Anthony,

Nothing  I tried worked 100%. The technique that worked best for me was:-

1) wire brush loose paint and rust off, 2) treat with Fertan rust convertor, 3) coat with moisture cured urethane paint. I found this to be easier to apply than epoxy coatings, more tolerant of ambient conditions and more durable.

I quickly abandoned the use of grinding discs. This merely polishes the rust and risks weakening the steel by grinding it away.

Good luck!

Nicholas, it might be worth signing on with KYOA. Some Kingfishers have had keels repaired by fabricating a shoe over the holed bottom part. At least one has had this done in stainless. I've no idea how active their forum is these days, but you may find some useful information there. Kingfishers are renowned for their sturdiness, being built like brick outhouses. My 26 had a layup 1 1/4" thick in the bottom of her hull. They are good seaboats too and many have completed ocean crossings.

If you have a bill of sale using the form downloaded from the MCA website, declaring the vessel to be free of encumbrances, you needn't worry on the score of proving ownership. SSR registry does not provide proof of ownership and is unnecessary unless you intend going foreign.

I am in touch with a previous owner of this boat.  I think she may be the partner of Frank 'Eccles', although that isn't the name I knew him by.  I can't see that you would need proof of previous ownership, but if for some reason you do, I could see if she would be prepared to correspond with you.  Please reply to me privately should you wish to pursue this further. 

Asmat Downey wrote:

Nicholas, I think removing the keels would be a difficult job that can't be done without damage to the internal accommodation moulding. The K30 keel screws, 30 per keel, pass through steel backing plates which are fibreglassed in, covering the nuts. Half of the nuts are beneath the berth fronts or the dished cabin sole. The countersunk stainless steel set screws were inserted while the hull moulding was still "green": not yet fully cured. This would make it hard to get them out. The plate extending the back edge of the keels is standard.

My own approach would be to have shoes fabricated over the bottom of the keels,where grounding damage caused on a drying mooring has made it impossible to maintain a coat of paint. I don't think the cost would be prohibitive. Forget about using the keel tanks for fuel, there's no access for cleaning and they will be filthy. 

 

Indeed, Asmat. The insides of the lockers were accessible and it was clear to see that removal of the keels is a non starter. I agree that repair and over plating with a thick sole of half inch steel is the way to go. There are spaces either side of the engine that could accommodate fuel tanks without eating to much stowage space and if the old tanks were oil filled it may stop any rot from inside and add ballast where originally intended. If I can secure her I will let you know.

Thanks for the support and advice. Nick