Keel-separation: problem or norm?

[jpaulroberts]

First let me say I owned a full-keel Pearson Triton for 15 years so bolt on keels are new to me. I bought C-34 MK-1 #296 (1987) two years ago and love it. Last year I put a new barrier coat on and address the cracking around the leading edge of the keel to hull joint. I had no sign of movement beyond the first foot. I cleaned it up, re-faired it with West and then scribed a ten inch long  groove (just the width of a hack say blade) on each side at the the joint, since I know it will crack again eventually. I filled this groove with flexable sealant. 

When my boat came out it still looked perfect. Not even any cracking of the paint. I cleaned the bottom and this spring I put another coat of ablative paint on. Today I was looking around the keel (the boat is still on jack stands) and noticed two streaks of dried rust drips coming from the groove. I looked in my bilge and it was about three inches full. I pumped it and noticed three things and I want to know if they are normal or signed of big trouble.

1. The forward most keel bolt nut and washer seem rusty, just like the drips on the outside of the hull.

2. There is a  crack running along the back side of the mast step box right across the bilge. I noticed this last year but did not think it was serious.

3. There are a couple of minor spider cracks next to the second double st of bolts (not the single one up front, not the next two, be second set of two).

Is this normal? Do I just robed the forward nut and watch far any water comming into the boat when it goes in the water?

Any thoughts?

[jpaulroberts]

Just to clarify something. When I cut the grove at the leading edge of the keel-hull joint, I only cut it through the depth of the fairing (about 3/16 inch). Basically I exposed the joint then filled it with 3M 4000 so that instead of cracking at the leading edge, the thin expansion joint takes up any flex. It was recommended by a friend of mine in the boat repair business.

[Steve Hansen]

Jerry,
Try a search on "Keel Bolts" or "Catalina smile". There is alot of info on this board. At the moment I cannot locate this but there is a discussion of a rust drip coming from the smile, and also on the keel nuts sinking while being retightened. Also on rebedding the keel bolts to stop any water migration. I just retorqued by keel bolts to 107 ft/lbs and I was surprised how much tightening they needed.
Steve

[isabel98]

torque the bolts while you are on the hard, and then use some marine tec or other material where the cracks in the keel joint are. I do this on a 2 year basis, and my '86 has been floating for a month now with an almost dry bilge, which is as good as it gets.. Cheers, Isabel

[Ron Hill]

Jerry : The primary cause of the forward separation (Catalina smile) is inproper blocking.  You need to keep the weight on the nose of the keel (especially a wing) and crank up the jack stand pressure on the stern jacks.  The weight of the fuel and engine tend to cause the stern of the hull to drop and of course the keel remains in place - hence the separation.  Thats where the 25% weight on the jackstands and 75% weight on the keel comes from.
I've posted this same blivet a number of times.   

[jpaulroberts]

Ron,
Yes, I understand. In my boat yard we have an old marine railway and this past fall my boat ended up with a lot of weight on the trailing edge of my keel (not a wing but the deep draft). I did adjust it later. Jerry