Hi Folks.
Want to stop your keel rusting? While ashore over winter I noticed my neighbour applying something to his fixed keel. It was a transparent liquid. I enquired about it. He explained that it was a sealer and stopped rust coming through. Aha! It lasted up to five years on a coat. The only special requirement was that the first coat of primer or anti foul must be applied while it is still tacky, after four hours or so.
I've not tried it yet but I have found its home on the internet. This is a general purpose sealer so it does not cost a fortune. Can it work on keels? Apart from my yard neighbour sweariung by it, here is an extract from the manual:
G4 Primer Cast Iron Ballast Keels
When anti-fouling cast iron ballets keels G4 has proved, in practice, to be a very effective bonding primer. It also forms a non porous seal that helps to prevent rusting. G4 can be applied in conditions where it would be impossible to use conventional coatings, down to 0°C and high relative humidity. The keel must be clean and the first coat of anti-fouling applied while the G4 is finger tacky to ensure good chemical adhesion. There can be a reaction between some anti-fouling and G4, it is advisable to carry out a test before the major application s made. To learn more, see the manual at
http://www.mbfgfiles.co.uk/docs/g4_dampseal_tech.pdf . You can find suppliers by searching for "Bonda G4 damp seal", and is around £13/kg. I'll try it next winter.
Ken