Sistering my I-28s keel bolts?

[hellosailor]

I've spent a lot of hours on an I28 and despite working in the bilge a number of times, just don't remember what the bottom of it was. I don't remember a 1/2" steel plate thought and that's the kind of thing that would stick in my mind. Could be something a PO did. I would think that "sealing" the iron plate in could be a very bad thing, because it would allow corrosion to form someplace where you can no longer see it. I wouldn't want to do that.

I'd rather cover the plate, by heating it up and pouring bee's wax over it, so that it was "sealed" but also readily accessible by removing the bees wax. Or using a cold-zinc galvanizing paint, then topping that with a nice white epoxy or urethane paint. (Clean, white, shiny, dry, all good things to see in a bilge.)

Or, just leave it as it is, and try to find out whether that plate was original or why it is there. I think the on-again-off-again I28 web site is back up on a new host, there are certainly sister ships out there because these boats were built VERY solidly.

Compared to most other boats in this size, the I28 already has a massively overbuilt keel attachment. Lots of generous bolts, closely spaced, and a wide strong stub to carry them.

OTOH, the support for the base of the mast is known to be a problem. There's a "bridge" over two ribs that conceals the foremost keel bolt, which supports the aft corner of the head compartment, which is a 4x4(?) teak post, that carries the load of that funny offset compression post. In Bob Perry's original drawings, there's a straight real compression post/mast. The builders probably shifted this to "open up" the interior, but if that bridge in the keel has gotten damp and started to decay--there's a lot of work to access and replace it. Which you'd want to do if you're really going to uncover the entire keel in the bilge anyway.

[erps]

We owned a '76 I28. Our keel bolts looked rusty too. I backed off a nut one turn, shot some lube down the threads and then torqued it back down, around 150 ft/lbs IIRC. It held, so I wire brushed the the tops of the studs and painted them to prevent further degradation. I'm in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it camp". That's just me though.

We did have to repair the compression post problem that "hello" mentions though.

[downeast450]

Thanks for the replies. The compression post is fine.

As I stare at the bilge photo the only thing I can fathom is that during the construction of the stub a 1/2" steel plate was sealed to the bottom with 5200 and then glassed in place at the bottom of the stub, above and inside about 5/8" of glass. Then the keel was attached and sealed with the same sealant. That is why it is both around the perimeter and around each keel bolt washer.

If that is true it is one solid keel stub design! Could that be what we are looking at?

Down

[28islander]

Hey erps, do you have any info on the compression post repair? Any pictures or advice? Did the head bulkhead have to come out?
Paul

[erps]

Greetings 28islander,

It was back in 2002. My recollection is that I loosened up all the mast stays and got a jack in and lifted up the deck under the mast step about a quarter inch. I bridged the stringers aft of the mast with blocks and used a regular floor jack with a 4 or 5 foot 2x4 to do the lifting. I took a sawzall and cut away the crushed plywood flooring underneath the supporting wall. I cut away some additional material from somewhere else and then pounded in a big block of thicker material to replace the material I removed. I sold the boat shortly thereafter. I don't know how well the repair held up over time, but it was better than what the manufacturer did.

I'm not a craftsman, more of a "good enough" kind of guy, so there are probably others out there who would recommend a more professional way to deal with it, but it was good enough for me.