Author Topic: Keel bolts tension  (Read 4238 times)

Aqualina

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  • Boat Model: Bavaria 50ft cruiser
  • Boat Year: 2005
Keel bolts tension
« on: August 04 2013, 06:53 »
Can anyone help please. I lightly touch the keel of my 50 ft cruiser in mud. Intermittent  leak through one of keel knots has materialised. Should I re tighten and if so to what tension.  Or is there other action I need to consider

Anthony

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  • Boat Model: Bavaria 40
  • Boat Year: 2001
Re: Keel bolts tension
« Reply #1 on: August 06 2013, 11:02 »
I have observed that several owners install much bigger washers under the keel bolts, a practice I have adopted using 100mm square plates 6mm thick with 25mm holes at the centre. The 60mm round washers were just not big enough to share load on the hull. i have observed some vessels where complete plates are used in the several sections of the underfloor to hold four bolts each!
This is a job best done when you have the boat out for an antifoul, and get the advice of a marine engineer on plate sizes and tensions.