To get where it was, I beat on it a little from the top with a quarter inch steel rod and that moved it down about 2 inches. The rest of the way was done by grabbing on to the 2" portion with some old vice grips and beating on them. It moved pretty easy to the position in the picture, but it stopped hard there. Since I have had it, it has never been any lower than that in the picture. I think Sean's idea of drilling a hole and pressing a dowel into it to HIT, would have been the way to go, but I did not have the means to do that, that day. Using a jack to return its up position is a good idea as I don't want to put too much undue strain on the winch backing. Also, the lubricant would seem to be a good idea. I think for now I will leave it go until I have a window of opportunity to do it complete. Look forward to your pictures. Steve <>< _/) -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+slsail=cox.net@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+slsail=cox.net@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Brian Gilbert Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 9:48 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Keel work Steve: Hmmm... your keel LOOKS pretty good. Have you tried pressing from the bottom of the keel with a jack instead of winching? Does it move up to the midpoint and then stop? Rust expands a lot... it can take up to 20x the volume of the original steel, so that's what I'd expect first. Once it dries out, see if you can dislodge some flakes with a few whacks with a hammer. You could also try squirting a can of silicone lubricant up in the slot. I'll get the photos of mine posted when I get a chance. Best BG -- Brian Gilbert Marine Media Author, Fix It and Sail (423)876-9990 3404 Hartford Drive Chattanooga, TN 37415 www.sailingsmall.com
Through alternated means of torture I was only able to get the keel down about halfway and there it froze up hard; almost impossible to winch backup.
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