Ken,
Perhaps where you live the bus company (etc) is that trusting and generous.
I'm jealous and maybe I should move (actually not...I like living by the Cape).
In the meantime...down here...I rented a honkin' torque wrench from a tool
rental company and bought the socket online.
What I did not plan on was extensions. Damn, but I got the job done 2X.
1981 40-2
David F. Risch
(401) 419-4650 cell
-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Heaton <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 23:25:23
To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Stus-List Retorquing keel bolts
Sebastien,
I borrow a torque wrench and the associated sockets and extensions from the
local bus company garage (any heavy equipment mechanic will have the stuff).
The torque wrench I borrow is about 5' long as my 3 largest keel bolts are
1-1/2" dia and take a 2 -1/4" socket and need to be torqued to 600 ft. lbs. I
do them one at a time on the hard by undoing them, cleaning them
and lubing them with Tef-Gel to make sure the stainless steel nuts don't gall
on the bolts. I usually have to lie on the cabin sole with my back
up against a settee face to push hard enough to get to 600 ft lbs. The torque
wrench I borrow is a micrometer type so it clicks when I reach the desired
value. I don't go right to 600 right away, I usually start out at 400 lbs
on the largest bolts and then go up 100 lbs at a time until I reach the desired
torque.
Scale what I'm doing to your boat and you won't have any trouble. Borrowing
the tools for a weekend is easier than buying them. You can get Tef-Gel
here: http://ca.binnacle.com/product_info.php?products_id=8658
Ken Heaton & Anne Tobin
S/V Salazar - Can 54955
C&C 37/40 XL - Hull # 67
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
On 4 December 2012 00:19, Dennis C. <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> > wrote:
Sebastien,
There is much debate on whether to torque on the hard or in the water. Logic
would favor on the hard because that's probably how they were torqued at the
C&C factory for original construction.
Yes, one bolt at a time.
Generally, most torque without lubrication. Just simply back the nut off a
couple turns then torque to the specified torque. Some do, however, lubricate
the threads before torquing. If so, then decrease the torque specification by
10%.
I've always torqued my keel bolts on the hard without lubrication.
Dennis C.
Touche' 35-1 #83
Mandeville, LA
----------------
From: Sébastien Lemieux <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> >
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, December 3, 2012 9:56 PM
Subject: Stus-List Retorquing keel bolts
Having noticed the "smile" on my keel, I was planning on doing "something"
about it this spring. First retorquing the bolts is now on my #1 list of todos!
I have bought last year a 250 lbs/ft torque wrench but did not come to use it
as I had too many unanswered questions on the process of torquing keel bolts.
Should I only retorque bolts when on the hard? I assume it is done working on
a single bolt at a time. I've read the procedure is: remove the bolt, lubrify,
torque back, is this correct? Then what type of lubricant should I use? How
does one reaches the bolts at the bottom of the bilge (about 2' deep)? Is it
possible to apply enough torque 2' wrench? Is there anything special I need as
far as the socket is concerned?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Sébastien Lemieux
Merlot X - C&C 30 mk2 1987
Mooney Bay - Lake Champlain
On Dec 3, 2012, at 10:15, Rick Brass wrote:
I note that you've not retorqued the keel bolts in 7 years, and I would suggest
the this probably needs to be done before you try anything else..
My owner's manuals don't specify an interval for retorquing, but I try to do it
every two years or so on both boats. The exception is the bolt under the mast
step on my 38, which can only be accessed when the mast is out. That bolt was
retorqued in 2005, and again in 2011 when the boat was rerigged.
If you have a resilient sealer (like 5200) between the keel and the stub, you
will get a tiny bit of side to side motion in the keel when you go sailing.
Over time, the torque on the keel bots can be reduced, lateral motion can
increase, and you end up with the smile, and potentially with leaks. IMHO,
torquing the bolts should be the first step in any cosmetic attention you give
to the exterior of the hull to keel joint. If the yards that worked on your
boat didn't do this, that might be the reason the repairs were not successful.
My owner's manuals (admittedly for boats older than your 35-3) indicate that
C&C originally used thickened epoxy in the layer between keel and stub, and
that the bolt torque would force the sealer into the hole around the keel
bolts. I suspect that the thickened epoxy gave a hard layer of sealant that in
combination with the fairly high torque on the bolts minimized the side to side
motion of the keel.
I guess I have been pretty luck vis-à-vis keel problems on my boats. On Belle,
I fixed the smile the first winter I had her, and have torque the boats fairly
regularly since. No smile when she was hauled for bottom paint last November -
after 14 years or so that I've owned her. Imzadi had a slight smile when hauled
for engine work this past summer, but then she has a layer of 5200 in the keel
joint. Maybe it's time to torque the bolts again.
Rick Brass
Imzadi -1976 C&C 38 mk1
la Belle Aurore -1975 C&C 25 mk1
Washington, NC
From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> ] On Behalf Of Tim Goodyear
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2012 2:54 PM
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Stus-List Keel stub cracks
Hello all 35-3 owners - I'm looking for some advice, especially from those who
have re-habbed their keels on this model...
I was checking on Mojito this morning, and noticed beads of moisture in two
areas; a spot at the top of the keel trailing edge and an 8" hairline crack on
the port side at hull / keel stub (almost exactly where the mast step is
internally). Would this have been enough for you to go ahead with major keel
surgery?
Rear of keel
I've been trying to resolve this for a while; two separate boat yards have had
a go at if, and the area is now solid fiberglass / epoxy, but still a tiny
crack / area of moisture. There was water in the bilge just aft of the rear
keel bolt (I removed the floorboards and sponged the area dry). Water would
not normally stay in that area, but the boat is tilted back a little on the
stands. I have not had the keel bolts torqued in 7 years (since I bought
Mojito).
Mast Step area
This is the first year I've noticed moisture in that area; there have been
hairline cracks in the antifouling before. The mast is stepped and I can't
access that area through the mast step, which appears sound.
Thanks,
Tim
Mojito
1984 C&C 35-3
Branford, CT
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