Iron Keel attachment?

[Mountainbiker]

Looking to buy a 2004 Bene. Boat looks overall in really good condition. History is lacking though. Keel bolts (stainless) look great. Where the keel meet the hull has a recent flexible sealant on it with a width of about 2 inches. It only has one coat of antifouling on it, so I know it's fairly new and it's also still pliable/ soft. I have attached some pictures. Broker said this is standard practice but I have never seen this, though my experience is limited. I have attached a pic of the back of the keel and a close up of the front of the keel. Somehow the pictures loaded upside down.

[psk125]

Standard practice is to do a better job fairing the sealant so it doesn't look like a Kindergarten Play-Doh project. Maybe that is why you have never seen one like this. The Broker is essentially correct, however. Keel/hull joints are problematic because the metal keel levers itself against the fiberglass hull and opens up the seam between them. Sealant and paint are used to fill the seam and the boat sails on. The "Catalina smile" is an example of this. Boat buyers need to be alert for more significant damage to the keel/hull joint that a grounding might have caused. That is an entirely different kettle of fish.

[thomm225]

Saw this article on Common Issues with Beneteau Sailboats

https://www.lifeofsailing.com/post/c...teau-sailboats

5. Keel Failure
The dreaded keel failure is one of the most severe problems that can occur on a Beneteau sailboat without sinking it. This occurs because of the design of Beneteau sailboats, which commonly use fin keels of some sort that are laden with heavy ballast.

The keel is mounted to the hull using heavy-duty bolts. It’s not part of the hull—but an additional piece that can separate under the right circumstances. This is usually the result of running aground or bolt corrosion, but there are numerous ways it can happen.

So, how often do keels fall off Beneteau sailboats? Hardly ever—what’s more common is a loosening of the keel, which can rock back and forth and progressively increase the severity of the problem and possibly cause flooding.

If the keel separates, you should have it repaired immediately. This can be done by any competent boatyard, but it isn’t a cheap repair. You can spot a loose keel by looking for cracks or obvious lines around the point where the keel meets the bottom of the hull.

Thankfully, keel separation and failure is relatively rare on Beneteau boats and less common than on other less expensive brands. Vessels should be inspected out of the water if keel separation is suspected

[Searles]

A 2004 model is well over due for a keel bolt inspection,and replacement,it doesn’t mater if it looks perfect ,it isn’t ,check with Benny for there recommended time for keel bolt replacement ,some of the more modern vsls recommend inspection at 10 yrs ,⛵️⚓️

[capt jgw]

The tops of the bolts visible in the bilge are not the problem area. It's in the fiberglass between the bolt head and keel, that's where crevice corrosion can occur. The bolts are regular machine screws and can be unscrewed fairly easily, and this can be done one at a time in the water. But, if one or more are badly corroded it could break off and if that happened in water you'd really wish you were on the hard. So best to do it there. So pull the bolts out, inspect and replace if needed. Get the torque values from Beneteau, the values you can look up online assume metal to metal and you don't want to tighten that hard on fiberglass. You'll need a BIG torque wrench. Setting the bolts to the correct torque will fix any looseness in the joint too. This only works with iron keels, most lead keels have "J" bolts cast into the lead and they're not removable.

[barnakiel]

The sealant gets removed, the boat lifted by a travelift.


This allows for complete and easy visual inspection of the bolts and of the adjacent laminate.


If all is good the boat gets re-assembled in the reverse order.


The cost is that of new sealant (about USD 500 in a 40'er) plus two travelift operations. (about 250 USD each way).


Total cost is about 1k to 2k depending on what you do and what you ask others to do.


Note some boatyards do not allow owners do do their own jobs.


b.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Searles

A 2004 model is well over due for a keel bolt inspection,and replacement,it doesn’t mater if it looks perfect ,it isn’t ,check with Benny for there recommended time for keel bolt replacement ,some of the more modern vsls recommend inspection at 10 yrs ,⛵️⚓️

Funny my surveyor doesn’t agree he’s says if the stainless looks good leave things alone

[Searles]

Your boat your keel your surveyor ,s/s can look good today break tomorrow ,looking at s/s is like looking at water it all looks fine until it isn’t .⚓️⛵️

[Searles]

P/S never play with keel bolts afloat or hanging in slings ,have the keel firmly grounded with load down .