Rusty Keel Supports?

[Sarabi Seas]

We have two support plates for our keel bolts that are showing a little more than just surface rust. The bolts themselves look good. The question is, would I be doing more harm than good by removing as much rust as I can with a wire brush / steel wool and then coating them with grease or Tec-Gel? Or, would it be better to just let them go and not disturb the surface? This would just be a temporary fix until our next haul out.
Thanks in advance for your input!

[neilpride]

Pics?

[tkeithlu]

Hmmm. You won't do any damage with a wire brush. The only issues here are the condition of the bolts at and below the plate and the condition of the plate under the washers/nuts. Rust inhibitor applied to the outside is not going to make a whole lot of difference to the situation.

If you are concerned about the structural integrity of the assembly, you could consider this approach. Remove one nut/washer at a time, and inspect what's underneath. You won't be able to do a thorough job of it, but it could either reassure you that the bolts are not compromised or tell you that it's OMG let's pull this boat NOW.

Complete inspection will have to wait until you can support the keel and remove all the nuts and the plate. If you do that, a good course would be to remove all rust and add protection against future rust, put the plate back, and torque the bolts carefully.

Good luck with it. My bet at the moment is that the situation will be superficial damage only.

[Sarabi Seas]

Thanks! I was a little worried I might be opening a can of worms if I pulled one of the nuts off, I just need to remember to take my time and not force it off with a breaker bar! I was also a little worried about water intrusion- water seeping between the hull and keel at that one bolt location when I loosen it. Good idea to give it a go and be able to sleep well at night until the next haul out.

I’ll let you know how it turns out!

[SailingHarmonie]

Any rust you can scrape off with a wire brush is doing NOTHING to hold thing together. There are two possible outcomes from the exercise:

1. You find that it is not as bad as it looked at first now that you can see the extent of the issue.
2. You find out the problem is much worse than you expected, and needs fixing fast.

NOT looking is just hoping things are ok. and one thing you learn about taking care of boats, "Hope is NOT a good plan."