Keel issue

[vasko]

A close friend of mine have 50 - 2009 and when getting the boat out this year he found a movement in the keel about 1-3mm
.
The marina is asking for 11K to drop and rebed the keel - the insurer is stating that he do not want to pay as according to them this is due to wear and tear .... No matter that the boat has been grounded(hit rocks) twice during last two seasons...

Any suggestions ? Can just tighten of the keel bts fix the issue ?

[Charlie-Bravo]

I would inspect the hull inside for any signs of damage, ..... perhaps get a good surveyor to look if friend is not experienced.
If no damage, tightening the bolts and sealing around the keel might be fine for a season or more, but if the keel joint weeps water it should be partially dropped and rebedded
CB

[alex1949]

Hi Vasco,
Keel issues should be always taken care very seriously . If something goes wrong .the whole boat is in danger.
However. there is always a small play in the connection between the keel and the hull. As big the boat is, the play is more noticeable 
If the play is not above what was described by you I would be less worried.  What do we actually have here,   a metal solid keel weighing as much as one third of the whole boat is attached via metal studs to the boat hull/body which not like the keel is build from a relatively very flexible material-glass fiber. There is always a slight movement between those two parts and you will notice it mainly whenever you take boat ashore and put it on the hard for treatment. You will notice a slight movement of the keel into the hull when the crane lower the boat down standing on it's keel. The movement should of course be limited and to my humble opinion the figures you gave are within the normal. Keel is bolted with big bolts and trying to tighten them is beyond regular human force, you need an expert and special wrenches to do it. Taking that those bolts are tightened enough the existing hair gap between the keel and the hull will be filled with special mastic adhesive paste keeping it dry but still a bit elastic. So, always expect some limited movement.                           
 What happen when you hit something or get grounded at sea ?  The impact, whether big or small may do the following things:           Brake loose or only loosen one or some keel bolts. Loosen one or some studs that are stocked into the keel . Brake the elastic mastic adhesive around the connection area. Couse a severe movement of the keel over the original connection.
 Long story, one must do -  Admitting that vessel was involved in a massive impact of the keel, a real expert should examine the impact results and most likely he will ask to see by himself the crane pulling down the boat on its keel . It may not necessarily ended up with a keel refitting and he may take it as normal move. Sometime they will ask for keel bolts tightening and adhesive mastic paste replacement.
But no doubt, The boat been described must be checked by an approved  expert.



        

[zzmeyer]

You may remember Cheeki Rafiki, a Beneteau that sank with loss of life. The owner was found criminally liable as the boat had been grounded several times and he didn’t have it repaired. You absolutely need to have it surveyed.

[gwilliman]

Having just gone thru a keel refit on my 2018 SO419 due to improper bedding on the leading edge, I can say that any gap that can allow water to intrude will certainly corrode the keel and eventually the keel bolts and probably start to show staining inside where the bolts are.  Stainless just means stains less.
In the US I would expect to pay about 6-8K for keel rebed. Fortunately I was able to get warranty repair from Jeanneau.



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[vasko]

What is the procedure for re-bedding ? Does the mast need to go down ?

Also my guess is that the price depends on the boat size - if it is 6-8 for 40ft I would guess that 11 should be expected for 50 feet..

[MalcolmP]

Nov 12, 2020 4:04:46 GMT vasko said:

What is the procedure for re-bedding ? Does the mast need to go down ?

Also my guess is that the price depends on the boat size - if it is 6-8 for 40ft I would guess that 11 should be expected for 50 feet..

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


They did it with mast still up, but needed lots of precautions in case wind got up...could have made it much more expensive....

[gwilliman]

I can't comment more about cost, but I think any reasonable boat yard would always unstep the mast.  Our mast was down.

[johannes]

I expect the cost of unstepping the mast would be negligible compared to the total cost of this procedure. It's a 20 minute job for a yard with a proper crane, assuming that you make the preparations yourself (sails down, halyards tied up, cables disconnected).