swing keel problem

[Southron Spirit]

i feel your pain man , i know what a sick to your stomach feeling that is .
the next time you get the boat in the water you should install a set of
rails like i did down the middle .if the boat keel gets between those rails
there is no way the swing keel can ever slip down again ..

one guy bob i think talked about epoxying two pieces of 3/4" plywood
togther and then fiberglassing it to make a new keel ..

also inspect your swing keel pivot bolt , when i pulled mine out i found
some severe corrisoion

ok spirit owners modify your trailers so you dont end up like us .

[Lou452]

Thanks for this post I have a much smaller boat and trailer but I now have something to think about ......

[windnutlarry]

You might want to contact Foss Foam in Williston FL. They made most of the swing keels in the 80's, and still have the molds for the ones they did. They. made a perfect replacement for my Hunter 22. Not cheap, but anything for the boat, right? It really did help when I went to sell the boat, since the new owner knew the keel was up to spec.

[Southron Spirit]

finally got my swing keel removed today , even with the bolt out it did not want to come out ,a lot of swinging back and forth and yanking on it while holding my breath at the boat dock . i was wearing a skateboard helmet and a dive mask .

good news is i finally got to sail my spirit by myself , the new tohatsu 6hp sailpro pushes the boat at 5mph with the throttle barely cracked

[JUST MESSIN WITH IT]

Originally Posted by Southron Spirit

finally got my swing keel removed today , even with the bolt out it did not want to come out ,a lot of swinging back and forth and yanking on it while holding my breath at the boat dock . i was wearing a skateboard helmet and a dive mask .

good news is i finally got to sail my spirit by myself , the new tohatsu 6hp sailpro pushes the boat at 5mph with the throttle barely cracked

I dont suppose you could measure the part of keel you have , im goin to have to make one sooner or later. Does the keel pin hole have a plastic bush ? how thick is it at keel pin hole? what should length be ?

[Southron Spirit]

hope this helps
it looks like it's a 1.75" at keel bolt measured at the edge of the board
it has a bushing in there ,cant tell what its made of .
im guessing im missing about one foot off the bottom , next time i put it in the water i
will measure the slot it fits up into .

i am guessing that the keel cable attachment point broke off from corrison and its still tied to the line that goes to the winch and that is pulled up tight to the spot where the cable exits the bottom of the hull .. i cant get my hand up in there .

[Southron Spirit]

here is a picture

[Southron Spirit]

pictures of swing keel

[windyway]

Attached is a picture of my keel measurements before my repairs, then during the repairs a steel bottom was installed. The cable fitting came off last weekend & I had to go thru the effort of keel removal again! What a PITA ! Where the keel strikes the forward part of the keel slot on the hull I mounted a 3/8 thick piece of nylon as the wood I used last time got gouged. The cable was otherwise in perfect shape.

[JUST MESSIN WITH IT]

Originally Posted by windyway

Attached is a picture of my keel measurements before my repairs, then during the repairs a steel bottom was installed. The cable fitting came off last weekend & I had to go thru the effort of keel removal again! What a PITA ! Where the keel strikes the forward part of the keel slot on the hull I mounted a 3/8 thick piece of nylon as the wood I used last time got gouged. The cable was otherwise in perfect shape.

Hey Thanks for the pictures guys, a couple of questions.

Is the 47 inches the finished length or the before repair length.

What would be the finished length

Assuming a circlular section at the top of the keel with circumference of about 15inches with the keel pin in the center is 1 3/4 inches thick, does the keel narrow along its length? Just thinking that top section of the keel must fit pretty snug to reduce the movement during use, but the rest needs to move in and out freeley.

Just how much side to side movement ( wiggle room ) do you have on the keel. To make it snug fit could i cut a thin 15 inch diameter nylon washer.

Thanks for advising guys , you been very helpful