Bavaria 37 Cr, 2007 keel condition

[Andriy]

Hi,
Pl's advice is there is something to worry about ?
Picture find attached.

[Salty]

It doesn't look good to me, have you run into something hard and relatively unmoving located either on the sea bed or floating partially submerged? Or is this a boat you were viewing with thoughts of possibly buying it? In the first case get a yacht surveyor in who actually knows what he's looking at, the cost of the surveyor is nothing compared with peace of mind, and could save your life. In the second case I'd say goodbye, no thanks, walk away and don't look back.

[Yngmar]

Tell us the whole story, not just a picture. If you banged into something, get a surveyor to inspect for damage to the keel matrix and bolts, then plan repairs based on the results.

If you just blocked the boat off and it is sitting on the keel, this is not uncommon with swept aft keel shapes. The keel gets compressed into the hull at the aft end and pulled away at the front, the hull flexes a bit between the frontmost bolt and the forward edge of the keel. The sealant there eventually cracks or fails to adhere. The sealant may also be damaged by scraping or boatyard pressure washers set to exceedingly high pressure (because it gets the job done faster). Scrape it out and seal it up again. If you like, once you're back afloat or in the slings (not while the boat is resting on the keel) check that keel bolts (especially forward ones) are tight.

When you scrape the old sealant out, if any water comes out (it looks like there is some moisture in there), taste it (yum - no seriously - best analysis tool you got and it's free). If it's fresh, it's from the pressure washer and you're fine. Do let it all dry out thoroughly before resealing.

[MarkTheBike]

Reading your other post in Scuttlebutt about chartering, I would hazard a guess that someone has run your boat into a submerged object, possibly going quite fast. Is there any sign of damage on the leading edge of the keel? I think your chartering company has some serious questions to answer.

[Andriy]

Hi,
There is no any damage on the keel edge and no water inside. Chartering Company report that it is common and no problem. I trust them 50/50.
Maybe it was caused during boat docking and placement to dock supports ( keel was pressed a little ) ?

[Symphony]

While that is not unusual, it should not be left like that. They should clear out the old sealant and reseal. The problem if you leave it is that water can get along the top of the keel and corrode the bolts. These are stainless and are fine if they are kept dry, but water getting in there creates perfect conditions for crevice corrosion.

Check around the aft end of the keel to see if there is any deformation of the hull - that is what happens if the keel does hit something hard. If it was a severe hit then the grid inside the hull around the aft end of the keel may also be damaged