Sarge
New Member
I'm looking at purchasing a J/24 that needs some seemingly major keel repair (along with vermiculite repair), and am wondering if anyone has seen damage similar to this. I'm looking for some guidance as to what will be involved with the keel repair, in particular (the vermiculite replacement procedure is well-documented on the internet).
The boat also needs part of the decking under the winch and between the traveler and cabin repaired (soft), but that's also well-documented.
It appears that water began working its way into the keel possibly via cabin/deck and down through the vermiculite, and then went through quite a few winters of freeze/thaw cycles in Montana (extreme cold in the winter) which lead to the ice pressurizing and breaking the keel open where the water had collected. This makes me concerned that the entire structure of the inside of the keel is a mess, and will need some serious surgery to restore its integrity. I do not know what the internal structure of the keel looks like (all glass with some lead somewhere?) or what the implications are for this type of damage.
The boat will be used in Jackson Hole to teach local kids to sail via our nonprofit Jackson Hole Ocean Sailing Team (we train kids locally and take them to California to race on a Santa Cruz 52). I do not want to chance having the keel fall off with other people's children on board, so the repair would have to be done right. The boat won't be raced, so it doesn't have to be the fastest J/24, but it does need to be safe.
Based on these photos, what is likely to be involved with the keel repair? Anyone have any experience with something of this magnitude? Any insight as to the internal structure of the keel?
I know many would say 'walk away', but we don't have a lot of funds to buy a boat, and we can do repairs, and most of the other boats are much further away (making acquisition/inspection more difficult). Walk away may still be the answer...
Thanks in advance for any insight...
Seems straight, though:
Typical Vermiculite:
The boat also needs part of the decking under the winch and between the traveler and cabin repaired (soft), but that's also well-documented.
It appears that water began working its way into the keel possibly via cabin/deck and down through the vermiculite, and then went through quite a few winters of freeze/thaw cycles in Montana (extreme cold in the winter) which lead to the ice pressurizing and breaking the keel open where the water had collected. This makes me concerned that the entire structure of the inside of the keel is a mess, and will need some serious surgery to restore its integrity. I do not know what the internal structure of the keel looks like (all glass with some lead somewhere?) or what the implications are for this type of damage.
The boat will be used in Jackson Hole to teach local kids to sail via our nonprofit Jackson Hole Ocean Sailing Team (we train kids locally and take them to California to race on a Santa Cruz 52). I do not want to chance having the keel fall off with other people's children on board, so the repair would have to be done right. The boat won't be raced, so it doesn't have to be the fastest J/24, but it does need to be safe.
Based on these photos, what is likely to be involved with the keel repair? Anyone have any experience with something of this magnitude? Any insight as to the internal structure of the keel?
I know many would say 'walk away', but we don't have a lot of funds to buy a boat, and we can do repairs, and most of the other boats are much further away (making acquisition/inspection more difficult). Walk away may still be the answer...
Thanks in advance for any insight...
Seems straight, though:
Typical Vermiculite: