Keel Bolt Leak???

[RON SCHERER]

I have a very small seepage from the aft keel bolt. There is a man on this site who said Catalina told him to back the nut, lift washer, apply 3-M 5200 and torgue the nut to 105 lbs. Can I do this while the boat is in the water and what size is the nut? Ill be borrowing a torgue wrench to do this job and the boat is 6 hrs. from where I live so any suggestions would be appreciated before we head out in a couple of weeks. Thanks--Ron S.

[dave davis]

I have the same type of problem except it is the forward bolt that leaks. I tried to snug-up the bolts but it still leaks very slightly. The bolts were tightened while out of the water with the weight forward on the keel. On the next haul out I am going to dry out the leak path which I am sure starts at the Catalina Smile( the seam between the hull and the keel) I plan on using a vacuum and heat to dry the seam. I will also try to grind out the seam to give it a better chance to work. After working with the outside, I will work on the inside by doing what you suggest. Backing off the bolt and washer and applying a sealant..
I would worry about applying 5200 silicone while the leak path is still wet. It may not stick. You will be going after the leak output instead of the input. Good Luck. Lets hear from you so we can all learn.

[APACHE]

Ron : To get that keel bolt leak stopped you need to do some things.  Most important are that leak area must be clean and dry.  
To adequately tighten the keel bolts they all need to be retorqued - not just one.  To retorqued the keel bolts, the weight of the keel must be taken off the hull - by putting the boat on land.  You also need to reseal any break in the "keel to hull" seam.