This looks a lot like my keel. I had an area, near the forward most keel bolt, where rusty water would ‘ooze’ out of the keel. This area had been filled with some kind of material. We drilled out the affected area, flushed it out and dried it with a hot air gun. The hole was again filled. It helped but I do see evidence that the problem has not been fixed.
This spring I noticed a blister in the lead at the bottom of the second keel bolt. We drilled a hole into the blister at the bottom of keel bolt and another about 8” above it. What appeared to be fresh water came out the bottom hole but nothing out the top. The holes did not seem to be connected. It seemed the water came from the bilge (under the mast step) and worked its’ way down the bolt. I had a whole bunch of suggested fixes from recasting the keel to filling the affected area before launch and drilling it out at the end of each season to allow drainage. I ended up threading the lower hole to take a 1/8” NPT fitting and evacuating the hole. I then put strips of zinc into the hole and plugging it with a stainless steel plug. Lead and stainless steel are pretty close in the anode table but the zinc can’t hurt. Next fall, I’ll remove the plug and let the keel drain. Freezing water will only enlarge the voids. I also plan to dump anti-freeze into the bilge above the affected area and to apply the same ‘fix’ to the forward most keel bolt. There has always been a blister at the bottom of my fourth bolt. It doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger bit I keep an eye on it. My thoughts are that although there may be a good seal that keeps salt water out of the bilge, there is a migration path for water around the keel bolt nuts/washers along the bolt. You may be experiencing this and while ‘bondo’ may hide it, the problem may still exist. Good luck on your 37R, Ron Ron Ricci S/V Patriot C&C 37+ Bristol, RI <mailto:ron.ri...@1968.usna.com> ron.ri...@1968.usna.com From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Languid Refiner via CnC-List Sent: Saturday, June 9, 2018 5:20 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Languid Refiner Subject: Stus-List 1989 37R Lead Keel Patching? I am purchasing the 37R. It has been dry for five years now in a warehouse. There is a spot on the keel where it appears some lead is coming through. The previous owner is very knowledgeable and handy and recommends patching with some bondo, Any other opinions or suggestions? https://imgoat.com/uploads/45147dee72/115583.jpg https://imgoat.com/uploads/45147dee72/115584.jpg https://imgoat.com/uploads/45147dee72/115585.jpg
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