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Subject: [world-cruising] Filler for Keels
From: Russ Swan (ruswan@XXX.XXX)
Date: Fri Mar 07 2003 - 18:42:57 EST
G'day,
In accordance with professional advice, I've recently re-attached two
smallish bilge keel fins to my hull (which also has a full length centre
keel). Originally the bilge keel fins were just plate steel but I've now
encased them with a steel skin, effectively making them two buoyant "tanks".
70kg of lead has been added to a pocket welded into the bottom of these
fin-keels, which was the allowed limit. Because of that limit, I can't fill
the rest of the tanks with lead, or perhaps a concrete slurry. The rest of
each tank has a 50 litre (almost 10 gallons) capacity.
My first thought was to fill them with sump oil which would prevent rusting
inside them, and remove buoyancy. Although I've attached extra anodes to
each fin, I dread the thought of a small hole happening in one of the tanks,
and a marina filling with escaped sump oil.
Another thought was a paintable bitument pitch type water sealer. It can be
poured straight in through the plumbing plugs, and will eventually solidify.
Problem is, if I ever have to weld in a patch, I won't be able to readily
flush the stuff out and it would be a fire risk.
A colleague suggested vegetable oil which (hopefully) would at least break
down in the environment eventually. Someone else suggested going to the
local fish and chip shop and getting their used cooking oil.... fatty but
bio-degradable?
Expanding foam won't reach into every nook and cranny inside there, due to
the ribs holding the external skin shape, and anyway would still be buoyant.
Can someone suggest something else? something fluid?
Sorry about the length of this, but I needed to make sure you had all the
angles I've already considered.
Thanks,
Russ Swan
Lowana IV
Darwin, Australia
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