Raven 26' keel bolts

[magnanimous]

Hi
I have a Raven 26' Keeler Mk1. I am looking to replace the keel bolts as they are very rusty. Has anyone any advice for me in terms of getting the keel off and then recreating the bolts and putting the keel back on? I'm under the impression the keel is also glued on the hull as well as bolted?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

W

 

[oops!]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

hi welcome to i boats.....

can you give a bit more info? are you in salt?

and is there any way you can take pics?

this forum is full fo people that have done just about everything that can be done to boats. so help is not far off....

im not a blow boat guy so my advice is limited on your question....but as far as rusty bolts....cant ya just squirt them with dw 40 or use a torch and heat them off?

and again.....welcome to i boats

cheers
oops

 

[magnanimous]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

Yes certainly can take photos. I'm planning to go out on the water next week so should be able to upload them within two weeks. It's in Salt water. The bolts are currently covered in fibreglass. My guess is I will need to grind the heads off and then work out if the keel is glued on. The other thing I was thinking of was I am not sure if the keel is steel or lead.

 

[NoKlu]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

Does the keel need to come off ? Can you expose both ends of the bolts, grind them off, drive them out, and just put new ones in without dropping the keel?

 

[magnanimous]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

I'm not sure, I was hoping to see if someone that built them originally would have an idea on how they are enclosed in the keel. I think the keel is steel but not 100% sure. Here is the photos inside. The boat is still on the water.

 

[NoKlu]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

I did a little searching and found a forum with a discussion on the keel bolts.http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14167&SearchTerms=keel+bolt

 

[NoKlu]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

Found a better one. A search on google will bring you lots of info. http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance-articles/19871-keel-bolt-repairs.html

 

[magnanimous]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

Thanks everyone for your reply. In regards to drilling into existing rather than taking the keel off is there anything special I need to know also how do you put a thread on the keel itself?

 

[RodStewart]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

Hi There,

How did it go in the end? I have just purchased a Raven 26, the survey showed concern that the keel bolts were not exposed as they were under the glassed in water tank. etc but I was wondering what sort of job it is on a Raven and what sort of cost it ran at for you to do the Job? (Presume you are in NZ?)


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Dean

 

[magnanimous]

Re: Raven 26' keel bolts

Hi there
Yes it was a major job! Cost about $1K mark. Basically you need to drill down through the fibreglass, steel plate and then into the lead. The length is really hard to judge (especially when drilling from the outside to the hole you created from the top) but I did manage to get the whole job done including dropping the boat back in the water in a week. NB: You have to be very patient with the drill in lead otherwise the bit will either get stuck or just break.

Cheers Wayne