Re: Keel fell off please help
I'm rained out here at the yard, so I shall throw in my idiotic $0.o2.
Parts of this suggestion do not apply if there is a Travel Lift around, But I am going to assume you don't have access to one. I am also assuming that you don't have a guy with a barge crane available. If you do, pay for it.
My Stupid Advice:
1. Assuming that you don't need to ballast out your hull to keep it stable enough, I would first drop the rig. A C25 isn't that hard to do, just rig some tackle to the lower shrouds so you can keep the stick in column as it is lowered, rig a jackpole from the base of the mast to the bow for your lowering tackle (look for a diagram if you don't know what this is, and enlist the help of a few buddies to do the job (as a first-timer) slowly and safely (and don't forget a cradle to lay the mast on as it nears horizontal!). At this point, you should have no trouble getting the boat hauled onto a trailer or travel lift.
2. Get everything (stuff) off the boat that you can.
3. If the boat is on a trailer and you have no access to a travel-lift or big forklift, you may lower the trailer tongue to the ground, but stands under the stern, then lift the tongue and use an a-frame or engine lift the bow a bit more (hopefully with the painter-ring on the bow). Now lower the tongue and pull the trailer out. Add all the stands or dunnage you can, keeping the keel area clear for action. Don't be scared of making some stands out of lumber if you need to. Get all Egyptian with it, and remember that you are going to hump around a 1500 lb chunk of iron in close proximity to the hull.
4. Get some lift bags. These can be some well made sail bags, USN seabags, or actual lift bags. I personally have used a dead inflatable dinghy for this exact same operation. You arn't going to bring the keel to the surface with the bag, just lift the forward end. This will allow you to tow the keel around to a boat ramp. Once at the ramp. have a wrecker winch the keel out of the water an onto his truck. Don't worry about freaking out the truck driver. They are used to dragging rolled vehicles up out of ditches, grounded boats, and boats the have come off trailers.
5. Get yourself a good selection of 4x4's to maker levers, fulcrums and the like with. A nice set of tackle and a come-along will help as well to get the keep under the boat and standing on-edge. You will be making a cradle trough to hold the keel vertical as it is jacked into the boat.
6. Have a nice new bronze keel pin ordered or turned. That is you problem, as the old one both suffered from electrolysis as well as decades of cast iron cutting into it. Especially if there is degradation of the pivot hole, you will want to put a bronze bushing in the hole to go against your new pin. Check the keel trunk for other damage, and check references for "flopper stoppers" made of nylon to prevent the keel from banging around and causing noise and wear in the future.
7. Once ready to receive your newly refurbished keel, your boat will appreciate a new pennant on your newly replaced/refurbished winch. I recommend using some 7/16' low stretch line instead of a stainless wire. It lasts much longer, and can be more easily examined for wear than wire.
8. Your newly faired keel can be lifted into place with a floor jack under the keel, just forward of the balance point. make sure your cradle has a wide base on the aft end to provide stability. After inserting the pin and adjusting the nylon flopper-stoppers, hook up your pennant and try it out. You are ready for a bottom job (or whatever you lake guys do).
Alternate methods for raising the keel:
1. Re-enforce three plastic drums pieces of wood taped lengthwise to spread load. Lash them together and affix a shackle lashed (heavily) around the middle with wide strapping. Hook tackle rated to 4500lb between the shackle and the keel. use ye-olde ski-boat to pull on the bitter end of the line running through the tackle. A triple block and becket set-up should allow you to simultaneously lift and tow the keel with a pretty small boat. When you slow down, the tackle will lower the keel, relieving the load should you need to adjust or if you get into trouble. A 55 gallon water drum (25 bucks new) will give you some 450lb of lift. You should be able to drag your keel around easily enough this way requiring only a couple of hundred pound of thrust. A cam-cleat on the tackle will allow you to lock off the keel after lifting. The barrels will probably get close to the surface once you get moving.
2. Use one barrel. Just put a single block or a steel ring on it as a fairlead. Run a heavy tow line from the keel, through the ring, and to the tow boat. With a big enough boat, you will be able to drag the keel along handily with just enough lift to lighten the forward end of the keel a bit. Make sure you have a smooth hard bottom and a marker bouy tied to the keel just in case.
It has stopped raining, and I am out of crackpot ideas.
