Keel Damage

[neilpride]

Looking at the pictures again and again i think David hit the nail, iron rust due cast imperfections , is not strange, here in the boatyard we have 3 or 4 boats with keels in similar conditions, even 1 year ago we sandblast a complete corroded iron keel from a bene 50 and epoxy the whole thing , a tiny crack in the fairing put water in contact with the iron and if the boat is in the water no problem , but if the boat stay for a while in dry conditions the whole thing start to rust , rust expand and crack the fairing , and thats why many iron keels show signs of rusty streaks here and there, if the integrity of the keel is intact , aka keel bolts, fiberglass stub and the structure , this is simply another grinder or sandblast epoxy job. but this is just my opinion looking at the picture, surveyor in order and good luck with the purchase....

[perchance]

If there is a large void in the casting as per Pete 7's photo it is possible that water entered and froze causing it to crack or am I grasping at straws here?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Like this one?

I have not seen a cross section of keel looking like that before - any chance of talking us through what we are looking at?, and why?

[Pete7]

David, I believe the vertical crack was found after a particularly cold period in a UK winter when the yacht was on the hard. No signs were visible when it was lifted before the winter. It was thought that a porous area or casting fault in the keel allowed water in and the cold 2009 winter did the rest.

The owner had a new new keel cast to replace it.

Pete

[Steve Olson]

Thanks for all the help! There are many other H34's, so walking away is fine if that's the best course. I was just thinking that, if the price was negotiated to reflect and it was repairable, it might be a consideration. I would certainly hire a surveyor before a purchase, I'm just thinking this kind of issue might not be worth that investment and walk away. Here's a bit better photos.

[neilpride]

Picture number 2 from top right show a corroded Nut with some part missing? or is just my eyes tricking me , looks nice to me the other pics, good backing plates , clean, and no visual cracks, looking again at the keel pic closely , looks like deep corrosion in the front crack, could be complety corroded ...

[Pete7]

If those cracks are deep and therefore structural then I don't think you can repair it. Welding cast iron that is porous, corroded, wet and full of salt probably isn't going to work.

However, that's not the end of the world and a new keel at the vendors expense could be interesting. That cracked keel I posted earlier cost about $10k to replace.

Pete

[David_Old_Jersey]

That last photo really helps with the scale - and it don't look any better in close up!

If I already owned her likely would grind, epoxy and paint.....and keep an eye on it. If I was buying then a new keel, at least into the price.

If I was selling? Well, I would probably do what most other folks would do............

[Pete7]

Don't know if this helps but 6.00 is my guess of what happened.

Oh and I concur with David comments, at least you know before you buy it.

Crash Test - Dehler 31 yacht - YouTube

Pete

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Pete7

(...)

$10k to replace.

Pete

Lead? How heavy is your ballast? And did you re-design the shape too.

THX

barnakiel

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Lead? How heavy is your ballast? And did you re-design the shape too. THX barnakiel

Wasn't my keel thankfully. Came from the same manufacturer as the original keel apparently. Presumably cast again or the sums change never mind the cost.

Pete

[neilpride]

No sure if a grinder is going to show something, looking at the front crack the rust scale is deep, if this is my boat probably i sandblast the whole keel and see how bad is the pitting and how deep, primer and epoxy do the rest if is worth.....

[Steve Olson]

Thanks for all the info!! I've heard people say they enjoy boat shopping. I wonder if those people already had boats at the time. Standing on the dock is no fun, especially after sailing all Summer long last year. It's amazing how some people let their boats go - rotting away at the dock or boatyard, and then try and sell them in that condition. smh

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Pete7

(...) the cost.

Pete

Eh. Expensive!

b.

[Steve Olson]

Even before spending money on having the rest of the boat surveyed, I'd want to bring in someone who could really give me a knowledgeable, expert opinion about this keel issue. Where would I go to find this person? This boat is in Port Townsend, WA. I would gladly pay for a local expert to go down and give it a good looking at. And thoughts?