropriately sized tapered plug as well. I'd hit it with PowerBlaster penetrant first. When you start to remove it, go easy. If you round off the square lug the whole operation gets a lot harder. You'll also want some pipe dope or anti-seize on hand to re-seal the threads when you put it back in. Personally, I'd have a new plug on hand, just in case.

[PrivateerAnthem]

Is the title of this thread a bumper sticker referring to Trump?

[goat]

You wouldn't need too big of a pipe wrench to tackle those plugs. I'd be surprised if you haven't got one that size already that you use to adjust your packing nut.

goat

[rognvald]

That's where they stored the raisins.

[bsurvey]

they are plugs, open them up and find out stick a rod down their and see whats in there