Removing the keel bolt for inspection. How to slide it out?

[teredo]

I'm trying to remove the keel pivot bolt and have a question for those of you who have done it.

What I've done so far:

- Removed the nut and washer
- Put the trailer on jack stands to keep it from shifting
- Put a floor jack under the keel and lifted it very slightly
- Made sure I have a 5/8" pin on hand to chase the bolt with

The bolt is still tight enough in there that I'm frightened that when I remove it the keel is going to settle or shift and things will jam at which point I fear I will be in deep doodoo.

For those of you that have removed the pivot bolt, were you able to simply slide it out without out needing to drive it or do I need to be brave and use the 5/8" I have just for this to drive it out with a few hammer taps?

Thanks,

[Bob McLellan]

when I dropped mine on the Venture 25, I also used a floor jack. But I had an attachment made at the lifting point that resembled a hand with the thumb on one side and fingers on the other to "hold" the keel at the point just under the pivot bolt. The part fit into the end of the jack when it contacts the the keel - removed the round piece and inserted the home made "hand". You can weld sides onto the round insert at the jack lifting point top accomplish the same thing. This kept the keel from falling over as it came down. The lower end of the keel was resting on a furniture dolly and the keel rested between two blocks of wood clamped on it to keep the lower end from twisting over as it lowered. I gently raised the floor jack until pressure was off the pivot bolt ( I could spin it freely ) then I tapped it out with a rubber hammer and brass drift and lowered it. I pulled it out from under the boat using the handle of the jack - it followed like a puppy on a leash.

[ChockFullOnuts22]

When I changed the pivot bolt on my V2-22, I took the weight off of the bolt with a floor jack and was able to easily pull the bolt right out. The boat was level, and the keel never moved.

[teredo]

Got it!

Yesterday I managed to get the bolt backed out until the threads were hid but was worried about going farther and decided to sleep on it.

Am glad I did. Once I thought about it a number of things all of the sudden came together. I didn't need to lift forward portion of the keel, I needed to lift the aft! The trailer's keel support hits the keel at about the half way point. Since the aft of the keel is heavier than the front, the keel was pivoting at this point and pushing *up* on the keel bolt. By taking up slightly on the keel winch the keel bolt became loose enough to turn without a wrench. At this point I reasoned that the keel was going to move very little if at all and I was able to drive the old keel bolt out with a drift punch made from a long 5/8" bolt and few taps with a rubber mallet.

I now have the new keel bolt, cup washers and rubber washers in place. I figure I have at least a 50/50 chance it won't leak. There really wasn't anything wrong with old keel bolt, but the rubber washers should have be replaced long ago. As long as I had it out and a new one on hand...

As an added bonus, I was able to examine the hole through the keel itself and find that it is still nice and round with no indication of wear.

Thanks for the group support.

Rob
Arr-N-Arr

[Lloyd Franks]

How were you able to examine the hole in the keel w/o lowering the keel?

[teredo]

I just got a light and looked through the holes on either side of the trunk. I could see both port and starboard at some point during the keel bolt swap. I'm pretty confident that I would have been able to see any worrisome amount of deformity since I had either the end of the bolt or the hole in the trunk as a reference. Granted, were the hole 1/16 out of round, I doubt I would have seen that.

[old guys sail]

One quick observation. Based on my 1980 V22 keel falling off, the the keel pin still being in and being in relatively good shape (just a very slight curve, some light rust), I would say the pin is not the main concern. I assume, but dont know, that this was the original pin...