Dropping a keel WITHOUT a hoist Sun 20 Sep 2020 20:13:17
I hasten to add, I did none of this ! All the glory goes to Stuart , proud owner of "Davin".
Park the trailer (with the boat on it!) on the lawn - it needs to be on the lawn!
Remove the mud guards from the trailer.
With the use of - ideally four, but you could manage with two jacks, jack up the boat.
I supported two scaffold boards under the front of the boat on axle stands and another large piece of wood also supported by axle stands under the rear of the boat, I did this in slow steps raising support along the way just in case something slips. You need to jack the boat high enough to enable the trailer to be pulled out -that is why I removed the mud guards - I also let the air out of the tyres!
Once the trailer is out for safety's sake add additional props either side of the boat to be sure that it is stable - VERY IMPORTANT!!
Now (so long as it is safe!) lower the swing keel - you need to get it low enough so that you can get to the chain/rope attachment, this is why I did it on the lawn - I had to dig out part of the lawn to get the keel to drop low enough.
There was a lot of rust on my keel so I had to get underneath with various scrapers/chisels so that it would actually drop down.
Remove the allen screw in the front that it pivots on - I think this is M8 its best to poke as much of the paint/mud etc out of the screw head so that you can get a good purchase.
Once the screw is out and all the rust is clear , the keel should drop down, I cut the old rope attachment off - I thought it would be best to renew it.
Once the keel was out , I had it shot blasted.
The pivot hole was very corroded so I drilled it out and fitted in a brass bush.
I repainted the now shot blasted keel with good quality , two pack primer and two pack acrylic top coat (HMG).
Refiitting is pretty straightforward with everything clean it should go back together easily - just to be doubly sure I used two pieces of cord to attach the rear of the keel to the chain, put plenty of grease on the sides of the keel and on the pivot screw.
Remove the props and carefully position the trailer back under the boat and then jack up the trailer to support the boat and carefully remove the scaffold boards/ axle stands etc.
Hopefully the above is clear if you do attempt this please be careful.
Good luck
User Comments
Red Herring Thu 24 Sep 2020 17:39:15That's a really helpful step-by-step guide Ian. Many thanks. You have obviously got not only a very shiny hull, but an unusually tolerant other half who has acquiesed in your digging a trough in the lawn! I am in the middle of a less ambitious exercise with a similar aim. I have got the boat out of the water and onto its trailer - first time ever with this boat and its rather peculiar trailer - a
Red Herring Thu 24 Sep 2020 17:40:46- and have managed to raise the boat a few inches off the trailer by using a jack and some tall, solid chocks which came with the boat and will support it under the stern. All that I want to do at this stage is to look at the top of the keel, which you can't do when it is on the water, and see what is preventing it swinging down.
Red Herring Thu 24 Sep 2020 17:41:31If I can get it to drop just the few inches which separate it from the trailer rollers and to come up again with the chain, then I will know that there is a possibility of making it work properly and I will try her again on the water and possibly have her lifted out again professionally to take the keel plate right out. I'll let you know how I get on.
Smanta Mon 12 Oct 2020 11:10:47I stood Mine on lorry wheels and large axle stands to do the same thing
Sasha Wed 22 Sep 2021 11:32:50How did you get keel out of the boat? Bolts are not accessible from outside I guess?
