Ran aground - Leaking Keel bolts?

[Oceansailor]

Bouncing up and down on the keel even in mud is very hard on the hull. Boats are not built to take that kind of impact. I do not think you have a problem with the keel bolts. I’m more concerned about de- lamination in the laminate close to the keel.

[Rorzech]

Cut off 2 & half inches of those bolts with and angle grinder with a cutting wheel .

[CHM]

Haul the boat. You’ve lost integrity at the keel hull joint. You have more damage than you think. No way you’re going to reseal the joint without being hauled out.

[gulfislandfred]

I agree, locate the leak first, from inside. Could be a hose dripping.
Dry the bilge completely. Have a good, bright flashlight and several dry old towels. Plan to spend an hour or two. Have a glass of wine, or a beer, relax. When water appears in the bilge, you may see the leak right away, if it's around a keel bolt, or you may have to dry the spot with a towel, then follow the water back to source.


Once you locate the leak, you can decide on next steps.

[tkeithlu]

You doing OK, Roland? Lot's of stuff down on you, and it could get expensive.

You can use paper towels to pack against potential leak sites; which ones get wet first gives you your water route.

Buying a set of Harbor Freight deep impact sockets won't set you back much, and they will be useful.

I don't recommend cutting off the bolts, however. They may be heat treated, and you need several threads showing to maximize thread strength. They may have been left long in order to guide the keel into place.

Please don't use channel locks on anything you do not want to destroy. Get the minimal box, open, and socket wrenches. You are talking occasional use, so cheap tools will do. Much better than your current situation.

[MarAzul]

Originally Posted by rolandthebarbar

Hi,

I have a Pearson 31 with a 28hp volvo penta. My engine failed and then I got caught in a storm. I was close to home so I was in mud near the channel and next to the sea wall. Winds were 25 knots, and we ran aground in water in mud.

We ended up bouncing on the keel for about 2 hours as the tide was rising (luckily) before we got towed in. Waves were pretty harsh (25 knot winds) The bilge that was once bone dry now fills with enough water to set off the automatic pump (seemingly slow leak as it pumps out once every 24 hours or so).

I recently placed an outboard motor on the boat to get myself back out on the water, but I am wondering what I should be concerned about with the leaking? Can I sail it around leaking like this? Trying to evaluate the risks of increasing damage or something catastrophic.

What are the minimum steps I have to do to get back on the water vs the steps I should do and are there any estimated costs with all of it?

Thank you

Ouch!
I ran aground this summer in the Columbia River, attempting to enter the West Port channel. Must have left my mind home doing it on an out going tide.

[Ringmaster]

You should haul that boat immediately and look for cracks in front and behind the keel. If you cant do that pull up every floorboard and inspect the inside of the hull in front of and aft of the keel. If you have a crack in these areas it will suddenly break one day and your boat WILL sink. Yes you will have a "catastrophic" failure.

[chris14679]

I suspect the grounding could be a red herring. What was the manner of the engine failure? If it overheated or cooling water failed then it's highly likely that a salt water hose or exhaust hose has cracked or is leaking at the connection. Did you taste the water to check it is salty? If not then check fresh water tank or fresh cooling water.
Any other hoses or seacocks could have been moved by the bumping and flexing of the hull, just enough to break the seal. They all need inspecting too.
But rudder bearing and prop shaft are the most vulnerable in a grounding so my best guess is look there for a leak.
There's been too much focus on the keel, it's worth checking the keel but it is not the most likely place to leak if the grounding was in mud.

[Dymaxion]

You could get some kids modeling clay, plasticine or PlayDoh brand. Dry the bilge out fully then build little dams across the lowest regions of the bilge, bracketing one or two keel bolts between. Plug any limber holes too. Then just wait and see what fills up. Had similar prob with mine, once isolated it turned out retorqueing a few bolts was sufficient to slow the leak to nothing.

You could use water soluble marking pen and run lines P-S in bilge too and watch for blurring. This works very nicely for toe rail/ deck to hull bolt leaks, if you don't have a liner etc in the way.

[Old fella]

Originally Posted by chris14679

I suspect the grounding could be a red herring. What was the manner of the engine failure? If it overheated or cooling water failed then it's highly likely that a salt water hose or exhaust hose has cracked or is leaking at the connection. Did you taste the water to check it is salty? If not then check fresh water tank or fresh cooling water.
Any other hoses or seacocks could have been moved by the bumping and flexing of the hull, just enough to break the seal. They all need inspecting too.
But rudder bearing and prop shaft are the most vulnerable in a grounding so my best guess is look there for a leak.
There's been too much focus on the keel, it's worth checking the keel but it is not the most likely place to leak if the grounding was in mud.

This is good advice, don't let the doom merchants scare you.

[paul2884]

Originally Posted by Breaking Waves

Dry the bilge completely, bone dry, with towels. Then sprinkle baby powder talcum powder around each keel bolt, and around rudder post if you have access. Leave bilge open and look in frequently. The talcum will show up the trail of the initial drops of water entering boat - should identify the source.

Also you can put a wrench on each keel bolt nut. If you can turn any with moderate pressure, it has probable loosened and if the bolt/stud turns (rather than just nut) the bolt has broken.

very sensible sugestion and very little effort, you can also put a little dam to stop the water flowing from one area to another if nessasary insulating tap or mastic both can work well. You wont see anything from the outside, its all wet. There is virtualy no shock risk or you would have lots of dead fish floating around and all the power in the marina tripping, and as for fresh / salt water - salt water is a better conductor but what diffrence does that make, its all pritty conductive and more than enough to trip any RCD.

[Ken Fry]

I'd haul it and do some measurements with the keel hanging vs with the keel supporting the boat, inspect for cracks, etc. I do not not think of any boat as being bullet proof when the keel has been banged around enough to cause a leak.

[Ken Fry]

On the other hand, I agree that it could be a red herring. Other'e have provided good leak location strategies.

[rolandthebarbar]

Hi all,

Thanks for all your thoughts and support. After drying the bilge, I discovered two sources of water.

1) the main reason was a broken heat exchanger. The seawater pump has a leak somewhere. Unfortunately, the engine is irreparable and requires a replacement.

2) I’ve isolated a weeping leak to a forward keel bolt. It put out about an ounce or two of water in a 12 hour period. It’s underneath the mast step so I can’t get a clean view or put a torque wrench on it.

Next steps:
Hauling out the boat and getting it repaired. Anything else I should do while it’s out? Last hull paint job was March 2018.

[Rex Delay]

I have seen a very similar situation where, a month after the grounding, the keel fell of and the boat sank. Haul and have a qualified person inspect the damage. Oil canning of the hull is very bad.