Sticking keel

Derek,

At the Solent area end of season lunch there was a presentation on this very topic.  On early boats, which would include yours, two tufnol pads were fitted either side of the centre plate and this can swell over the years and jamb the plate. If your boat has been back to Cornish Crabbers recently, these may have been removed but only they would be able to help you regarding this. One other area you could check is the permanent ballast to ensure it has not rusted and applying pressure to the centreboard casing.

It's not unusual for things like this to sick or un-stick when boats are lifted on slings, I would not let this influence your decision.

If you do remove the plate, please keep the forum informed as to what you find.

Best regards,

Graham

Derek,

I dropped my keel 2 years ago to have it shot blasted and regalvanised before replacing it with a new nut, bolt and washers. One of the 2 tufnol pads to which Graham has referred was missing, while the other one had expanded due to constant contact with sea water.  I removed the remaining one and made 2 new ones from a teflon style of chopping board, screwing them into the existing threaded holes in the keel.

Since then the keel mechanism has worked well.  I noted at the time that the more modern keels have holes bored in them with rope bound into these small holes to provide the packing needed to avoid the keel knocking the inner part of the fibre glass housing.  I would not have replaced my keel without packing pieces as the constant knocking of the keel, when up,  would drive me mad at anchor!

Good luck with problem resolution.

Roy Ratazzi
121

What do you mean, "drive me mad"?

Thanks Roy - very useful - can you quote approx thickness of your Teflon spacers and dimensions.

Thanks Graham for your very comprehensive reply - will discuss with the boatyard where i hope to get the problem sorted  and also with Cornish crabbers - the earlier repair was actually 2005 and I will ask about the tufnol pads and whether the teflon which Roy mentioned seems a good idea

Derek

From memory, the size of each pad was about 4cm (long) x 3 cm (wide) x 2 to 3 mms thick.  Frankly the thinner they are the better to avoid the keel sticking, but the self tapping screw head on each side of the keel needs to be slightly sunk to avoid it scraping the inner keel housing.

Regards,

Roy

Thanks Roy for this further info.

Will get some further advice from Cornish Shrimpers and order a new bolt and wire  and then get my boatyard to have ago at the job early in the New Year.

Incidentally i was talking to a friend who is very experienced on boats generally and he said that the reason that the keel drops easily when she is in slings rather than the water is almost certainly due to the hull flexing slightly when she is afloat.

Derek