SO35 keel to hull joint

[gaj]

Are there any forumites out there who either own a Jeanneau SO35 circa 2005 with a 1.85mt draught or can readily see one on the hard that could have a quick look at the closeness of the fit of the keel to hull joint and report back?

The reason being that my oldest pal is now the proud new owner of such a vessel (sold up and life savings just gone into the purchase) and has been dismayed to find a crack in the keel to hull joint at the fwd end upon lifting out the day before yesterday. In an attempt to calm him I pointed out that this is not uncommon with boats of this type of construction due to some minor flexing of the hull when the weight is placed upon the keel root and the hull particularly if the propping is not adequate. I know the yard where the boat is and have no doubt that the cradle and propping is spot on. Unforunately further investigation has shown that the gap between the top of the keel and the hull is approximately 10mm at the fwd end, tapering off aft. This space was filled with sealant and covered with antifouling. I would have hoped for no gap at all but not be uduly concerened by say 2mm or a little more but 10mm does not look good.

The question is did it come out of the factory like that due to the mating surfaces of the hull and keel not being matching profiles and that all the SO35's are the same? If that is the case it is a manufacturing issue and there will be little to be done about that I guess. I imagine then the answer is to clean out the old sealant, clean the stud/bolt etc and rebed and tighten all the keel bolts to the required torque setting.

On the other hand it could be something more serious that was missed during the pre purchase survey carried out a few weeks ago?

No grounding since taking possession of the boat.

Any first hand observations would be really be most helpful.

[Don Reaves]

I have a 2004 SO35, and the hull to keel join looks as good today as it did when the boat was new. You can see a seam all around, properly filled with sealant, but the two surfaces are level with each other, and the seam is consistent in width everywhere. All of the Jeanneaus at my marina have perfect joints, as far as I can see. And there are quite a few of them since the marina owners also sell Jeanneau yachts.

With a separation at the forward end, I would start looking at signs of a hard grounding. Are there any marks at the forward edge of the lower part of the keel that might indicate having hit a submerged rock?

I think your suggestion of cleaning, rebedding, and tightening bolts is probably correct. But I would start with a professional survey. I assume he had a survey before purchasing. The surveyor should have caught this when he had the boat pulled out of the water during the inspection.

Don

[gaj]

Thanks Don,
What I was trying to establish is what is the norm for the joint and going by your description it should be pretty tight and that the 10mm gap is not as it should be.

He did have a survey a few weeks ago before he bought the boat and one would have thought that the surveyor would have noticed the issue. I wonder why he did not, perhaps the meeting today will shed some light on the matter.

Regards
Graham

[Geoff B]

Graham,
I have reason to slip mine by mid July to ascertain if any such damage occurred when I dragged anchor last weekend. I shall be back in touch.
Regards
Geoff

Vessel slipped and thankfully there is no gap between the hull and keel.
Geoff

[peterjb]

I have a small gap at the front of the keel on my 2005 SO35 but it is not 10mm. Can't give you an exact measure because she's in the water and will stay there until October. Hull/keel joint is perfectly watertight.

[eddie2000]

My so-35 has a small gap, 1-2 mm along the length. I would think 10mm was too much. Have a look on the inside (just in front of the mast step) and see if there is any disturbance of the forward keel bolt heads or plates. Any cracking in the glass would indicate a problem.

Eddie