Keel Hauled

Ever since launching and discovering the keel wouldn't lower all the way, I've been anxious to get the keel out of the boat. With it safely on the hard for the winter, and the weather still fairly warm, it was time. First, I jacked up the trailer and put it on jack stands to prevent sagging as I climbed aboard. Next, I used a bottle jack to lift the front of the boat and placed 4x4 blocks on top of the forward part of the bunks to raise the boat 4" off the trailer. I used a hi-lift jack to lift the transom and do the same at the aft end of the bunks. This was to allow enough clearance between the trailer and boat to get the keel out of the partial trunk of the boat. I put a jack gently under the forward edge of the keel, just barely touching, in an effort to remove load from the pivot bolt. Next, I climbed aboard, used a putty knife to scrape off the Stay Afloat wax I had sealed the pivot bolt with, and removed the nut with a socket and ratchet. A couple whacks with a hammer and punch and the bolt was free. The keel didn't move. I climbed under the boat again and lowered the jack at the forward end. Still no movement. It was definitely stuck. Attempts to leverage with a long pry bar and bang the rust loose with a mini-sledge did nothing.

Finally, I had an idea. I grabbed my heavy-duty ratchet strap normally used to secure the boat to the trailer and fed it above the top edge (trailing edge when lowered) of the keel, then slid it forward in the slot to approximately in line with the pivot bolt hole. Attaching the hooks to each side of the trailer, I ratcheted as much tension as I could manage easily. Then I took my bottle jack and lifted the aft end of the keel, thereby putting more downward pressure on the forward part, via the ratchet strap. It started to move! When I ran out of room in the trunk to lift the keel any further, I stopped and re-tensioned the strap. About the third iteration of this process, the keel came free with a loud thunk as dropped and tipped over on the trailer cross-member. I really probably should have put a jack stand with a bit of space below the forward edge to limit the drop, but fortunately, everything seemed okay. I was cautious to never have any of my appendages within the potential fall zone of the keel.

I was limited on time so I waited to try to get the keel out from under the boat until a few days later. It was a long process, but using a rolling floor jack, furniture dolly, cinder blocks and some scraps of plywood (since I was on grass), I was eventually able to maneuver the keel out from under the boat and trailer, resting it on cinder blocks alongside the trailer.