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Amount of lead in fin keel of 1969 C&C 36 ft sailboat
Does anyone know how I can find out how much lead (approx) is in the keel of a 36 ft C&C sailboat built in 1969. My sailboat needs to be disposed of and I'm hoping I can recoup some of my expenses by selling the lead. It is has a fin keel and I've been told there is less lead in it than a fixed keel. Is there anywhere online I can go online to get this kind of information?
Are you sure about the size and year? No C&C 36 built until mid-70s. Closest to 1969 (year C&C started) is the Redwing 35. In any case, I would guess about 5000 lbs of lead in the keel.
C&C (the boat builder) did not build a 36 footer in 1969. C&C the designers had three designs in production that were between 34 and 36 feet: Invader (3,000 lbs lead ballast), Redwing 35/C&C 35-1 (5000 lbs lead ballast), and the Frigate (5200 lbs lead ballast but part of that was in the centerboard).
For the record, a fin keel is fixed keel. If this is a centerboard boat, (i.e. what you may be thinking is the fin keel is able to be moved) then it is likely that there will be a higher ballast weight, but some of that weight will be in the keel and some in the centerboard.
We read online about replacing keel bolts. I wonder how many sailors or actually doing this? And why? Is it a sort of routine thing... bolts need to be replaced after X years?
Are there signs that bolt(s) need to be replaced?
Are there catastrophic failures from bolt failures? How many?
Who has changed their keel bolts and what were the circumstances?
Is the keel bolt replacement thing more common for some manufacturers?
I have always thought that this joint was secure because there is no sign of water seeping out when the boat is hauled. Do others consider this a fair assessment?
The water can be quite small, so I don't think you'd see it seeping out. For an iron keel, you might see rust at the joint. However, that could be as simple as surface rust from the slight separation, or a penetration that reaches the bolts. No way to visually know.
1987 O'day 35: Keel repair was conducted in 2010. The repair consisted of replacing the 304 keel bolts with 316 stainless bolts which hold the keel to the keel stub. The keel is set on a 1/4"-3/8" bed of 3M 4200. The keel joint was then wrapped with a 6" skirt of fiberglass and epoxy. There is no groove in the stub or the keel, and the 4200 cannot be removed or replaced without first removing the skirt.
This joint does not leak, and the keel does not move. If the keel moved, the glass/epoxy skirt would crack. The only way that water has entered the bilge is via the mast, and when the raw water pump seal failed.
Maine Sail said it best in his post which I referenced in post 11;
Have looked your boat up in Sailboat Data? Usually the weight of the ballast is stated. They even state the ballast material but sometimes it’s left out. Good luck!
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