Ty keel integrity

[novotny]

Just wondering if anyone here has ever run aground hard on a rocky bottom with a Typhoon. It's my second season with my 1977 Ty and I love it. I mostly sail on Chautauqua Lake in western NY but occasionally I trailer to Georgian Bay in Canada where the bottom is mostly rocky and where I have run aground with my previous boat, Tanzer 22 with iron keel with no damage. If that had happened with Ty I am not sure how I would have fared. How thick is the fiberglass over the iron keel? What would happen if the fiberglass is breached and iron is exposed? Would it take on water or is the iron keel encased in the glass in such a way that water would not reach inside the hull? Thanks in advance. Jerry

[novotny]

Well, due to the overwhelming input I did some more digging and it seems that
a. keel is lead and not iron
b. there is about 1/2 inch of glass over the lead and the keel is sealed in so that no water should come in if the lead is exposed.
If I have anymore questions I'll try to answer them myself. Thank you

[Oswego John]

Hi Jerry,

I hope that it's not too late for a reply. I am smiling as I write this. I enjoyed your wry comment "Due to the overwhelming input".

I have a theory, and it's only a theory, which I had mentioned a short while back. I feel that you received no response, like some other posts of other writers, because people flat out don't know the answer. I figure that no answer is better than someone making up something and telling us the false info. All the readers believing in blind faith that what he said is true and proceeding with that false knowledge.

Without realizing it, no responses was a blessing in disguise to you. It prompted you to roll up your sleeves and do some investigating on your own. This helps you understand and get to know your boat better. You also discovered one of the inherent qualities built into a CD that other makes don't have. Your keel is made of lead, not steel. (I could write paragraphs on this subject.)

I would venture a guess that some people reading this have never seen the interior of their boat's keel. For their sake, I hope they never do. It would signify serious trouble. Now they know what their CD keel is composed of. It's an ill wind that blows no good.

Sorry, Jerry, for not responding sooner. I hope that you do not get overwhelmed again.

O J

[otismedina]

What is the advantage to a lead keel over a steel or iron keel?

[Oswego John]

Hi R. Hest,

The specific gravity of lead is greater than that of steel. This results in much greater weight of lead in a given volume than that of steel.
Under that premise, lead is a much better ballast for a keel than steel is , more efficient for the job at hand.

Steel is much stronger than lead, but since the keel is an inert part of the boat, weight per volume rather than strength is more desirable . Steel is more available than lead.

Don't forget one important fact. "STEEL RUSTS"

O J

[novotny]

Thank you John for reply, never too late, I thought slight sarcasm may bring some response. More I learn about my Ty more impressed I am with its build and performance. This past weekend I got caught in what I later found out was wind gusting to 45 mph and with my double-reefed main and working jib the boat took it like a champ, at times burying the rail in water, but never faltering or heading up. What a boat. Peace

[Neil Gordon]

Just wondering if anyone here has ever run aground hard on a rocky bottom with a Typhoon.

Probably the only boats here, Typhoons and otherwise, that have not run aground on rocky bottoms are boats that have never sailed over rocky bottoms.

Good answer on the advantage of lead over steel, by the way. I'll one thing... pound for pound, scrap steel/iron is less expensive than lead. That suggests that manufacturers opting for alternatives to lead are cutting corners elsewhere, as well.

[Oswego John]

Neil,

Bingo!!! That's it in a nutshell.

O J

[otismedina]

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Something that scares me is the fact that it isn't as apparent what kind of shape or how well built a boat is (corner cutting etc.) by looking at it. It also seems to be much more important in a boat than it is in a car.

[Neil Gordon]

Something that scares me is the fact that it isn't as apparent what kind of shape or how well built a boat is (corner cutting etc.) by looking at it.

First of all, don't be scared. Only be scared of real things that can hurt you, like the creatures that hide in your closet and under your bed and come out at night when the lights go off if you're not totally sealed up in the covers.

Okay, we got that out of the way...

As to what kind of shape a boat is in, if it's clean and appears well maintained, that's a good start. As for all the hidden flaws, before you buy any boat, make the purchase contingent upon a satisfactory (to you) professional survey. It's inexpensive relative to the purchase price and you'll learn a lot about your boat by following the surveyor around. (I'm pretty sure my surveyor found nooks, crannies, compartments, storage lockers, etc., that I've yet to rediscover in the ten years I've owned my boat.) The survey will leave you with a list of minor items to deal with (usually maintenance type items) and any more serious items that you can use to renegotiate the purchase price.

For how well built a boat is, look to the market to tell you that. Compare the average selling prices for same size, same age boats from different manufacturers. If you compare (for example) a 25 year old Cape Dory 27 with a Catalina 27 the same age, the price difference of the average boat in average condition will be in the 3/1 range. What does that tell you? Different models from the same manufacture in the same year/era will likely be of similar quality, so you don't have to find the exact boat you're considering.

Asking people like those on this site helps, too. Like I said, fear not.