Greetings Listers, I am presently dealing with a problem with my M23 which could also apply to the M17. Mid summer I started taking a small quantity of water into my bilge, enough to pump out, which had never been the case the previous season. My boat slip is 75 miles away so usually it sits in the water for a week before I have time to visit and sail. The water amount would vary, but it finally got to the point where I installed a Rule automatic bilge pump. The way the M23 centerboard trunk is constructed is there is a chamber at the rear of the keel which can collect any water which finds its way inboard and then can be manually pumped out. There is no path between the swing keel cavity and the bilge. Well, it seems that there is enough wear in the stop pin to keel to allow a small amount of water to gravitate up through the laminations in the keel to vent inside the hull, then it flows aft and into the bilge area. My M23 is in the slings right now with the stop and hinge pins removed and it is apparent this is the leak path. So, the solution we have arrived at is to enlarge the pin holes, contruct small "sleeves" of epoxy/graphite/fiberglass material to form the bearing surface of the stainless pins. These will be glassed back into the keel and provide a stronger support for both the pins. At the same time, the swing keel is being cleaned and repainted. Now, the M17 swing keel functions in the same general manner, but there is no access to the keel bilge area on the M17. Has anyone installed a small access hole/port into the liner on their 17 to view/ pump water that has somehow found its way into that area? It seems by tapping that the aft portion of the M17 keel is hollow. I would like to check my M17 to see if there is indeed water trapped below the liner. When I have taken water before in my 17, it would seem to flow toward the transom and I could use my whale handheld to pump it overboard. Anyone out there with a wet M17 on the inside?
Winter is on its way to Minnesota, 29 degrees for a high on Thursday. Later, Bones ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
