45.2 bilge sump box inside the keel?

[Alexandria452]

I took the boat out to get the regular bottom paint to discover that the fiberglass and gel coat were delaminating around the center of the keel on both sides. Upon further cleaning and chipping, it turns out that the glass separated off the bilge sump box which is in the middle of the keel. The boat yard crew say they never seen anything designed this way, so just wondering if anyone has experienced this issue before?

Are the new Jeanneaus designed the same way?

I am attaching a picture of what it looks like after a lot of cleaning.

[Seagem]

I don't know if this helps you but earlier this year I had to have the keel removed on my 2007 SO42i. I discovered that the keel itself has recesses in the top to allow the sump box, which is part of the hull, to fit into the keel. I do not have any photos but if you can imagine the sump box hangs below the hull and fits into the recess in the top of the keel. So even if the keel had delaminated as on yours it would not be seen inside the yacht as you would only be looking into inside of the sump box.

[MalcolmP]

Yes this is standard on many Jeanneau's up to around 2005 - you can normally see the mastic line, it is needed as the boats have very little bilge so is required for the water to accumulate deep enough for the sump pump to work. In more recent models, as Seagem says, the sump moulding is still there but is relatively narrower so that it fits within a reciprocal hole in the casting of the keel top, so externally you can't then see it.

[jrood7]

The switch sits way down in the sump. Where is the actual pump? The surveyor had the original owner install a second pump with another switch that sits above the original switch. That new pump is under the starboard settee, but I can't seem to locate the original pump.

Thanks

[ubuysa]

All 45.1's and 45.2 are like this (including mine). The delamination comes about because the keel flexes very slightly and over time this breaks the epoxy(?) barrier coat. What usually happens then is that seawater gets into the gap but due to the lack of Oxygen there (I assume) it rusts only very slowly. The outward signs of this is a constant weeping from the joint when the boat comes out of the water.

The big advantage of this is of course a very deep bilge well!

On my 45.1 I ground a "v" shape into the keel at this joint, let it dry completely and then pumped as much Sikaflex (291) as I could get into the gap. It doesn't look that pretty when she's out of the water but because the Sikaflex flexes with the keel the joint has not broken again in 5 years and I get no weeps when she comes out either.

[ubuysa]

May 18, 2013 22:59:33 GMT jrood7 said:

The switch sits way down in the sump. Where is the actual pump? The surveyor had the original owner install a second pump with another switch that sits above the original switch. That new pump is under the starboard settee, but I can't seem to locate the original pump.

Thanks

On my 1995 45.1 the bilge pump is under the chart table, it's just to the left of the fresh water pump.

[MalcolmP]

This informative video shows some useful detail of the sump arrangment on the 41DS - but is very similar to how Jeanneau have attached keels for more than a decade

[Steve]

Seraph had exactly the same problem. was within the 5 year warranty. Jeanneau just stonewalled all of my warranty claims

[sabmd42]

I have a 45.2 and get a slight rust drip down the keel in the area of the sump when it is on stands during the winter. If anyone knows of a good fix for this, please post it. I spoke with a Jeanneau dealer about this a few years ago, and I think the fix is to cut out a portion of the keel on the side of the sump box, then dry everything out and fill with epoxy, but I'm not sure of the details.
Steve

[jonathanv]

Sorry to revive this thread but it seems the right place.

I am stripping down the hull and keel and it looks like the sump box on my 45.2 needs some attention.

On one side there are two point that seem to be leaking. On the other side, the glass layer has let go and in certain areas is missing and there's more of a gap (also leaking) between the box and keel.

The glass mat U shape in the middle, is this already the sump box that I see when I look in the bilge from the inside or is this layer of glass just there to cover a gap and is there a separate box behind this?

Any tips on how to approach the repair?

[MalcolmP]

May 9, 2020 14:02:57 GMT jonathanv said:

Sorry to revive this thread but it seems the right place.

I am stripping down the hull and keel and it looks like the sump box on my 45.2 needs some attention.

On one side there are two point that seem to be leaking. On the other side, the glass layer has let go and in certain areas is missing and there's more of a gap (also leaking) between the box and keel.

The glass mat U shape in the middle, is this already the sump box that I see when I look in the bilge from the inside or is this layer of glass just there to cover a gap and is there a separate box behind this?

Any tips on how to approach the repair?

Two options really, first you could dry out the area as much as possible then reseal, but whilst the simplest and the cheapest it may only be a relatively short term fix.

If the seal has also broken on a larger area of the keel to hull joint, as I suspect, the water will remain and possibly will have compromised the keel bolts. Do you know the boat history? have the keel boats ever been checked etc

So the second option which sounds major, but is actually regularly done when boats are first commissioned and should be fairly simple for a good yard is to drop the keel entirely.

You can then properly inspect the condition of the keel bolts and importantly once everything is thoroughly cleaned up the keel can be re-bedded on a new mastic and be totally assured that the keel is safely attached, and it should remain both leak free and if the keel has been properly repainted should remain relatively rust free for many years.

As with all projects like this would be wise to get the opinion of a well regarded surveyor.

There is a Hints and Tips article for a SO43DS which did this a couple of years ago.

www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/KeelSO43DS.html