Keel progress - UH OH, need advice (2 pics)

[Rich VanValkenburg]

Over the last twenty or more years, I always wondered what the little bump was on the side of my lead ballast that kept coming back after grinding it off. Turns out it was a steel drift hole that wound up drilled too close to the edge. Being steel, since that was all I could afford back then and was what the builders used anyway, it rusted and expanded. It finally pooched out of the side of the ballast. I found the damage when I pulled the sternpost. Problem is, it split the keelson roughly in the shape of the red outline in the second photo.

I've been trying to figure out how to get enough glue into the split and then clamp it together. I'm not sure this will work anyway. I think I'd be better off with a dutchman, but how big and will the glue hold when it gets wet?

Help please?

The red circle is the offending hole from the drift.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid25/pecc881f3942c7f0a63a4e6e2e2eaa2c6/fd898203.jpg

The red outline is roughtly the extent of the split, 1/8" from the surface at the bottom, and 1/2" in from the top. I probed with a very thin ruler to see how bad it was.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid25/pcbc28fc6481096b592fa7ca22d652a91/fd898201.jpg

Rich

[ 07-14-2002, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: Rich VanValkenburg ]

[NormMessinger]

Perhaps something like MAS epoxy with the slowest hardener. MAS because it is almost water thin and will penetrate the crack but does not contain solvents as "penetrating" epoxy does.

Next.

--Norm

[reddog]

Rich;
One trick with persistant leaks,cracks,etc. is to bore holes along the crack,thread in a grease nipple,(zerk fitting),and pump it full of googe till it oozes out all of the pores.I've never tried this but it may work with epoxy.I like the idea of an initial shot of low viscosity epoxy to seal things then follow with a thickened blend.
Just a thought.
Earl

[Ed Harrow]

Rich, I've got a couple ideas percolating, in the mean time, seems that you'll have to get that hunk of tin out of there or the situation will just happen again.

One of my ideas involves the idea of vacuum bagging. After removing the above offending piece, and dumping in your favorite googe mix, if you vacuum bagged along the offending area, seems that it would help to draw the googe into the crack, and push the pieces together. Maybe a bit of Reddog's trick would work hand in hand with this.

[kpenokie]

My guess is that you will spend a lot more time fooling around trying to get goo in there than you would simply cutting it out and putting in a dutchman. I think a biscuit jointer might have just the right size blade to make most of your dutchman cuts. Although a good sharp chisel makes short work of most jobs.

[wolfietuk]

Just remember one thing about a dutchman, No two pieces of wood will expand and coutract at the same rate. No matter how perfect the patch (and from some of your previous picks it would be very good) is there will be a crack sooner or later. My money would be on googe with a needle. A second shot with some thickened to fill in the bigger cracks if necissary.

Rick

[Rich VanValkenburg]

Too late to pull that piece out, Ed. It's tied to the forekeel now. I'll have to work on it in place. All of the steel is out.

As for the dutchman, that's what I was thinking until wolfie reminded me about the different swelling rates. The keelson is also a laminate, so that might make it worse.

I think the thin epoxy idea, along with something to try to pressure-feed it is my best bet. I'm able to force the crack open a little from inside the drift hole on the top. The other question is how to seal up the hole from the bottom while I'm forcing the goo in. I've got a couple ideas, we'll see it goes.

I'm not sure what to ultimately fill the hole with. Hard goo in that area might just enhance the split when it swells. It's obvious I have to re-drill the hole and carve a new pocket in the ballast somewhat forward of where it is now. It wasn't meant as a hanger bolt, but just something to stop side to side movement. To me, that whole sternpost situation is a bad design. I'll try to post a closeup of the drawing for some discussion before I commit to an 'as-built' repair.

Thanks for the comments. That keel has been a pain in the a$$ since I bought the boat.

Rich

[ 07-16-2002, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: Rich VanValkenburg ]