c.e.grundler
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THE GREAT KEEL ORDEAL - REPAIRING A CONCRETE-BALLASTED KEEL
Last fall: We planned to send the shaft and prop out for balancing, which required us to remove the skeg and rudder, revealing a steady drip beneath where the skeg bolted to the keel. The skeg had been added by a previous owner years before we bought Annabel Lee. As part of that installation, the boatyard notched a ½" off the bottom at the aft end of keel where the skeg attached in order to keep things flush, and the skeg mount through-bolted. Water was leaking out from a crack at the corner of that notched area.On inspection the area separated with disturbing ease, and a chunk of boat fell out! The original modification to the keel-hidden for years beneath the skeg-turned out to be little more than thickened epoxy packed into the open area where the keel had been cut away, with no additional reinforcement.
We could inspect inside the keel by aiming a camera up to take pictures from beneath. We found waterlogged concrete ballast .
I'd heard that Cheoy Lees of our boat's age had iron ballast, encapsulated in concrete.
We flushed the area first with denatured alcohol and then with acetone, and left it to dry out for the winter.
PHASE 1: CORE CLEANOUT With limited room, it took a chisel, grinder and drills to remove the saturated concrete. Fortunatey the saturation extended only a few inches up.
PHASE 2: FIBERGLASS REMOVAL In order to rebuild to maximum structural strength, we ground away ¼" of exterior fiberglass so that we could then wrap layers of cloth and mat in alternating directions until we reached proper dimensions. (CRITICAL NOTE: Note the marks along the keel beyond the area of work. These marks provided reference as we proceeded and allowing us to rebuild this area to the precise dimensions needed and align the skeg.)
Frank's approach to fiberglass removal. Using the Diamond Turbo Blade on the grinder and a VERY steady hand, he scored the fiberglass. The shop vac limited fiberglass dust somewhat. Once scored, Frank removed the outer layers with a wood chisel.   Next: we sanded down with an 80 Grit Zirconia Flap Disc creating a gradual taper around the perimeter to give the resin and fiberglass cloth sufficient "tooth" to grab.
PHASE 3: REINFORCING THE CORE We measured the void and constructed a replacement core by sandwiching biaxial/mat fiberglass (15 oz. non-woven E glass fabric 2 layers, 45 fiber orientation with a .75 oz./sq. ft. mat backing) between three layers of ½" thick teak, laminating it with West System epoxy and clamping it overnight. The void was wetted out with thickened epoxy (West System 403 Microfibers Adhesive Filler) and the new teak laminate core into the keel, supporting it from underneath with a small automotive jack. Once cured, we sanded off all the excess epoxy at the bottom. Using the reference marks we madeearlier we drilled ¾" diameter holes for the skeg bolts, then filled those holes with the reinforced epoxy.
PHASE 4: LAYING UP THE GLASS CLOTH Before proceeding we cut the glass cloth and stored it between the layers of cardboard, keeping things neat and clean.
We built up the cut-away bottom layer by layer, repeatedly wrapping the bi-axial fabric/mat up from beneath and then from behind, reinforcing the bottom of the keel from multiple directions.
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The keel was solid again, reinforced in every direction and built back out to (almost) proper dimensions. Below, a wood duplicate of the skeg mount, for fine tuning the final dimensions.
PHASE 5: FITTING & REASSEMBLY The skeg, cleaned and primed, eased it into place. Due to the weight and limited space, the "easing" was aided by a rolling automotive jack which supported the skeg and did the heavy lifting. We reinstalled the shaft and rudder, which required the Travelift raise the boat high enough that we could c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y lift the rudder shaft back in place. (NOTE: We were midway through gently jacking the rudder in position when the yard manager, ever in a rush, insisted he'd speed the process up by LOWERING the boat over the shaft. Even as we shouted "NO!" he proceeded anyways, and for a moment something hung up, with all the boat's weight bearing down. After what seemed an eternity he finally heard our frantic shouts of "UP! UP!" and lifted the boat enough for things to slide into place. Needless to say, that moment left me with a few new gray hairs, and a hope that no damage occurred.) Everything seemed to aligned perfectly, and we hoped for the best. New holes were drilled for the skeg bolts. We re-packed the rudder and shaft stuffing boxes, then removed the skeg to prime and paint the re-glassed sections.
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Above, final repair and original 'chunk' that fell out.
Estimated cost: $500 Estimate from boatyard, somewhere between $3,000 - $5,000.
Additional Note on Lessons Learned, 9/27/09: Take the keys away from the travelift operator lest they decide to 'help'. That little time-saver, ultimately, only helped damage the rudder shaft and housing, costing us much of the summer and creating a new project for next winter. Update: The damage seems to be limited to the upper bearing being shifted out of alignment. With luck, that's the extent of the damage.
Boat Pictures
For more information on Cheoy Lee powerboats, visit the CHEOY LEE POWERBOATS ASSOCIATION page.
To contact me, write cegrundler(at)gmail.com