Sebastien,
There is much debate on whether to torque on the hard or in the water. Logic
would favor on the hard because that's probably how they were torqued at the
C&C factory for original construction.
Yes, one bolt at a time.
Generally, most torque without lubrication. Just simply back the nut off a
couple turns then torque to the specified torque. Some do, however, lubricate
the threads before torquing. If so, then decrease the torque specification by
10%.
I've always torqued my keel bolts on the hard without lubrication.
Dennis C.
Touche' 35-1 #83
Mandeville, LA
>________________________________
> From: Sébastien Lemieux <s.lemi...@umontreal.ca>
>To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com
>Sent: Monday, December 3, 2012 9:56 PM
>Subject: Stus-List Retorquing keel bolts
>
>
>Having noticed the "smile" on my keel, I was planning on doing "something"
>about it this spring. First retorquing the bolts is now on my #1 list of
>todos!
>
>
>I have bought last year a 250 lbs/ft torque wrench but did not come to use it
>as I had too many unanswered questions on the process of torquing keel bolts.
>Should I only retorque bolts when on the hard? I assume it is done working on
>a single bolt at a time. I've read the procedure is: remove the bolt,
>lubrify, torque back, is this correct? Then what type of lubricant should I
>use? How does one reaches the bolts at the bottom of the bilge (about 2'
>deep)? Is it possible to apply enough torque 2' wrench? Is there anything
>special I need as far as the socket is concerned?
>
>
>Thanks in advance for any advice!
>
>Sébastien Lemieux
>Merlot X - C&C 30 mk2 1987
>Mooney Bay - Lake Champlain
>
>
>On Dec 3, 2012, at 10:15, Rick Brass wrote:
>
>I note that you’ve not retorqued the keel bolts in 7 years, and I would
>suggest the this probably needs to be done before you try anything else..
>>
>>My owner’s manuals don’t specify an interval for retorquing, but I try to do
>>it every two years or so on both boats. The exception is the bolt under the
>>mast step on my 38, which can only be accessed when the mast is out. That
>>bolt was retorqued in 2005, and again in 2011 when the boat was rerigged.
>>
>>If you have a resilient sealer (like 5200) between the keel and the stub, you
>>will get a tiny bit of side to side motion in the keel when you go sailing.
>>Over time, the torque on the keel bots can be reduced, lateral motion can
>>increase, and you end up with the smile, and potentially with leaks. IMHO,
>>torquing the bolts should be the first step in any cosmetic attention you
>>give to the exterior of the hull to keel joint. If the yards that worked on
>>your boat didn’t do this, that might be the reason the repairs were not
>>successful.
>>
>>My owner’s manuals (admittedly for boats older than your 35-3) indicate that
>>C&C originally used thickened epoxy in the layer between keel and stub, and
>>that the bolt torque would force the sealer into the hole around the keel
>>bolts. I suspect that the thickened epoxy gave a hard layer of sealant that
>>in combination with the fairly high torque on the bolts minimized the side to
>>side motion of the keel.
>>
>>I guess I have been pretty luck vis-à-vis keel problems on my boats. On
>>Belle, I fixed the smile the first winter I had her, and have torque the
>>boats fairly regularly since. No smile when she was hauled for bottom paint
>>last November – after 14 years or so that I’ve owned her. Imzadi had a slight
>>smile when hauled for engine work this past summer, but then she has a layer
>>of 5200 in the keel joint. Maybe it’s time to torque the bolts again.
>>
>>
>>Rick Brass
>>Imzadi -1976 C&C 38 mk1
>>la Belle Aurore -1975 C&C 25 mk1
>>Washington, NC
>>
>>
>>From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Tim
>>Goodyear
>>Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2012 2:54 PM
>>To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com
>>Subject: Stus-List Keel stub cracks
>>
>>Hello all 35-3 owners - I'm looking for some advice, especially from those
>>who have re-habbed their keels on this model...
>>
>>I was checking on Mojito this morning, and noticed beads of moisture in two
>>areas; a spot at the top of the keel trailing edge and an 8" hairline crack
>>on the port side at hull / keel stub (almost exactly where the mast step is
>>internally). Would this have been enough for you to go ahead with major keel
>>surgery?
>>
>>Rear of keel
>>I've been trying to resolve this for a while; two separate boat yards have
>>had a go at if, and the area is now solid fiberglass / epoxy, but still a
>>tiny crack / area of moisture. There was water in the bilge just aft of the
>>rear keel bolt (I removed the floorboards and sponged the area dry). Water
>>would not normally stay in that area, but the boat is tilted back a little on
>>the stands. I have not had the keel bolts torqued in 7 years (since I bought
>>Mojito).
>>
>>Mast Step area
>>This is the first year I've noticed moisture in that area; there have been
>>hairline cracks in the antifouling before. The mast is stepped and I can't
>>access that area through the mast step, which appears sound.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Tim
>>Mojito
>>1984 C&C 35-3
>>Branford, CT
>>
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>>
>
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