Weeping Keel Bolt - Safety Issue or Maintenance Issue?

[KWKloeber]

I am just saying that slathering 5200 on the nut while in the water is not my way I would do it.

I agree!!
(and for my money no one had suggested such.)

To my other point -- how would water possibly get to underneath that keel bolt, to even consider touching the nut?
The diagnosis doesn't compute, logically.  I hope we agree on that!

[Noah]

Keelson : You need to remove that nut on the leaking keel bolt, replace (or cleanup) the corroded washer,/s.  I'd add some new caulk (3M5200) and retorque it.

A few thoughts

I may have misunderstood, but that was my takeaway to slather up with 5200 while in the water. If thet is what Ron meant, then it is Not an adequate "fix."

[LogoFreak]

I'll add my two cents since I have a lot of personal experience with keel bolts in Catalina's. I highly doubt your keel bolt is your source of water inside the bilge. If you suspect it's one of the keel bolts why don't you create a dam around that bolt using some butyl tape or even playdough? Set a camera on time lapse and see if the water is indeed coming from that area? I think you'll find that the bilge is getting filled from a different source while the area around the bolt will be dry.

If it is leaking at the bolt your only permanent fix is to drop the keel, clean and re-bed it with 3m 5200.

[Ron Hill]

Guys : You cannot should not retorque the keel bolts while the boat is in the water!!  You are trying to pull the 5000lb keel up (snugger) to the hull!!

The hull weight has to set on the keel so the 5000+ pound of keel is on the ground and NOT pulling away from the hull!!

A thought

[LogoFreak]

Unless all bolts are loose and the keel is pulling away from the keel stub you're not pulling anything up... The amount of movement under normal circumstances is NONE. I HIGHLY doubt you'll get more than a quarter turn on a nut while torquing the nut back up to spec.

[waughoo]

I torqued mine in the water.  I can't say there is any reason NOT to torque them in the water.

[KeelsonGraham]

Hi KW,

I suspected the keel bolt because I blocked off the two limber holes and a very small amount of water still found it's way into the centre bilge section where the keel bolts are. Also, the water tasted salty.

Also, there's some rust sludge around the base of the bolt - even though the bolt and nut itself look pretty clean.

No one has yet said this is an emergency structural problem (phew) so I think I'll just keep a watchful eye on it for this coming season.

[Noah]

Are you in fresh or saltwater? If in salt, then taste it. Also, if you have a keel stepped mast, rule out water coming in from rain.

[KeelsonGraham]

I'm in salt water Noah.

[LogoFreak]

You could also have a leak at one of your thru hulls, much more likely than a keel bolt letting water in.

[KWKloeber]

No one has yet said this is an emergency structural problem (phew) so I think I'll just keep a watchful eye on it for this coming season.

NO, it's not an immediate problem!!!

You might use baby powder or sidewalk chalk to determine if water is running down the hull surface.

- Ken