Keel Bolts on E34-2

[HerbertFriedman]

You can look up on line for the torque specs for 1" stainless steel bolts but make sure to torque them when out of the water and the boat is resting on the keel so the bolts are unloaded. I generally have the yard check the bolts at haulout but they usually say to tighten the nuts until they hear the fiberglass "creak", no more. If I were doing it, I would loosen the nut about one turn, then tighten it using a torque wrench set to the book value but stop if I heard the fiberglass creak.

I recall looking at this issue on my previous boat, a 30' Tartan which also had one inch keel bolts. As I recall the spec was a few hundred foot pounds which it awesome. Imagine a 4 foot breaker bar and applying almost your total body weight. I told this to the yard project manager, he was skeptical and that's when he said tighten them until you hear the fiberglass creak. Turns out my old Tartan had bronze keel bolts, not stainless as in the newer models and I would have stripped every one of them.

 

[EGregerson]

This might be slightly off topic but.... Years ago, after reading here of corrosion problems with keel bolts freaked me out; I put an anode on the 2nd to rear bolt. I'm not a physicist; I didn't know if it's electrical, anoxic water or what; so I thot I'd just try and see what happens. 3 years later it looks like this. I'd like to think this is saving my bolts. All of them, since they appear to be bonded thru the lead ballast.

 

[Lynn]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing these shots EGregerson.