40 ft Camper&Nicholson restauration

[andrei]

Hi All,

Just started a 1963 ; 40 ft racer-cruiser total restauration , described on
http://www.yacht.ro/frame.php?lang=en&linc=race

Am now removing the lead ballast keel.Keel bolts are terribly eaten by rust.The approach I choose : we drill the lead just under the wood keel&cut the bolts.Then get the keel out , allow the timber to dry, takwe off rot, repair with epoxy, replace old galvanised bolts by bronze ones.

Suggestions on the ballast keel removal-refastening topics most welcome.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Since you are dealing with a C&N yacht from the late classic period, I very strongly recommend that, if you do not already have a copy, you buy a copy of Watts and Jurd's "Practical Yacht Construction" - since the writers were sucessively heads of construction at C&N!

Abebooks will have several copies.

Your method of removing the corroded old bolts is ingenious, but it will leave you with the problem of getting the stubs of the old bolts out of the lead, and making good the lead casting. I would be more inclined to locate the nuts in the pockets, assuming that the keel bolts are not full depth. If they are full depth, they should drive out. If not, consider dropping the lead keel off the boat entirely.

[Hwyl]

One thing that was suggested on here recently (I have not tried it) was to drill a small hole in the keelbolts down the centre and one sideways at the bottom, then put a grease fitting in the top of the keel bolt and grease the bolts after they are tightened, That should help them last.

[RGM]

This is the kind of project that I really enjoy, especially if someone else is doing it. Just kidding. You can probably just slip a sawzall (bayonet, reciprocating, etc.) blade down along the top of the lead clipping off keelbolts as you go form fore to aft without drilling holes in the lead opposite the keelbolts. Rusty iron raises hell with saw blades so have lots of them on hand. You are going to have to dress up/repair the faying surface of your wood keel to ballast keel anyway to some degree. Besides, you'll have to hunt and peck, so to speak, in order to locate, transfer and externally mark the keelbolt locations prior to drilling transverse holes in your lead. You'll need many overlapping holes or one big hole per keelbolt in order to swing a saw blade thru each keelbolt. Once you have the lead cut free from the boat you can go after each half of the keelbolts like a caveman (if need be) in order to get them out. You might be able to drive them down and out thru pre-cast pockets as previously mentioned. Or if they are dead ended in the lead (I seriously doubt this) you might have to fabricate a long hole saw and core drill them out. Catch my drift? How to fabricate a long hole saw has been described at length in forum discussions regarding drilling a shaft log (do a search for that task). Drilling the lead is easy, use liquid dishsoap as a lubricant if need be. A little goes a long ways.
Provide plenty of shoring beneath the boat, along the turn of the bilge all the way out to the transom and under the stem in two places, besides under your keel. She'll be there for a little while. Good luck. I'll probably contact you via email in a day or two.

[ 07-09-2004, 09:23 PM: Message edited by: RGM ]

[andrei]

thanks for suggestions.
well,the keel bolts are very badly corroded.the ones I tried to unscew have broken; one immediately under the but, the other some three inches under the nut.the 1 1/4 inch galvanised stl bolts are reduced at four millimeters at some points.
have boat plan.shows bolts passing all way to bottom of keel.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Bolts passing all the way through the keel, with upset heads in the keel, are certainly more normal in UK construction. But I am a little surprised that C&N used steel bolts with a lead keel.

[andrei]

galvanised keel bolts yes.and galvanised steel floors and knees on this 1963 racer cruiser C&N Rocquette.Restauration aims at replacing all galvanised framing / fastenings; badly corroded with epoxy laminated replicas, as well as most outer mahogany planking.

[Boomkin Joe]

One recent WB article recommended using hydraulic jacks instead of hammering.

[andrei]

http://www.yacht.ro/raceboat/4_baneasa_inside_port.gif

here's the boat.sailed her frm imperia italy to constantza black sea and up the danube to oltenitza river port, then trucked to my Bucharest Baneasa yard.