loose keel

[John Riopelle]

Hi Everyone!
I have a 1967 30'Chris shes a plywood hull and the keel has dropped about an inch below the hull. This happened when the boat was pulled. Can I tighten and if so how? From inside or underneath,It's still pretty cold here in canada so I have the time
Thanks
John onboard68@hotmail.com

[Bob Cleek]

Call your insurance carrier... or have your yard call theirs! Keels should not fall an inch when boats are hauled. I may not be the yard's fault, but you will need a surveyor to determine the cause. If it is the yard's fault, it may be covered and they may make good on it. If it is simply the boat falling apart on its own from deterioration, or following some collision damage, etc., you are probably looking at a fairly expensive repair. If anybody here tells you how to "fix" it without a whole lot more information than you've given so far, they don't know what they are talking about. You need to have somebody who knows what they are doing have a "hands on" "look see." Sorry, but the prognosis is grim.

[John Riopelle]

Thanks Bob I've had 4 wooden boats to date and have done alot of restoration on them all but not something like this.The boat was fine last season but when they hauled her I think they had the straps positioned wrong, I was away at the time,I think they pulled the keel to the side,the keel seems solid and I can push it back up in place,I've done alot of work on the motors and interior and hate to lose her

[ishmael]

This makes no sense at all. The 'keel' dropped an inch. Huh, wuzzat mean? Don't seem quite possible. Are you trolling John?

[John Riopelle]

This boat has a keel about15'long and about 16" at the deepest point, it is now hanging below the hull by about an inch I can take it and move it sideways or up to the hull with no problem what I want to know is are there bolts that can be tightened or do I replace the keel I have access to timbers from a local mill.

[ishmael]

A skeg perhaps? A piece of timber(s) back aft, vertical and wedge shaped? It's the only thing I can imagine from your description.

New bolts might be in order.

[Bob Cleek]

I am not familiar with the construction of your Chris. If the "keel" you are describing is simply a "skeg" attached to the structural keel, it may simply be that the fastenings let go and can be replaced. If the "keel" is a structural keel, to which the floors and frames and so on are fastened, and it has sheared off from the main hull structure, you are in deep kim chee, my friend. That's why somebody has to take a look at it.

You said it, not I... but I was thinking it. If the yard placed the straps incorrectly, without proper spreaders, perhaps, a side load on a non-structural skeg, or even a structural keel, could easily cause old and weakened (or maybe even strong healthy) bolts to shear off. Keels just don't fall off on their own when boats are hauled. If this damage occurred before she was hauled, she'd have sunk... no? Have a surveyor look at the damage. If it wasn't caused by your negligence, it is probably covered on your insurance, or ought to be covered by the yard.

[Alan D. Hyde]

If it's built anything like a Sea Skiff, he's talking about a skeg.

John, you can get complete plans, shop drawings, and probably even a copy of the original "hull card" that accompanied your boat (as it was built) on its way through the Chris-Craft shop, from the Curator of the Chris-Craft Collection (Jerry Conrad) at:

www.mariner.org (http://www.mariner.org)

Perhaps it's only bent bolts or loose nuts. We've had some problems with loose nuts around here from time-to-time...

Alan

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Generally, The plywood boats were light framed with no connection to the "keel" which Alan has labelled a skeg, which I think in this case is the right name.
Most of the CC's of that vintage worked with battens and stringers running fore and aft, and the bulkheads,and the engine beds, to stiffen the hull. The Skeg on these boats was never intended to be a structural member of any real sort, nor should the boat be rested on it. If I were hypothesizing, I would think that the straps pushed up on the skeg hard enough to separate the seam between the plywood and it. You probably have some broken or separated floors in the main cabin under the floor too. The plywood Cavalier line was built a little light, and you have to be careful lifting any of the CC's of that vintage..I sweat buckets last fall when I was lifted out. I prefer Marine railways and carriages. You are going to have to get a good look inside the structure of the boat ahead of the engine room stringers to see what's happened. The skeg itself is not hard to replace, but if it's moved other stuff around as I suspect it has, you have some work to do :(

[John Riopelle]

Good Day To You All
It appears it is a skeg that I was referring to, I live on the north shore of Lake Erie in a fishing port and one of the oldtimers who fished the wooden boats came by for a look.The entire thing is independent of the hull appears to be held in place by bolts, Peter raises a valid point and I will be checking for any further damage.I hope to have this '' minor inconvieniancelooked after to make sure I'm in by the first of May I'll keep you posted
Thanks
John

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

John.. I failed to mention that the most likely place of damage is ahead of the engine room's forward bulkhead... the hull is weaker there. Pull up the floorboards in your main cabin and have a look. Good luck smile.gif