Keel Bolt Inspection and Repair

by Darrell Nicholson, Practical Sailor
If your potential dream boat has more than 20 years behind her, one item that will likely come up on a survey is keel bolts — the heavy duty fasteners that keep your keel from going on a bottom tour while you reach for handholds on your suddenly tippy craft. And even if you are not in the market for a new boat, it is always a good idea to take a close look at these essential structural components. A proper inspection will require the boat to be out of the water.

Despite advances in imaging technology, keel bolts are still very difficult to fully inspect without a bit of surgery. (We will be looking at keel-bolt imaging options in a future report.) Fortunately, some hints of trouble are obvious, like large gaps in the keel-stub joint, weeping rust stains near the keel-stub joint or crumbling bolt-ends in the bilge.

This year new World Sailing rules requiring a keel inspection took effect. Additional rules related to keels take effect next year. The rules describe the type of inspection required to participate in one of the offshore racing categories. – Full report