Keel Damage

[adam]

I've never heard of an Ericson keel failing so I'm not overly concerned, but this did seem worth at least asking about.

1) There were a number of tiny blisters. We never would have noticed them if we didn't sand all of the old paint off.

2) When first inspecting the bottom, I noticed a small crack and the top back of the keels.

3) And now, when I was about to start hand sanding the bottom of the keel I noticed that there is a hairline crack down part of it.

Should I be concerned? Should I do anything more to reinforce the keel? Or should I just seal up these cracks and paint the boat?

Thanks!

 

[Loren Beach]

Given that you have internal ballast, and the whole "fin" is part of the overall hull layup, I would treat it like any other part of the hull laminate. Grind out to a 12 -1 slope, and lay in glass and epoxy resin in layers until level again and then sand down smooth and fair it. The Gougeon Bros have excellent repair manuals and most of this is nowadays available on line.

 

[ChrisS]

I'd definitely repair that properly before painting. I know the feeling of being hauled: the clock is ticking and you want to get the boat back in the water. But that nagging feeling three months from now will be worse if you don't do it right.

Where are you hauled? Not many places in he Bay Area where you can remove the paint from your boat DIY.

 

[adam]

I'm hauled out at Berkeley.