The Shims & the Keel

Presented for your inspection.  At the painters (which has taken an inordinate amount of time) we finally got a close look at what Greg called wooden shims holding the keel up.  Upon closer inspection it's appears they are metal shims that extend some way down.  Could they be "clunk" dampers?  They are rusted rusted and have expanded in the fiberglass tabernacle.  They are now also flaking.  I'm think we put the Kismet up on a lift and she if we can work it free or just re-cut and replace entire new keel.  Thoughts?

Hi Tom,

Surfed (Tom Altee) wrote

At the painters (which has taken an inordinate amount of time) we finally got a close look at what Greg called wooden shims holding the keel up.  Upon closer inspection it's appears they are metal shims that extend some way down.  Could they be "clunk" dampers?

It's difficult to tell from your photos. They remind me of the kind you used to get in Children's puzzle books where they showed you some everyday object in excessive close-up on one page and then on the following page the object in context - when it became obvious what you had been looking at!

However, from your description "clunk dampers" would be my guess too. The SeaHawk keel is always loose in it's casing and can "knock" as the boat crests a wave and rolls a bit, momentarily taking the pressure off the keel.

Having said that, they would be an owner-fitted extra and are not standard. (The photos and story of the keel repair Graham Richards undertook is probably the best for showing what I expect to see in a keel.)

Whether clunk dampers are needed is a moot point. Reports from a couple of off-shore sailors suggest that some find the "clunk" annoying, but I don't think it amounts to more than that. As a lake sailor I almost never encounter waves with crests of sufficient height and separation to encounter the situation required to induce the clunk and have only heard it two or three times in ten years of sailing.

As a solution to the clunk I think I'd try to fit something like pads of closed cell foam or lengths of hemp rope at the bottom of the keel slot. That approach might also assist in preventing fouling on the keel - but that might be naive of me. It would be good to have feedback from others on this issue.

I'm think we put the Kismet up on a lift and she if we can work it free or just re-cut and replace entire new keel.  Thoughts?

I'd certainly want a working, lifting, keel. Whether you need a new one cut would be a judgement I'd make once it was removed from the boat. You might be able to get away with the kind of job Graham did to Core'n'Grato.

Hi guys
In my opinion it's not clever to fit any sort of shims into the keel box.  The clearance is not large, deliberately so, because small clearances trap grit, small stones and barnacles etc.  This can easily jam the keel, usually around midway between up and down.  My keel was jammed solid by barnacles when I bought the boat, and I had to get underneath with a hand saw slid into the slot to free it off. It might just work for you Tom; an old hand saw used from under the boat will grind out lots of rust. Just make sure the boat is well supported - I lower mine on to two one tonne sacks of sand at each end.  
I took the keel out, sandblasted it and painted 4 coats of POR15 rustproofer (epoxy mastic is just as good).  The result is a perfectly free-moving keel and for some reason barnacles don't attach to that paint.  I also renewed the strop and fitted a stainless bolt to hang the keel. I've sailed her in pretty heavy seas off Cornwall with no clunking at all - in fact I can't see how the keel can clunk when fully down as there is only a small area still inside the box.
Hope this helps
 Brian Johnson

Brian: My Kismet is in the States. How she got here no one knows. The pictures are as I found her. We are going to put her on a boat lift and she if the keels will drop and swing free. It would be nice to be in England to have help and opinion at the ready hand rather than in Florida where my Kismet causes stares and comments of a good sort but also where no one has ever seen the likes of her before.

Tom Altee
Jacksonville, Florida

Hi Tom
I've always wondered if a Seahawk has sailed the Atlantic.  No reason why not and it might explain the plates in the keel box as the keel would be permanently down.  I am probably fantasizing, but you never know. 

My method of using old handsaws to grind out the rust has worked on two Seahawks so far.   If you take the handle off the saw and use it as a pull saw (teeth pointing downwards) it will chop the rust out pretty quickly.  As Greg has said, it is well worthwhile getting the keel sorted as it makes the boat sail so much better.  You will be amazed at how well these boats sail - mine is much admired.  The harbour master in Padstow reckons my boat is better looking than Shrimpers and certainly sails as fast if not faster close to the wind. 

Florida looks great compared to the wet, windy corner of England we live in - Devon.   We have 65 sq km of flood water in the next county so might trail the boat up there next week to sail over some farmland!

Brian

We will know as soon as she gets back from the painters.  Into the lift and then a fix or a replacement.  A refabrication and install might even be simpler task than a repair.  At any rate, when she is ready to sail I will be hosting Brit Seahawk owners over to sail her in a beautiful tropical sailing - allifgators, manatees, dolphins, etc., here in Florida.  Of note, winter is our sailing season.  During the summer we only night sail on the very wide and long St Johns river.  The temperatures are bearable then - down into the mid 70's after sunset.  Anyway, invitees will provide their own airfare and I'll pick up the tab for lodging, transportation and food.  It will be good time.

Pardon my mis-spelling and poor typing in the previous and/or following emails.  It's still quite early in the morning here and the coffee hasn't fully kicked in.  

Hi Tom
Any progress on the keel?  

We've just enjoyed 10 days sailing Mustang on the Camel Estuary and coast in Cornwall.  No manatees but some large and frisky dolphins - almost the same size as a Seahawk!!

I've just ordered a new mainsail from Jeckylls - it's about time we had a sail that will drive the beast properly.  Jeckylls have the Seahawk patterns on file and came in with by far the best spec and price.  It's a pleasure dealing with them!

Brian

Wow - that is an excellent paint job!!!

I'm intrigued by the trailer - was it made in the States?  I ask because it looks very similar to trailers supplied as new with the boat.  It may be UK-made meaning that the boat could have been shipped over rather than sailed (kind of more likely I think).

BTW - when you release the keel it may be easier to remove the rusty pivot bolt by splitting the nut using a line of drilled holes and a sharp cold chisel, which I did.  I replaced it with a stainless bolt and washers, sealed with Sikaflex.  Hasn't shipped a drop since I did it 4 years ago.  My keel was blasted and treated with 4 coats of POR-15.  It still looks OK despite being in salt water every season.  

Brian