MacGregorSailors.com

I have V 17 with 1/2 ss keel pivot bolt, which is in fine shape but the rubber washers are old and one of the hard plastic ones is missing. Does anyone know where to get the replacement washers for the 1/2 in bolt? BWYachts only has the 5/8" upgrade kit that I can tell? Also, would it be all right to put life caulk on between the rubber inside washer and the fiberglass keel housing? Thanks, g

I heartily recommend the 5/8's upgrade. Money well spent.

~Rich

I agree with Rich. Well worth the money.

However, if you realllllly want to re-use the 1/2" both, don't use caulk. It won't seal, and if it surprisingly does, it won't last long. Rubber cement would be safer to use. Even then, you'd better make sure that all of your adhering surfaces have been well cleaned.

If you can, try to find new rubber washers. Maybe a plumbing store would have something that would work.

Thanks for the advice I was just trying to avoid removing the keel!!

You don't have to remove the keel for either changing the washers or for the larger pivot bolt. Just support the keel with a jack before removing the existing pivot bolt, and make sure the jack doesn't move before the bolt is replaced.

As far as drilling out the larger hole for the 5/8" bolt, the instructions say to just drill straight through the trunk and keel together while inside the boat. I did just that, using a cordless DeWalt 18V 1/2" drive screw gun / drill. It drilled right through with no problem at all.

The only seeming downside to this method is that the pivot hole in the keel is really supposed to be slightly larger than the pivot bolt (11/16", I think), but you don't want slop where the bolt goes through the trunk. However, the rubber washers that come with the new bolt are thick and relatively soft, and easily crush in around the bolt to fill any voids that could cause a leak. Given that MacGregor's directions are to drill through the trunk and keel together, I suppose that the boat will be just fine without removing the keel for this job. Just make sure that you do drill the hole to the larger specification (11/16" vs 5/8"). The reason for a larger pivot hole is to allow the keel to rest against the trunk while heeled on a tack, to take the stress off of the pivot bolt. If you just drill a 5/8" hole and install the bolt, you may put a lot of stress on the bolt, pivot points on the trunk, and/or the pivot hole on the keel. You don't want to risk stress damage in any of those locations.

I didn't know about the pivot hole being larger than the bolt until after I had bought a 5/8" bit and drilled the hole. Rather than spend another $20+ at Lowe's on another large bit, I just reamed the 5/8" hole slightly larger, carefully. I wasn't terribly worried, because I have a fiberglass-faired keel on my boat that fits sort of tightly into the trunk at the pivot end. Some swelling going on, evidently (not surprising, considering that the bottom of the keel delaminated a few years ago). I will probably buzz the hole with an 11/16" bit when I overhaul the keel next spring, just to be safe.

gb0409 wrote:I have V 17 with 1/2 ss keel pivot bolt, which is in fine shape but the rubber washers are old and one of the hard plastic ones is missing. Does anyone know where to get the replacement washers for the 1/2 in bolt? BWYachts only has the 5/8" upgrade kit that I can tell? Also, would it be all right to put life caulk on between the rubber inside washer and the fiberglass keel housing? Thanks, g

In my humble opinion you don't need to drill or go bigger. If your bolt is in good shape ( I would take it out to make sure ) it will save you some aggrivation of possibly causing a leak around the keel bolt hole and ruining your keel. If you drill it out for a 5/8" you may cause a tiny crack in the lamination and then your troubles will start. I would put a new 1/2" bolt in anyway , if it was me, just to be sure. Tap the old one out with the new one, from the other side, while supporting the keel with a jack.
To seal the washers, go to a tire store and ask if they have an old inner tube they will give you. A big truck inner tube is the best, because they're thicker. Even if you have to buy an inner tube, they're only about $5. Cut 2 or 3 circles for each side, the size of the washers, and a hole in the middle by folding it in quarters and snipping the point off . Make the center hole as small as you can get away with, to where you have to stretch it onto the bolt. Put those on the bolt, up against the trunk and use the old washers outside them. Then get a fender washer on both sides to press inward as you tighten the bolt and nut. I did this 3 years ago , and haven't had one leak since.