Hi, have had our keel jammed in the casing and on removal we have discovered "heaps" of rust. It was sent to be sandblasted prior to re-coating, however the sandblasting people have indicated that in their opinion it is beyond recovery. The original foundry, Farnell and Thomas, appears to be long gone. Has any other RL28 owner had the same Problem and if so how did you either manufacture a new keel or repair the old one?
Consider filling the old keel to repair the corrosion losses then take it to a foundry to cast a new one based on the old one. Talk to a foundry first, they might have good advise before you start the work.
A bit of work but one reliable way to replace the casting.
Thanks Greg. I have spoken to a Foundry in Auburn, Sydney and they have given me a estimate to build a new mould and cast a new keel for about $3000.00. This seems reasonable. The chap that I spoke to also suggested a cheaper alternative would be to have a new keel cut out of plate and then painted and coated. His feelings where that would cost about $1200.00. I will keep the Forum updated on progress and any other suggestions will be most welcome.
Tony.
I find it remarkable that your keel has deteriorated so much that a high build epoxy coating could not be used to fix the problem, A photograph of the worst sections would help in advising you further.
