Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueseadreamer
Thanks for the warm welcome Skipmac.
The Moody with the iron keel, why lead over iron. Is it a rust issue? This sail boat thing is a steep learning curve for me 
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Like all things boat there are pros and cons.
The main pro, less expensive.
The cons, most being only moderately negative so again, not a total deal breaker if the boat was otherwise good and a good deal.
- Less dense than lead so the same boat could have the same ballast weight in lead which could sit lower in the keel with the same
draft so have a slightly lower center of gravity. Alternatively you could have a shallower
draft with the same CG.
- If you need to replace the
keel bolts, which is a possibility in an older boat with external ballast, it's an easier
DIY job with a lead keel than iron. Never had to deal with it so not really sure how one would do it with cast iron.
- Yes rust. That's mainly cosmetic and can be dealt with by every few years doing a serious coating on the iron.
My preference is an encapsulated lead keel IE a totally
fiberglass hull and keel with lead inside the grp keel. Of course there are some negatives with that option as well.
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