Shawn Encapsulated keels are not a better alternative to bolted on lead keels. A grounding which cracks the skin of the keel will allow water in which can cause drastic problems in an encapsulated keel. Often these are filled with material that can rust and cause bulges in the keel. Be careful when inspecting such a boat.
OTOH we have friends with an Aloha 27 from the 70s that has an encapsulated keel and they have never had a problem with it Mike Persistence Halifax, NS www.hoytsailing.com From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Shawn Wright via CnC-List Sent: Friday, April 05, 2019 12:43 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Shawn Wright Subject: Re: Stus-List 1974 36 mk2 questions Hello all, After another 4 months of boat searching, I am once again considering the 35-2 "Callisto" which began this old thread from January. I have been thinking about it, and when I saw it at the dock while looking at another boat (Crown 28, yes I am getting desperate...), I realized I had forgotten how nice looking the boat is. It still has a for sale sign, and I am waiting to hear back from the owner. I think at 34K he was asking far too much, but at 20K I could overlook some of the not quite up to my standards work done on it. I will get a survey for sure if he gets back to me, and we can agree on a price. Since looking at this boat, I started getting interested in Ericsons, and really liked the idea of the encapsulated keels on their 70s models. We almost bought a 29. But I am realizing that my fear of keel bolts is probably unwarranted, and even Ericson went with bolt on keels by the 80s, and none of them fell off. I hear people talk about replacing keel bolts, but I assume they mean just the nuts, which doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, since the crevice corrosion is likely to a problem with the bolt/stud. Are the bolts J bolts like concrete anchors, or just threaded rod set into lead? I imagine replacing a J bolt would be a huge job. Is replacing them ever actually done? Could you just drill, tap, and thread in new stainless rod in between the original bolts for extra safety? Or am I worrying too much about a mostly non-issue? It's just that most bolt on keel boats I've looked at have water in the bilge meaning the bolts/nuts will stay wet most of the time (probably mainly rainwater/condensation I guess), so it seems like I should be concerned. It's interesting also that after a lot of discussion with the Ericson guys (also a great group of owners, like this group), one of the features of the newer Ericson designs which improves comfort is the flared bow (the 80s models), something which the C&C 35-2 also has. Walking up to this 35-2 a few days ago just reminded me why I was so attracted to it originally. Yes, there are a few things I would do differently, but it's basically ready to sail, as is.
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