Jason: In 2004 I noticed the smile on my boat, when I hauled out. I could also move the keel, so I knew I had a problem that wouldn't go away. I had the yard drop the keel, and when they flushed out the keel bolt holes, a smelly substance came out (like someone died in there). The forward keel bolt hole had gotten enlarged due to the keel moving around. They ground the stub and the top of the keel, epoxied the keel onto the stub, and covered the smile with fiberglass tape and epoxy. They also had to fill a void around the forward keel bolt hole with about a gallon of epoxy. I also had the yard make large, square keel bolt washers, shaped so that the nuts would sit flush when tightened. Cost was about $3500. The smile never came back.
Alan Bergen C&C 35 Mk III Thirsty (hull #136) Rose City YC Portland, OR
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