Santana 30' Keel Bolts

[seagreg]

Hi,
I'm calling out to "columbusc" the former Service Dept. guy from Santana Yachts, or anyone with knowledge pertaining to Santana 30' keels.

My friend Emily bought a Santana 30' and the keel bolts and nuts are badly corroded and need to be replaced. I work in a yard and am familiar with the procedure involved with this type of job. Are the threaded studs cast into the lead or are they threaded into the keel? I'm trying to help her decide what to do and knowing this will help since it would be much more expensive to fix if they are cast in place.

Thanks,
Greg

[fparry]

I just called W.D. Schock concerning this very same issue on my 1971 Santana 27. I received an email from a woman named Carol who answered my questions totally. Not sure if the Santana 30's keel is configured the same way but an email to Schock should answer that.

Here is what she wrote me:


The keel bolts are galvanized steel. They pass through a flange at the
top of the keel and through the bottom of the boat. The bottom is solid
fiberglass. The head of the keel bolt goes into a counter-sunk hole, so
it would be flush on the outside of the keel. The head of the keel bolt
is most likely covered with putty and paint, so you cannot see it.

To remove the keel bolts, you have to have the boat out of the water.
Back off the nut to the top of the bolt and put a block of wood on top
of the nut. You will have to pound it out. I would not take all of them
off at one time.

You can buy replacement nuts and bolts from us - they are now made of
stainless steel. The prices are as follows:
Bolts - 10 at $4.50 each
Nuts - 10 at $1.60 each
Washers - 10 at $ .64 each