[Public-list] water in the keel

[Todd]

I also have had the weeping keel at the bend where it starts to go up to the
bow.  I also thought it was the water tank (mine is also integrated) so I
opened my tank and sure enough, there were a series of cracks all the way up
the centre seam.  I sealed them with a layer of west system, but that did
not fix the problem.  It did make the water taste better though.

Then last winter I had water get into the bilge that then froze.  This
expanded the keel slightly which in turn cracked a previous repair that had
been done on the spot where the keel was weeping.  I did not know that there
had been a repair there.  After removing the old repair and drilling some
holes I eventually opened up a hole in the area right to the cast iron
ballast about 4 inches across.  What I found was after going through the
glass fiber, was about 1 inch of solid resin, then a layer of sand then the
iron.  The layer of sand was completely saturated with water.  After
vacuuming all the water out of the bilge, the sand area dripped steady for
about a week before slowing down.  What I think is happening on these is
that the water from the bilge is getting into the sand that the iron is
resting on and eventually getting through the fiberglass and drips out of
the hull.  I should also say that the solid resin layer was quite brittle
and full of cracks so that when I drilled holes to try to drain it, the
resin began to break out in chunks.  A couple of days ago someone mentioned
that they had fiberglass coming up from the bottom of the bilge and I
believe this is part of the resin that was poured in on top of the iron to
seal it in.  Once it starts to crack up then water can migrate through the
sand around the iron and get to the bottom of the keel.  This is just a
theory as I am not sure exactly how the boat was actually put together, but
that is what I figure is going on. 

Another thing I noticed was that the seam where the two halves of the hull
were put together was very uneven on mine.  Further, the seam was filled
with either really bad fiberglass or maybe some sort of putty (it was hard
to tell what it was).  In some places the area between the two halves was
close to an inch apart that had been filled in.  The seam could not be seen
until the gel coat had been ground off.

Anyway, I don't know what the answer is to this problem other than maybe
draining the keel and resealing the bottom of the bilge with glass.  

Todd
Strathgowan #400


-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at alberg30.org
[mailto:public-list-bounces at alberg30.org] On Behalf Of JohnI
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2005 5:15 PM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
Subject: Re: [Public-list] water in the keel

John,
 I had a "weeping keel" last Fall. So, this Spring, I fixed a couple of
gouges at the leading edge of my keel, put on antifouling and everything was
nice until I filled my water tank prior to launching. Small water spots
started showing through the new antifouling. I understand my boat #284 has
an integrated water tank, and all summer I wondered if that was the source
of the water. Whatever the source, it was minimal because the bilges stayed
dry. After the water tank was emptied, I left it empty and used water
bottles for the remainder of the sailing season. The boat was pulled out a
month ago and not a drop has come through the keel. In the next few weeks
I'll be opening up that tank to have a look and then rebuilding it. I'm not
positive it was the source of the water, but it's the prime suspect. I hope
this helps.
 John, #284

 On 11/12/05, John Malthouse <jmaltcontact at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Last spring I discovered a crack 12" crack at the bottom centre of the
> keel
> as it just curves up towards the bow. After the spring thaw small drips of
> water were evident, I filled with glass filler and then glassed over. Now
> back on the hard for the winter I still notice water drops from what I
> presume is a small pin hole at the highest point of my previous glass over
> job. I'm thinking water must be passing through the deck and gravity
> taking
> it to the bottom of the keel?
> I've read some where that you can drill small holes in the bottom to drain
> water?
> I also have a A22 that has a bronze plug in the middle of the keel,but
> have
> never been able to remove.
> Before the winter freeze comes I would like to fix / remove any water that
> may be trapped in the keel of my A30 and my A22. any suggestions before I
> get the power drill out would be greatly appreciated before I make a
> mistake.
> I find it hard to believe that in just one summer that the fiberglass
> would
> be that porous and therefore think water is entering through cracks on the
> deck?
> John, Mannin #452
>
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