Anyway to Tell Condition of Keel Glass?

[Roger R]

I just removed the old bottom paint on a newly-purchased 26 year-old Typhoon in prepartion for a new barrier coat and new bottom paint. I drilled a small hole in the side of the keel and at least a couple of glasses of water flowed out. (I know others on this board have had the same problem.) My question is, without cutting a hole into the keel and poking around inside, is there anyway to tell if the fiberglass is solid or damaged inside the keel?

I have incidentally sounded the entire keel and deck with a plastic screwdriver handle and get a sharp ping everywhere. Also, I have taped some plastic food wrap to the hull with electricians tape and not seen any condensation collection on the inside of the wrap. (I have seen some articles where this is better than using a moisture meter which can be highly unreliable, even in a supposed “expert’s” hands.) And, after removing the old bottom paint, I have not found any blisters or other damage on the hull. I will install a drain plug on the garboard to drain any water/condensation inside the hull during the winter layup in the future. Still, is there any way to really tell the condition of the fiberglass I’m painting over?

Thanks much for any suggestions.

Roger R



rosenwalds@hotmail.com

[sloopjohnl]

Roger,

check to see where your drill hole ended up going. i bought a typhoon that i knew had blisters. i had to strip all the gelcoat below the waterline because it was loaded with very small blisters. after removing the gelcoat i had a small weep at the aft end of the keel near the rudder. i drilled a small hole in it and water started spouting out. water continued to run for a day and i could not figure out where it was coming from. being new to the typhoon i was not familiar with the extent of the bilge. when the water did not stop, i checked the bilge and here it was almost full. it would have taken a week for all that water to drain out through my small drill hole. there is less and less lead in the bottom of the keel as you go aft from the bulbous front portion and more and more bilge space. you may have drilled into the bilge and a few glasses of water does not amount to much. check it out!

I just removed the old bottom paint on a newly-purchased 26 year-old Typhoon in prepartion for a new barrier coat and new bottom paint. I drilled a small hole in the side of the keel and at least a couple of glasses of water flowed out. (I know others on this board have had the same problem.) My question is, without cutting a hole into the keel and poking around inside, is there anyway to tell if the fiberglass is solid or damaged inside the keel?

I have incidentally sounded the entire keel and deck with a plastic screwdriver handle and get a sharp ping everywhere. Also, I have taped some plastic food wrap to the hull with electricians tape and not seen any condensation collection on the inside of the wrap. (I have seen some articles where this is better than using a moisture meter which can be highly unreliable, even in a supposed “expert’s” hands.) And, after removing the old bottom paint, I have not found any blisters or other damage on the hull. I will install a drain plug on the garboard to drain any water/condensation inside the hull during the winter layup in the future. Still, is there any way to really tell the condition of the fiberglass I’m painting over?

Thanks much for any suggestions.

Roger R

[Helpful Hannah]

I just removed the old bottom paint on a newly-purchased 26 year-old Typhoon in prepartion for a new barrier coat and new bottom paint. I drilled a small hole in the side of the keel and at least a couple of glasses of water flowed out. (I know others on this board have had the same problem.) My question is, without cutting a hole into the keel and poking around inside, is there anyway to tell if the fiberglass is solid or damaged inside the keel?

I have incidentally sounded the entire keel and deck with a plastic screwdriver handle and get a sharp ping everywhere. Also, I have taped some plastic food wrap to the hull with electricians tape and not seen any condensation collection on the inside of the wrap. (I have seen some articles where this is better than using a moisture meter which can be highly unreliable, even in a supposed “expert’s” hands.) And, after removing the old bottom paint, I have not found any blisters or other damage on the hull. I will install a drain plug on the garboard to drain any water/condensation inside the hull during the winter layup in the future. Still, is there any way to really tell the condition of the fiberglass I’m painting over?

Thanks much for any suggestions.

Roger R

Roger,

It kind of doesn't sound like you had this boat surveyed before purchase. Hmm... Either way, I'd spend the hundred dollars or so that it would cost you to have a [credentialed] surveyor stop by and go over your keel. I'd much rather know exactly what the condition of my boat is than speculate and then have a bigger problem down the road.

Hannah

[Roger R]

I'm confused. The small hole I drilled was at the aft end of the keel, approximately 11" both forward of the rudder leading edge and above the outside bottom of the keel on which the boat rests in dry dock. Is that area part of the bilge on the Typhoon? Inside the cabin there is a small, round inspect hole in which you can see a large eye permanently embedded in the keel lead. There was some water in that area even though the prior owner had covered the boat during the winter. I thought I had sponged all that water out several days earlier. Are you saying that that cavity really goes all the way down to where I drilled my hole?

Thanks!

Roger,

check to see where your drill hole ended up going. i bought a typhoon that i knew had blisters. i had to strip all the gelcoat below the waterline because it was loaded with very small blisters. after removing the gelcoat i had a small weep at the aft end of the keel near the rudder. i drilled a small hole in it and water started spouting out. water continued to run for a day and i could not figure out where it was coming from. being new to the typhoon i was not familiar with the extent of the bilge. when the water did not stop, i checked the bilge and here it was almost full. it would have taken a week for all that water to drain out through my small drill hole. there is less and less lead in the bottom of the keel as you go aft from the bulbous front portion and more and more bilge space. you may have drilled into the bilge and a few glasses of water does not amount to much. check it out!

rosenwalds@hotmail.com

[sloopjohnl]

sounds like you are into the bottom, back of the bilge area. drill a hole big enough to push a red 12 or 14 gauge wire through (about a foot long). lay a flashlight in the inspection hole next to the lifting eye(actually only used to lift the lead into the mold for the hull) and aim the light toward the aft end. kneel in the cockpit at the companionway, bend over and look aft into the inspection hole. look for the red wire. (you have to fill the hole with epoxy anyhow so don't be too cheap with the size.) being that you sounded the gelcoat and didn't get any hollow sounds or dead thuds, you may be in good shape and now you will know what the bilge constitutes.
let us know what you find.

I'm confused. The small hole I drilled was at the aft end of the keel, approximately 11" both forward of the rudder leading edge and above the outside bottom of the keel on which the boat rests in dry dock. Is that area part of the bilge on the Typhoon? Inside the cabin there is a small, round inspect hole in which you can see a large eye permanently embedded in the keel lead. There was some water in that area even though the prior owner had covered the boat during the winter. I thought I had sponged all that water out several days earlier. Are you saying that that cavity really goes all the way down to where I drilled my hole?

Thanks!

Roger,

check to see where your drill hole ended up going. i bought a typhoon that i knew had blisters. i had to strip all the gelcoat below the waterline because it was loaded with very small blisters. after removing the gelcoat i had a small weep at the aft end of the keel near the rudder. i drilled a small hole in it and water started spouting out. water continued to run for a day and i could not figure out where it was coming from. being new to the typhoon i was not familiar with the extent of the bilge. when the water did not stop, i checked the bilge and here it was almost full. it would have taken a week for all that water to drain out through my small drill hole. there is less and less lead in the bottom of the keel as you go aft from the bulbous front portion and more and more bilge space. you may have drilled into the bilge and a few glasses of water does not amount to much. check it out!

sloopjohnl@aol.com

[John Halporn]

I have a very old Typhoon (#28) with a below waterline cockpit floor and drainage grate; I can shed some light on the shape of the bilge.
From the position of the mast step to the mid-cockpit, the lead has a gradual down-slope aft. Further aft there is a step down of 5 inches with a flat bottom, this slot continues aft another 8 inches or so until the rudder shaft rises toward the stern. Mine had a garboard drain in this slot (a sump?) which I removed. From the inside, this drain seemed close to the waterline, but from the outside it was a foot or less from the bottom of the keel. I think you drilled into this space.



jhalpo@javanet.com