Hi,
I'm not sure if it's usual for the swing keel to knock. When sailing and stationary, the swing keel makes quite a loud knocking noice.
Don't know if it's typical.
Don't know if it's resolvable.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Cptn Barry.
Hi,
I'm not sure if it's usual for the swing keel to knock. When sailing and stationary, the swing keel makes quite a loud knocking noice.
Don't know if it's typical.
Don't know if it's resolvable.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Cptn Barry.
Hi Barry, there is always some play with these swing keels, particularly annoying at anchor with keel down ,so I pull mine up. Under sail you should only hear minor noise from the keel. One very important thing to check is the keel hanger which are prone to corrosion, and could fall off ! This is usually worse in marina berths as stray current from other boats plugged into the mains. Fortunately you can check the keelhanger whilst the boat is on the trailer and can be removed by undoing the nut on the inside of the boat. Hope this helps.
Thanks David - I'll check the keel hanger.
If it's corroded - do you know if it's possible to fix from inside the boat when it's on the trailer?
regs
Hi , yes it is possible to remove on the trailer, but if you jack up the trailer a bit it's easier to work. Also genuine keel hangers are expensive if ordered from USA. I got a stainless steel fabricator to repair mine.
I had to remove my keel yesterday to replace the rope .
I have the original mersea trailer that has a cross member that often blocks you removing the keel while on the trailer.
yesterday i jacked the trailer up and put a wooden blocks in place forward of the axle and then lowered the trailer lifting the boat a few inches off the crossmember. I then removed the nut inside and the keel came down. The hangers do corrode very badly and are lightweight construction. I engineered a stronger Hanger with a much longer bolt that pushes up through the boat.That way it is much easier to locate the hole which can be tricky. removing, inspecting and replacing the rope took about 2 hours as the Keel was tight due to barnacles build up. Never a nice job, the second time i have done this in 8 years.
ok thanks both. really appreciated
I concur with using a longer bolt. Even if the hanger is sound it's well worth getting a longer bolt welded in. That way you can feed the hanger up through the hole and put the nut on the end of the bolt first, then offer the board up to the hanger and insert the pin.
Also, when you need to remove the board again you don't have to take the hanger right out.
With a long bolt I suggest not using a nylok nut, but use two plain nuts and lock them together. It's a lot of thread to screw a nylok over, and in an awkward position. You can spin plain nuts down the thread far more easily.
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
When re fitting the keel bolt put some sealant under the washer to avoid leeks.