keel play

[SailorW5]

I have a 26 s swing keel. Now that she is out of the water i noticed that both the keel pivot brackets are very sloppy. When i push up on the keel they both move a good 3/8 to 1/2 inch. this seems a bit excessive. Should they be tight or slightly loose to prevent binding??

[vizwhiz]

What are you calling the keel pivot brackets? The part on either side that hold the ends of the pivot? Just making sure we know what you mean...

[Sumner]

If you are talking about the brackets shown above, yes, they should be tight. How you get to them depends on the year of the S. We have a '90 and you get to them from below the boat by removing two plugs next to them and then use a wrench/screwdriver as shown in the picture. I did this two days ago as I'm painting the bottom now and wanted to paint the centerboard and its slot.

On the other S's you get to them from inside of the boat (a harder deal) and I don't have any pictures of that, sorry. If you don't have the plugs then look under the sink I believe and opposite that. Someone else will probably have more info.

While we are on this subject does anyone know what area you are into when you remove the plugs. I thought the it would be the inside of the ballast tank, but with the plugs out I'm not so sure that it isn't its own little compartment. I was able to gently pry the plugs out with a knife blade and will be able to reuse them. There was a small amount of silicone on them and I think I'll do the same and use just a small amount in case they have to come out again. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks,

Sum

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