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I bought a new trailer last summer, very similar to the old trailer, but the new bunks are covered with plastic/teflon sleeves. Using the same launching protocol I've used for years on the old trailer, the boat slid off the slick new bunks into shallow water. It bent the skeg and put a crack in the keel.
I was able to unscrew the skeg, beat it flat and re-screw/caulk back to the keel with no problem. (The photo you see is after a crude straightening with a wrench so I could fish that day, but before I pounded it straight.)
There is a sizable crack on the rear of the keel. When I probe with a dental pick, the pick won't go in very far; there's some sort of epoxy/filler filling much of the crack. It makes me wonder if there was a previous crack, that was filled in the past? Maybe this past incident just knocked off the paint hiding the old crack and opened it up a little?
From reading the archives of the FTC site, I know that the keel was made in two halves and glued together in the middle. You can see the seam in the attached photo with the skeg off. It seems to me that there really isn't much stress on this part of the keel. I'm wondering if I need to fix this crack, or monitor through time and not worry unless the crack grows. I'd appreciate any advice you guys might have.
Also, there are small cracks above and below the cutlass bearing. I really don't know if these cracks are new or old. Again, my thought is to run and monitor, rather than grind them out and fill with epoxy. Again, your advice would be appreciated.
FWIW, I've run and fished the boat several times since the incident described above, with no visible change in the cracks.
Thanks in advance for sharing your sage wisdom.
I was able to unscrew the skeg, beat it flat and re-screw/caulk back to the keel with no problem. (The photo you see is after a crude straightening with a wrench so I could fish that day, but before I pounded it straight.)
There is a sizable crack on the rear of the keel. When I probe with a dental pick, the pick won't go in very far; there's some sort of epoxy/filler filling much of the crack. It makes me wonder if there was a previous crack, that was filled in the past? Maybe this past incident just knocked off the paint hiding the old crack and opened it up a little?
From reading the archives of the FTC site, I know that the keel was made in two halves and glued together in the middle. You can see the seam in the attached photo with the skeg off. It seems to me that there really isn't much stress on this part of the keel. I'm wondering if I need to fix this crack, or monitor through time and not worry unless the crack grows. I'd appreciate any advice you guys might have.
Also, there are small cracks above and below the cutlass bearing. I really don't know if these cracks are new or old. Again, my thought is to run and monitor, rather than grind them out and fill with epoxy. Again, your advice would be appreciated.
FWIW, I've run and fished the boat several times since the incident described above, with no visible change in the cracks.
Thanks in advance for sharing your sage wisdom.
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