Dropping and Re-Hanging Cast Iron Stub and Swing Keel

[Riley Smith]

One time we had to move a condenser into a structural receptacle made of concrete at a nuclear powerhouse. The plan was to build a track, jack the thing up and put it on rollers on the track, and winch it in. Now, we're talking a pretty big condenser and I wouldn't even guess at the tonnage. Maybe 50....maybe 100. It's been too long, but the thing is, that sucker was HEAVY, consisting of THOUSANDS of heavy wall stainless 3/4" tubes and numerous tube baffle plates of around 1/2 " C.S. I think. Not to mention the floor was 1" thick and it had scores of legs. And I'll never forget that super jumping up and down for joy when that thing started moving. Only to start eating crow as the track the whole bit was riding on started rolling up ahead of the rollers. Someone had built the track out of material that was MUCH too thin.
Oh yes, we got well acquainted with 100T hydraulic jacks after that!!!! One step at a time, and don't get in a bind. Watch your fingers and toes, and leave yourself room to exit stage right if things turn nasty. It always helps to have help on this type of job. Maybe not so much manual labor but as a sounding board about how to proceed

[Riley Smith]

PS...the keel don't look too bad. A good power brushing and I think it'll be close to being ready to finish. If you've never used a power brush, beware. Heavy long sleeves, good gloves, a respirator, face shield, glasses, and ear plugs. Take your time and don't let the grinder get you. It isn't a pretty sight

[Spot]

Thanks Riley. Are you talking about a cup brush or wheel that goes on a 7 or 9" sander?
It would be nice just to be able to leave it and go but I am this close, might as well 'blueprint' it with new bolts and sealant so it is set for the next 50 years.

[Spot]

Interesting video:

PS The stands arrived today, they look pretty good.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

I had a lot of help with the whole thing.  My former partner was really good at both the doing and the writing.

[Riley Smith]

Spot, the cup brush is ok I guess, but I'm more familiar with a flat wire wheel. Needless to say, if you let that thing grab you, you are GOT. I'd never think twice but I have to remember some folks haven't spent major time with that kind of tool and it can bite REAL FAST!    

[Spot]

Thanks Riley, be careful messages are always worth repeating. I am used to running a 9" as a sander but not as a grinder so I will need to be cautious.

[Spot]

I ordered the new 1/2-13 UNC SS bolts, nuts, and washers for the project.
Here is a proposed detail of the 8 bolts.
Wondering if the O-ring would do any good and/or if I should use spacers in non-critical areas to get a uniform set and prevent excess squeeze-out of the sealant.
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[Spot]

New bolts arrived today, so...
Boat is off the trailer, centerboard is out of the keel stub, and things are not looking too bad.
I am also thinking I should replace the wire from winch to centerboard while I am at it.

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[Wayne Howard]

YES!!!  Replace the cable. 2 scenarios. 1) Cable breaks while you are out sailing and you can't reload the boat. 2) Cable breaks while you are headed to the ramp and now you can't launch.

Besides, the board is already down so now is the time to replace the cable.

[Spot]

Thanks Wayne. I did manage to bend the ferrule on the swage to the centerboard a few degrees. As the board flopped from being vertical to flat to the ground, I had not played out enough slack with the cable...so it went taught and the swage was subjected to a side load rather than in-line tension as it has been hanging for the last 45 years.

A few years back, West Marine did a nice job on the new lifelines: price, delivery, and customer service with all of my questions. I'll probably start there for this. The local WM shop does not swage so they had another one out East do it.

PS Fixin' to drop the keel tonight. Stretch goal would be to refinish over the weekend during the rain (we need it) and back on the boat Monday.
This cold mean a shakedown sail early July.

[Spot]

Keel is off and looks better than I thought it would.
10 feet of cable is off too. Does 7x19 wire measure differently than say everything else? I get .200 +/- on the caliper but the aircraft eye is marked MS20668-6 which would be 3/16"
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[Charles Brennan]

Spot, Your statement: " Does 7x19 wire measure differently than say everything else? I get .200 +/- on the caliper but the aircraft eye is marked MS20668-6 which would be 3/16"" 
Depends on how you measured.
In this pic:
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Measuring across the points would give you a different measurement, than if you measured across the flats.
3/16" yields .1875", so the .0125" would be well within the two measurement points on your calipers.
Further tolerance shift could be due to measurement while the cable is relaxed and trying to unfurl, rather than when held at tension.  I suspect the cable is really 3/16", so the aircraft eye that is 3/16" is the right one to use. 

I used a Transatlantic eye splice when I made my swing keel cable.
You cut off the center yarn and take the remaining 6 yarns and thread them around each other in opposite directions.

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Note the heat shrink on the yarn ends, to minimize blood loss.
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Once the yarn ends are entwined completely, force in your closed eye thimble.
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Open eye thimbles will chafe the bottom of the splice, or the ears will bend.
Either way, it's a PITA to deal with compared to a closed eye thimble.
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Tie it down with ty-raps, as it wants to unwind and continue to tighten the splice at bottom.
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Added a single-hole copper swage to hold things tight.
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Trim off the loose ends.
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Proof to skeptics, that you can make a wire rope splice without getting bloody.
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All that being said, I am seriously considering replacing it with a Dyneema Brummel locked eyesplice on a stainless steel closed thimble.  Considering it seriously enough, that I already have the parts on hand. I think it would solve a few problems for me.

BTW, I have to disagree with an assertion made by Wayne:
"1) Cable breaks while you are out sailing and you can't reload the boat."
I have TWICE recovered my boat with a busted keel cable, onto my trailer.
(Both times, while single-handed.)
Not saying it was easy or that I didn't have to dunk the trailer farther than usual, but as you position the hull, when the keel hits the back trailer frame member (I have a roller there) it retracts nicely, as the hull is winched onto the trailer.
If not fortunate enough to have an adequate ramp drop-off, I was prepared to take a dock line clear around the keel and hull and then use an oar to make a Spanish Windlass, to retract the keel enough, to winch the hull back onto the trailer.  I even considered taking the eye on one end of a dock line and looping it over a winch, running the line under the hull and keel, and then placing the other end of the line on the winch on the opposite side of the boat and winching the keel up that way.  You only have to get the keel up enough, to get it started on the trailer. The trailer winch cable does the rest of the heavy lifting.
As it happened, the first thing I tried (the easiest!) was adequate.

Just because everything's going to Hell in a Hand-basket, doesn't mean you need to panic!!

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Spot]

Nice post and splice CB, thanks.
Parts are off and pressure washed. The blade is not a foil to my disappointment.
I tested some of the sanding options today. So far my favorite for effort and finish is the poly-carbide wheel (purple lines). The used flap disk was removing more metal, the sanding disk was comfortable but a bit slow, and the wire wheels were also slower and harder to handle as warned by Riley upthread. I need a better/lower profile retaining nut for the grinder to proceed with the poly-carbide.

Is a self-etching primer something to consider for this application? I don't see myself paying for coal tar epoxy. I also have Rustoleum 'rusty metal' primer and a can of Rustoleum finish that approximates the hull color.

Thanks!
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[Wayne Howard]

I saw this guy just the other day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlCniNoPLN8

So, Purple is the way to go according to him.