Peek inside a Commander keel

[C-164]

The strength of the keel looks alot more impressive in person. The glass is about an inch thick at the bottom. I hit some coral and crunched along the top for about ten minutes until I was blown off the other side. She was leaking about 2 gallons an hour. As there were no haul out facilities at Rum Cay in the Bahamas, I slapped on a tube of Boatlife Lifeseal underwater and it stuck enough to cut the leak to about 1 quart a day.
That was four months ago and I finally hauled her out this week.
BTW, the lead is surrounded in balsa about 1\2" thick between the lead and the glasswork.

Stay well,
Barry

[ebb]

Barry, Thanks for the looksee.
Always wondered what it looked like in there!
And open like that it looks fairly straight forward how to close her up again.

Are you going to leave the hollow?
Filled my Ariel 338 with about 6 gallons of epoxy through drilled holes.
Couldn't see anything, haven't any idea how well it worked or not.
But I feel better having done it now hearing your experience grinding over the coral!!

Another plus I think is that the weight of the boat will rest on a far more soild footing if you fill it, and the lead truly will be encapsulated, AND immobilized.