Water leaking from screw hole under keel guard.

J

jkswor

New member
I took off the keel guard and the screws that hold the brass keel plate on, poked a tooth pick into the leaking screw hole and a steady stream of water came out, about 2 gallons.
The screw was kind of loose and it appears that water has been encroaching into the hull by the screw hole. The person I purchased the boat from had kept it in a slip at the harbor on a lift for years. Must have been in the water for some time for this to happen.
Any one ever have this happen?
What is up in there to hold that much water?
going to let it finish dripping and then seal it up and put a new keel guard on it.
Jim
 
In researching before buying my boat, I found that this is a common occurrence on 22's. Apparently some of the keel strip installers at the factory drilled too deeply and penetrated the hull there. The bow compartment is often filled with foam, so that holds any water that leaks in.

If you are going back with the rubbery keel guard type product, you could remove the brass strip altogether, epoxy the holes, and then reapply the keel guard. If you are going to go back with just the brass strip, then you could fill the holes with epoxy, re-drill them shallower, and then bed the screws as you reinstall the strip.

If you search, I think you should be able to find many threads on this problem for more info.

Sunbeam
 
I would drill out this hole, and leave the boat in a dry and warm environment--it is possible that you have some water in the foam which is under the bunk--That would be if you are unlucky/vs the lucky that Capt. Charlie mentioned. If so, the foam needs to be dried out, or removed. There is no easy way to get to that foam. There are a number of threads about removing the foam--and the keel strip leaking.

I am not a big fan of the keel guards, unless you are going to be putting the boat on a coarse rock beach frequently. Even then it does not really protect the entire bottom.

You want it dry before you epoxy the holes. You want to drill out all of the holes. Then fill with thick epoxy. I think it is best to put the brass keel strip back on--but not essential. A good sealant like 5200 should be used on the stip.
 
I agree with the good doctor as my boat had the same problem a long time ago. It spends it's life on the trailer and I caught it the day it cames loose when pulling it on the trailer. Yeah it got wet, but not really wet and I just tightened the screws and put 5200 hundred on it after it dried. To date, it has been a non-issue. I hope you have the same luck I did :)
 
Back
Top