In July of 2010, I hauled TERN to give the keel, rudder and rudder shaft, and associated fasteners and hardware a thorough inspection. I also wanted to replace the transducer for the depth sounder as I replaced a rather old-school (and power-hungry) one with a new Garmin unit. While I was at it I applied two (and in some places three) coats of 66% copper antifouling, and re-designed the existing cockpit drain (which had always seemed vulnerable) such that it was more robust and allowed greater use of the large storage area under the cockpit sole.
The keel is fabricated out of 3/8"-1/2" galvanized mild steel, and is connected to two pieces of angle (one on either side of the keel plate) with a series of horizontal bolts. The angle pieces are, in turn, fastened vertically through the keel timber and floor timbers (both are of white oak) with stainless steel bolts. The streamlined lead ballast is 1000 lbs. and fastens with through-bolts to the keel plate.
This clever design allows the owner to remove the keel from the boat without removing any fasteners which would let water in. One intent of the design was to be able to put the boat (with keel removed) and keel on a flatbed trailer, negating the need for an expensive boat trailer.
The man I bought TERN from removed all the keel components and sandblasted, primed and epoxy-coated the plate, lead, and angle. He also built a new rudder. All hardware looked very good and trustworthy upon my inspection.
This clever design allows the owner to remove the keel from the boat without removing any fasteners which would let water in. One intent of the design was to be able to put the boat (with keel removed) and keel on a flatbed trailer, negating the need for an expensive boat trailer.
The man I bought TERN from removed all the keel components and sandblasted, primed and epoxy-coated the plate, lead, and angle. He also built a new rudder. All hardware looked very good and trustworthy upon my inspection.
No comments:
Post a Comment