Fiberglass on steel keel

[Eric222]

Hello All
I am brand new to MacGregor sailors. I have been reading many posts as an outsider and hope being a member will get me more specific information. Please bare with me if I am asking a worn out question, and if I can be directed to answers from old forums I would be grateful. I learned to sail 35 years ago in the military on a little island called Diego Garcia. three years ago the bug came our of remission and I have become obsessed with getting out on a boat again. I recently purchased my first sailboat, a 1972 Venture 222, needs a lot of work, but my main focus is the keel. Even before buying my sailboat I was reading anything I could get my hands on regarding purchasing and repairing. I found a lot of good information, but specifics regarding the keel were vague at best. "This old boat", "Fix it and sail" just left me with more questions. I have the steel keel encased in fiberglass. The keel was jammed into place and was very difficult to get out. I really don't want to repeat that procedure every few years because my fiberglass repair was inadequate The fiberglass is cracked, the steel is rusted, large sections of the fiberglass just peels away. So here are the questions:
1. Do I have to refiberglass or can I just paint and forget the fiberglass all together?
2. What is the best way to remove the rust?
3.Once the rust is removed can I paint with galvanized paint then apply fiberglass?
4. What is the best way to get the fiberglass to adhere to the steel?
5. Can you even apply fiberglass over a galvanized paint?
Thank you all for your patience, knowledge and helping out yet another cherry.
Eric222

[RobertB]

I have not worked a Venture keel, but from what you have described, I would sandblast the keep to remove ALL traces of rust and then use epoxy - both as the initial coat, then as the resin for a fiberglass cover, and finally as the topcoat. The epoxy will have about the best adhesion and will protect against corrosion as well as the fiberglass cover can survive. For that reason, I would build up as much as possible in the high wear areas - even consider some of the more abrasion resistant fibers in these areas.
I would also pay close attention to the pivot and any other holes to protect the steel - even go as far as to install bushings in these areas to prevent saltwater from contacting the steel.

[Bob McLellan]

I think your boat has a keel made from three thick sheets of steel. You will have to create the correct shape of the keel by fairing. I used a product called RESTOGRIP from POR15. In my opinion all the fairing should be done with epoxy, not a bondo like product that will absorb water. It will be harder to sand, but last longer. No matter what you do, when rust starts to form on the steel, it will separate the applied product. Be sure to maintain the correct size so the keel will fit back into the trunk. I hope you read Brian Gilbert's book on resotoring the same boat you have.

[mastreb]

You do need a proper keel foil shape, which is why the steel keel is covered in fiberglass.

If you had access to a correctly shaped keel (such as a your current one correctly faired with sandpaper), you could use it as a positive mold to plaster-cast a lead keel in one piece in your backyard. That'll never rust and would improve the ballast of the boat. There are a lot of youtube videos on sand and plaster casting. Lead is a bit expensive right now but may be worth it.

[Bob McLellan]

I now have a 1976 Venture 25 and the keel is "iron". I m not sure lead would last long with it hanging by a single bolt less than an inch from the keel edge. Lead might work if bolts or other structure were imbedded into the keel and it was not a swing keel as in this boat (and mine). The iron keels are not covered with glass.

[Eric222]

Thank you all for your time. Sorry so long to reply, I have been out of town. Yet another keel question, I will have the keel sandblasted. Is it a good idea to have the keel powder coated before I lay on the fiberglass and resin? It would seem like a great way to prevent future rust. I was quoated $75.00 to have the keel sandblasted and another $100.00 to get it power coated. Will the fiberglass stick to a powder coated surface??? I have not been able to find any info on line dealing with this subject. I really want to do this right, once. Thanks again.
Eric222

[Wayne nicol]

never having seen a venture 22's keel, but this is what i have to offer,
find somebody with the same boat, and borrow their keel over the winter, fair the keel perfectly- ( maybe thats what you can trade him in return for the use of the keel )
take a glass mould off the part, and you can really keep costs down in this process, as its only going to be a one part pull,
make the keel, and fill with lead shot and epoxy, in small increments, until the desired weight is achieved.