[Rhodes22-list] Centerboard Question

Tom Van Heule tom.vanheule at intrinsicprograms.com
Tue May 11 10:28:45 EDT 2021


Dang graham .
I thought mine was bad... I just marinetexd it.
  IMG_20200731_164032557.jpg
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/16l0Utp-mj9wRoZRce7bl8S116rQ3Vxme/view?usp=drivesdk>


On Tue, May 11, 2021, 8:01 AM Graham Stewart <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca> wrote:

> I too had a badly cracked sole on the keel. In fact, the crack extended
> almost entirely around the base of the keel. I think it was caused by the
> previous owner placing a board between the keel plate and the trailer. I
> continued with that for some years as it looked sensible enough. The only
> way to see the crack was to get the boat suspended off the trailer so I
> could get right under the keel and look up.
>
> I learned through the list that the keel should not rest on anything when
> on the trailer. The boat is only supported by the bunks.
>
> Because it was not visible the crack went unnoticed for years and probably
> was exacerbated by freezing. Material inside the keel was also washed out
> including what looked like flakes of metal which I think might have been
> some form of lead ballast. As a result there were large voids in the keel
> which needed to be filled - not a trivial job as resin needed to be injects
> higher up and through the cabin floor.
>
> The moral to this story is 1, don’t place anything under the keel when the
> boat is on the trailer, and 2, occasionally get right under the keel and
> inspect it for cracks - especially if you have had and hard grounding or
> the boat has come down hard on anything. This is obviously something that
> you don't want to delay fixing.
>
> I have attached a picture of the keel with the crack showing.
>
> Repairing the crack was a major effort. If anyone has the same problem and
> is interested in what I did just let me know.
>
> Graham Stewart
> Agile, Rodes 22, 1976
> Kingston Ontario
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rhodes22-list [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf
> Of John Keyser
> Sent: Friday, May 7, 2021 9:54 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Centerboard Question
>
> Hi,
>
>   Hate to throw water on anyone's' parade, but I had a similar issue, and
> it's not just water draining through the pennant hole in the cockpit. Each
> year that I have had the boat (4), about two inches of water accumulated in
> the bilge when the boat is in the water.  I have installed two automatic
> bilge pumps on her, one under the raised head floor, and one in the
> lazarette.  When I arrive, I would manually activate the forward one, and
> at different times, different amounts of water would emerge from the
> discharge (probably 0-5 gallons).  The lazarette rarely had enough water in
> it to actually pump out - a sponge would do the trick.  Over the ensuing
> years, while hoping it was rainwater, I pretty diligently searched for any
> likely entry pathways, both river and rain. All the usual suspects were
> checked, and any faults corrected: some leaky ports; put a gasket on the
> lazarette hatch; rebedded a few bits of hardware; tightened clamps on the
> cockpit drains; etc.
>
>   Each fall the boat would be put on a trailer in a marina asphalt parking
> lot. All winter long, a drip of water would appear every few seconds at the
> front of the opening for the centerboard. (BTW, the boat was positioned
> stern down, so any water flowing into the pendant tube would not be flowing
> down the front of the centerboard trunk) When I crawled under the boat,
> things always looked ok, no cracks or holes, but the inside of the front of
> the trunk was always moist - even after months out of the water.
>
>    However, this fall, I discovered a pretty sizable (6-8") crack in the
> front of the keel, running forward from the centerboard well. As I further
> examined it, I found that the area had sustained damage (hard grounding or
> hitting a submerged object?) previous to my ownership, and attempts had
> been made to repair the area with what appeared to be automotive body
> filler covered with some sort of rubbery material, then painted.
>
>   In the spring, I decided to tackle this and worked from below and above.
>
>   Inside the boat, I removed the floor in the cabin, and found several
> cracks in the top of the hull in front of the centerboard trunk. I decided
> not to remove the floor in the head area, but cut an 8" access port in it.
> In that area, aft of the concrete ballast, cracks were also seen. The wood
> stringers supporting the floor, as well as the bulkhead separating the main
> cabin from the forepeak were reinforced with pressure treated wood screwed
> and fiberglassed in place. The top of the inside of the hull where the
> cracks were was sanded and then covered with alternating layers of
> fiberglass mat & mesh. The same treatment was given to the entire area
> forward of and alongside the centerboard trunk up to the stringers on each
> side.
>
>    Access was limited in the head area, and any crack that extended under
> the concrete ballast was inaccessible anyway, so I just ended up first
> pouring some fiberglass resin into the area, hoping that it may find its
> way into the cracks, then covering it up with some matting. Along the way,
> all of the centerboard trunk cover bolts were snugged up, and the pendant
> tube clamps replaced with new SS ones.
>
>   Underneath the boat, I opened up the crack and drilled a shallow hole at
> the forward end of it to stop it from spreading. The entire area was then
> sanded, and repaired, again using layers of fiberglass mat and mesh. The
> repair area was then painted with an epoxy coat, then bottom paint.
>
>   This spring, the boat was launched, and, while not completely dry, it
> seems to be much better, with just a little puddling visible in the bilge
> now.  I can probably live with that in a 40-year-old boat, but will
> certainly keep an eye on things.
>
>   Anyway, the point is that wishful thinking doesn't always pan out - it
> didn't for me.
>
> Best Regards,
> John Keyser
> 1980 R-22 "Deci-Belle"
> Philadelphia, Pa
>
> ________________________________
> From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of
> ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> Sent: Friday, May 7, 2021 6:00 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Centerboard Question
>
> Jim,
>
> I agree with Todd, it’s most likely just water draining from the cockpit
> seats thru the centerboard pennant hole.  There are no nooks and crannies
> in the centerboard well.  Thus, there is no place for water to accumulate
> in there to drain out when you shift the boat on the trailer.  Likewise, if
> you had a crack in the centerboard, it’s very unlikely that shifting the
> boat on the trailer would cause water to dribble out.  Let not your heart
> be troubled!  Go sailing and be happy.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On May 7, 2021, at 4:06 PM, Todd Tavares <tavares0947 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Jim,
> >
> > It could just be water draining from the cockpit seat gutters down
> through
> > the centerboard pennant hole.
> >
> > Todd T.
> >
> >> On Fri, May 7, 2021, 3:22 PM JimIggy <zooba72 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Again, I really appreciate the information.   I was hoping to avoid
> doing
> >> anything with the Centerboad prior to doing a test launch.  However,
> today
> >> I
> >> re positioned the trailer because it was not level and it wasn't
> draining
> >> properly. Once I got it level, I noticed water dripping out from around
> the
> >> Centerboard.  Is it safe to assume that if water escapes, it will get in
> >> too
> >> ?
> >>
> >> This pic failed the capture the water leaking but I tried and you might
> see
> >> a few drips
> >>
> >>
> >> <http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/file/t1015/CB1.jpg>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Sent from: http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/
> >>
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