Rusted Steel at Top of Encapsulated Keel

[jrdwrt]

Hi all,

I have a 1970's Durbeck 38' cutter with full, encapsulated keel and lead ballast. I am taking a look at the bildge area with engine removed and trying to assess whether any repairs are needed before reinstalling the engine. On top of what I presume to be the glassed-over ballast, I see 4 steel bars popping up about ever 24 inches. Each is about 9 inches long, running athwartship and is in the shape of a subtle, upside-down "U". (photo attached)

The bars are encased in fiberglass. One of them has rusted badly. The source of the rust appears to be from above, since the fiberglass has corroded away around it (likely due to sitting in something corrosive for long periods of time).

Can anyone tell me what these are, what purpose they serve and what I should do about one of these corroded by rust?

I know that some keels are attached using J-bolts. These appear to be some kind of U-bolt with both ends of the U buried in the ballast. However I am under the impression that encapsulated keels would not have keel bolts at all.

[tkeithlu]

I have a bad feeling about this. However they are rigged, this must be the structure that is holding your keel to your hull. I'm not just looking at the rusted bolt, but at the cracks in the fiberglass. I would want to know the condition of the bolts that are still under the fiberglass, but possibly corroded from water etc. going down those cracks, and I would want to know why those cracks occurred. I think this is a situation due careful exploration, perhaps with the aid of a surveyor.

What do others think?

[Searles]

I would guess that they are the lifting lugs to lift in the cast iron blocks that make up the internal ballast ,probably glassed in at a later point ,looks a mess ,could be a lot of dirty work to repair ,may not fix .⛵️⚓️

[tkeithlu]

Searles, that's a good point. It leaves the question in my mind as to whether the lugs also anchor the ballast in place, such that they are critical to the structure, or are "left over." Any thoughts on the origin of the crack down one side?

[Searles]

I would think the keel top maybe flexing at the point of the ballast keel meets the hull,a reasonable radius which appears to be poorly supported ,needs to be ground out to see what is actually there ,until that time most of the comments are just that,.⛵️⚓️

[Manateeman]

In 2015 GordMay referenced Mr. Tim Donley of Bradenton Florida as a builder who worked for a long time at Durbeck.
There is a gentleman by that name who lives in Stuart FL and age 70 which sounds about right. PM me for a phone.
The construction of these boats...ballistic....well worth restoration.
Happy trails to you.
Mark and the manatee crew

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Searles

I would guess that they are the lifting lugs to lift in the cast iron blocks that make up the internal ballast ,probably glassed in at a later point ,looks a mess ,could be a lot of dirty work to repair ,may not fix .⛵️⚓️

I was thinking something very similar. According to the OP, the ballast was made of lead. IF this is correct, then these four bars MAY have been just for lifting, and MAY not be structural. I agree with tkeithlu that it will require some exploration to determine the exact function, if any, of these.

Certainly now is the time to do this, given that the engine is out. Good luck with this project.

[Manateeman]

Did you ever find someone who worked at the builder?
What did you do ?

[jrdwrt]

Hi all,
Thank you so much for the input. I have made some progress in grinding the loose fiberglass around the steel and drilled some shallow holes through the spider cracks in the laminate that seals the ballast. There are many layers - at least 3 - sealing the top of the ballast. The rust doesnt seem as bad now and the more i grind, the less rust staining their appears to be. So may have been just on the surface and in a few pockets or soft spots which i have been grinding out.

I know there is some debate as to whether the steel has some structural purpose. I would really like to know the answer because if it turns out they are 'lifting lugs' and serve no other purpose, i would prefer to grind this piece off entirely and glass over. This would be much easier than wrapping the steel in glass to waterproof it. Will do some more research on this.




[IMG]http://https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zc4ISjvSHu
0cPX2uy9Kt6gwGUCPmimtk/view?usp=drivesdk[/IMG]

[jrdwrt]

Thank you all for the input! I have made some progress in grinding off some of the loose laminate and surface material and drilled some shallow holes through the spider cracks. Have removed some soft spots where moisture seems to have gotten into the surface and formed small pockets. After cleaning up the steel, some of the bar has pitted out on the surface but its mostly still intact. The more i grind away around the bolt, the less rust stain i see, indicating the problem is mostly at the surface as hoped.

I know there is some debate as to whether these U bolts have any structural purpose versus just having been used for lifting. I will continue to research this question because if the latter is true, i would prefer to grind them off below the surface and laminate over the top. This would be much easier than trying to wrap them in fiberglass to waterproof.

I am asking myself though why the builder would not have taken this approach to begin with. If they went through the trouble to waterproof rather than cut off the steel, maybe it does serve some purpose?
Thanks again... progress photo below. More to come!
Jared

[Celestialsailor]

I'm wondering if this/these, were for lifting the keel and placing it in the keel cavity, then glassed over.