Pics please!

Posted By: Aaron H. , Venture-17 (Blue Heron) San Francisco
Date: 1/16/08 9:49a.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: 1972 Venture 17 swing keel help (Beth and David)

Hi Beth and David, welcome to the board! If you have a chance to post some pics that would be very helpful. I had to do a complete re-build of my keel (1973 V17) several years ago and would be happy to share my experience with you and help you plan your repairs. I'm fairly certain that your keel should consist of a steel "popsicle stick" with two hemispheres of lead bolted to the end. The rest of the "body" of the keel should consist of wood and epoxy "filler" and a structural "wrap" of fiberglass/epoxy forming the outer skin of the keel. If the damage is recent and limited to the surface, you may be able to get away with simply patching the surface of the keel. However, if there are any rust stains seeping out of the cracks in the keel, you're probably in for a much more involved repair (sooner or later). In the latter case, your outer "skin" may have delaminated from the core &/or or the "core" may have developed cracks, allowing moisture to get at the steel core. In this case you will eventually need to tear the keel apart and completely re-build/re-shape the keel using all new materials (except for the lead bulbs, which can be re-used). Before you do any demolition work, be sure to take very accurate measurements and make shaped templates so you can re-create the original shape of the keel. Hopefully the damage is superficial and you'll be on the water soon! All the best, Aaron