keel bolts...

[Rocco]

I purchased mine from Snap-on online.  A little expensive, but very high quality:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=3599&group_ID=405&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

-Rocco

[Bobg]

Rocco, was your deep well socket from snap on deep enough?  I brought a deep well to the boat but my studs were too long, overall length of the socket was 5", I am going to cut it in half and add a inch and a half to  the middle to make it work, evidently all studs are not the same length, I do know the one you bought from snap on will not work on my boat.  I encourage everyone to measure the length of the studs before buying.  just my two cents

[BillG]

Wouldn't it be easier to cut down the length of the bolts.  On my '87, the threads only extend about 3/4 of an inch past the nut.

[Michael Shaner]

A PO somewhere down the line cut my bolts off. A deep well socket isn't necessary...

[Stephen Butler]

As a fellow that once had to "drop" his keel, I would be cautious about shortening the keel bolts in order to purchase a shorter socket, at a lower cost.  In my own case, having the bolts their original long length, allowed the yard to do the work in just a couple of hours and at a significant savings.  Just one guy's experience. 

[Ken Heyman]

below is the link for "sears sockets". Depending on the depth issue would any of the 6 point 1 1/8 sockets be suitable?

Ken


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10153_12605?keyword=1+1%2F8+inch+deep+socket&x=20&y=6

[BillG]

i bought the Sears 6 point, 1 1/8 a couple of weeks ago withe a 9 inch extension and it works fine, i already had a craftsman torque wrench.

[Ken Heyman]

As  an 11th hour experiment (just before launch) yesterday, I acquired a craftsman torque wrench (cheapest they offer at 30.00), a 1/18 socket and an extension) I was able to get this rig over my keel bolts but could not budge any of them. I have no rust on my bolts and it appears that the washers and maybe some of the nuts have a bit of goop (maybe 5200) on them. In that this wrench was Sears's cheapest, it did flex quite a bit. I actually only applied 80 -90 pounds of torque. Who knows? 107 pounds may have tightened the nuts but would definitely have tightened my vertebrae and I opted not to strain myself, in the process. Perhaps next year when back on the hard I'll try again but I doubt that I have loose nuts. (PC?)

Ken

[Michael Shaner]

Wheaties for breakfast is a prerequisite...especially for us little guys!

[Bobg]

Thanks to this forum, I checked my bolts and all were at about 10 to 20 lbs torque, ridiculously loose, I cut a socket in half, welded a piece of pipe in the middle and torqued them to the recommended 107 lbs, after taking the advice of raising the washers and applying 5200 as a sealant.  Thanks to all   Bob   Launch on wed. 

[Bob Kuba]

If your socket remains extended for longer than 4 hours...  consult your welder.



This is the very same socket that Ken Heyman used on his boat.
I knew my studs were longer than his, (there's a joke in there somewhere)
so I took the socket to a local welder.