[C320-list] Repacking keel bolts?

[Joe Luciano]

I, too, would be very surprised if your leak is coming from the keel bolts.  I would dry the bilge completely and use a hair dryer around the nuts on the keel bolts.  Using a bright light, If I didn’t see some immediate seepage coming from the underside of the nuts, I would suspect some other type of leak.  Cut some pieces of paper towel and put them completely around the area leading to the bilge.  If any of these get wet it will indicate some other leak.  Finding exactly where it is coming from can be a tricky deal because water leaks can take unsuspecting routes on the way to the bilge.  Good luck!

Joe Luciano
Second Wind
Catalina 320
Anacortes, WA

> On Jan 23, 2020, at 12:03 PM, jackbrennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> 
> I would dry the bilge and then place plenty of chalk lines around all pathways to the bilge.
> 
> Water can come from so many places, I think it would be a mistake to assume the bolts are to blame.
> 
> The mast, stuffing box, drips from fittings, water lines -- eventually, water from all of them will end up in the bilge.
> 
> If it is the bolts, sailors generally fix it two ways. One is drop the keel a bit, then inject 5200 into the gap. The other is to glass the joint.
> 
> I would call Catalina for a recommendation.
> Good luck.
> Jack Brennan
> Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
> Tierra Verde, Fl.
> 
> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 
> 
>  On Thu, Jan 23, 2020 at 2:14 PM, David Veeneman<davidv at veeneman.com> wrote:   My C320 has a minimal amount of water in the bilge, which appears to be weeping in through the keel bolts. I’m basing my guess primarily on the fact that the keel bolts have rust on them.
> 
> I had the keel bolts re-torqued last May, which reduced the amount of water coming in, but it didn’t completely eliminate it. I’m guessing that the boat had a soft grounding at some point before I bought it that jarred the keel just enough to break the seal between the keel and the hull, and that water is weeping in through there.
> 
> I am also guessing that I’ll need to have the boat hauled out, and that the packing around the keel bolts will need to be redone, and the joint between the hull and the keel will need to be rebedded or resealed. If the bolts are okay, they will need to be cleaned (nuts as well) and re-torqued.
> 
> Here’s my question: Are my assumptions correct about the keel bolts having packing and the keel having external bedding or sealing where it joins the hull? Or am I misunderstanding how the two assemblies are joined together. Before I go any farther down this rabbit hole, I want to make sure I understand how the keel is actually attached. Thanks for your help
> 
> --
> David Veeneman
> Dana Point, CA
> SV Adelante, C320 #131
> 
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