Took a comp day off and dedicated it to installing the freshly sandblasted and painted keel. I built a slotted "A" frame to support the keel vertically under the raised boat and gradually horsed it into the slot and eventually into position where the pivot pin would pass through the pivot hole. All in all it went fairly well, albeit slow (4 hours). No one died, but as with all good repairs, a little blood was spilled. In retrospect, I was a little concerned how well the keel would go back into the slot as I never really found anything that stood out (literally) to inhibit the keel movement. The keel was rusty, but not to the extent that it made it significantly thicker. My only possible culprit was the way the pennant was fastened to the lifting shackle. The PO used 5/16" line with a bowline around a small "D" shackle. The resulting knot appeared wider than slot. However, I can not imagine that that knot jammed up the keel the way it was. At any rate, it works fine now and I am glad to have that behind me. I will post pictures later. Now for a few minor mods to the mast, rebuild the carburetor and water pump, and phase one refurbishment is done. Cushions, canvas, and other goodies will have to wait until the season is over. Steve Shenkel <>< _/) M17 # 263 Glendale, AZ