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Post by patray on Aug 30, 2011 5:08:11 GMT
Hi every one, I am looking at buying a 45.2, the boat I am looking at has just been lifted out of the tide and has water slowly draining from around the sump area in the keel, has any one else encountered this problem, is it serious, what is the best fix. I have a concern that perhaps water has got to the keel bolts...  I would appreciate any feed back. |
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ubuysa
Full Member
1995 - SO45.1 - Little Roundtop
Posts: 48
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Post by ubuysa on Sept 26, 2011 14:48:20 GMT
I get this problem on my SO45.1 - same keel design. This is a VERY common problem with these boats. The problem is that as the keel flexes minutely under load the gelcoat/epoxy skin over the bilge-well/keel joint cracks and water enters. This is what you see draining out. It's coming from between the bilge-well and keel and it's (usually) nowhere near the keel bolts.
I solved it by grinding the gelcoat/epoxy back over the joint (both sides) into a V-shape and letting the area dry thoroughly (she was on the hard in Crete for 3 months). Then I pumped as much Sikaflex as I could get into the joint (since it's flexible and will absorb the tiny keel movements) and then re-epoxied the whole keel (it nedded doing anyway). That was 4 years ago and I've had no weeps since then.
Don't let it put you off an otherwise excellent boat!
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Post by Alexandria452 on Sept 26, 2011 23:36:27 GMT
ubuysa, did you get water inside the bilge before you fixed the problem?
I purchased a 45.2 a couple months ago ... the previous owner disclosed that he had something similar to that a few years ago and that they ended up adding a new bolt and they believe that this solved the problem.
For my sailing and cruising needs, the 45.2 is a terrific boat. It is a winner and I highly recommend it!
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I would appreciate any feed back. 
