I've recently bought Jago, one of the early P235's and will probably be posting some silly questions over the coming months (early warning)although reading through the forums has answered many questions before the purchase.

She's kept down at Bucker's Hard and I would be interested in meeting up with any of the other P235 owners based there to gain a better understanding of these boats.

One job that I would like to do is to lift the keel out to give it a refurbishment and would appreciate any advice on the best way to do this.

Many thanks

Andy

It's good to have another new member posting on the forum. Congratulations on your splendid new boat!

I don't know whether you've seen them already but Gary Jackson posted some very useful photos of his arrangement for lifting the keel out of Juicy Blue. They're at the bottom of the thread from October called Keel Lifting Eye Bolt.

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

We are newbies ourselves and have been made to feel most welcome by those we have encountered via the site thus far. It is our intention also to make best use of the site and to inform others who share our interest of what we have been up to with Juicy Blue and our lively crew member "Skipper". You may have seen pics of our boat lift/keel lift, it was manufactured locally (Stoke on Trent) by a small light engineering business - cost about £300 in total. Fairly straight forward design and we have put it to good use...we intend to place the crossbeam under Juicy Blue as a support when anti -fouling, come the Spring.It divides into 6 pieces making it easier to handle which is a big consideration as it is heavy.If you intend keeping Jago a while and you do not have access to a gantry, it may prove economic to have a dual purpose gantry/lift manufactured local to yourself. Gary

Gary/Ruth/& Skipper the Working Cocker Spaniel

Crew of Juicy Blue P235

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/...2033148_9225cce594_b.jpg 

Gary/Ruth/& Skipper the Working Cocker Spaniel

Crew of Juicy Blue P235

Thank you for the warm welcome.

I have read the thread on the lifting eye bolt with the pictures of Gary's lift. I have been considered having a similar structure manufactured but properly for next year.

For this year I was considering trying to get the yard to lift it using something like a fork lift or the boat lift. How hard is it to manoeuvre the keel once it is out of the slot?

Gary, did you refurbish your keel and if so what condition was it in and what work did you do on it?

Sorry for all the questions

Andy

In my short experience I considered it critical to remove the keel at the correct angle of lift, you will notice that the keel does not go straight up and down and slides at an angle of about 20 degrees (best guess) so I would be very hesitant in using a powerful fork lift truck unless a block and tackle were attached to supported forks and the tackle used for steady lifting. By using my own lift I was able to take the strain, view the angle of lift and position accordingly before lifting most of the way out. I purposely had no intention of removing the keel all the way out as this would have caused it to swing forward and perhaps cause damage (there is no doubt you are dealing with a heavy piece of kit!and great care is needed). The keel was in excellent condition as were the eyebolts and tackle. While the keel was lifted I removed all the old grease from the sliders and used some wheel bearing grease to renew. I anti fouled the keel (a little early but hey ho) and resealed the lifting tackle. Early spring I intend to lift Juicy blue a little and drop the keel through a gap in the trailer to finish off the painting.

Hope this helps,...Gary

Gary/Ruth/& Skipper the Working Cocker Spaniel

Crew of Juicy Blue P235

For what it's worth, when we bought Sea Wyche, I was keen to lift the keel out because it was rusty at the bottom, where grounding had rubbed the paint off. However, it was spring and I wanted to go sailing, so I left it. I subsequently inspected it using a mask and snorkel and found the paint to be in pretty good condition. Therefore, the condition of the bottom part doesn't necessarily indicate the condition of the rest of the keel. And the bottom part can be re-painted on the trailer, with the keel in situ.

Sea Wyche's mooring is her trailer, though; if Jago has been kept afloat with her keel down, it will presumably need to be antifouled.

The alternative to paying a yard to lift the keel out is to have the boat propped up with the keel down, like a fin-keeler, or to have her held in the slings while you antifoul the keel - easier, though you won't be able to access the top of the keel inside the box, should you want to.

As for the lifting eyes, they're bedded in sealant to stop water getting to the threads. Mine were pristine when I removed them. (They are easy to remove with the keel in situ, sitting on blocks to lift it as high as possible. I used a 10mm Allen key through the eyes to turn them, worked by a socket on an extension.) They might have been the originals, though I don't know. I'll renew them anyway because the eyes themselves are somewhat rusty and worn.

Your boat's situation might differ but I thought I'd mention these things in case you too don't need to worry about refurbishing the keel in a hurry.

I like Gary's dual-purpose lift/gantry, though - I think I'll get one for next year.

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year and many thanks for the feedback and thoughts.

Gary, it’s a good point about the angle of the keel and I would have to be careful of the swing as it comes out of the keel box. The more controlled way would be to use a rig similar to the one that you have set up. Would it be possible for you to email me the design of you boat lift / keel lift so that I could look into getting it manufactured?

Russell, Jago was on a swinging mooring with her previous owner and the part of the keel that I can see shows bubbling of the paint and I would like to get it cleaned off, repainted and antifouled before the start of the season. I’ll check the condition of the lifting eyes in the coming weeks and I have read the various threads in the forum covering this topic so that I have an idea what to expect. Like you she will be moored on her trailer and I would like to know if you anti-foul and if so do you have any recommendations?

As Sea Wyche is number 02 and Jago is number 04 I suspect that they have a very similar set up and would interested in any modifications you have made especially on the electrics and water storage / supply.

Regards

Andy

I have sent you an email.If anyone else would like a copy of my crude attempt of a boat lift/gantry design please let me have your email address and I will forward it on.

Gary

Gary/Ruth/& Skipper the Working Cocker Spaniel

Crew of Juicy Blue P235

I don't know whether the electrical or water systems were changed on later boats but it would be worth posting specific questions on here for others to answer. Nothing electrical had been added to Sea Wyche when I bought her so I've added some wiring for things like autohelm and VHF.

The simplicity of the water system is something I rather like, so I've done nothing to change that.

As for anti-fouling, I've not had to yet, though I intend to do it for the cosmetic improvement. That's one reason why I'd like a gantry like Gary's.

Gary, I've sent you my e-mail address and would be grateful for the plans, please.

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

Thank you for your replies via my e-mail, now removed (edit).

Gary

Gary/Ruth/& Skipper the Working Cocker Spaniel

Crew of Juicy Blue P235