YM Senior. Bilge keels

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Mike C (YMS IONA)

YM Senior. Bilge keels

Post by Mike C (YMS IONA) »

I am renovating a Senior and getting close to relaunch. The boat has not been in tha water for some years and although I have tried to make the centreboard box as watertight as possible, I am concerned that the centreboard structure may leak badly, if it does I am considering converting her (IONA) to bilge keel.

Any thoughts on how easy / difficult this may be to do and has anyone a plan or drawing available that may help me.

Also, what about materials to use for the keels and is the centre keel a ballast keel or just wood?

Many thanks.

Mike Craddy.
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Eventide Owners Group
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Re the Drawings

Post by Eventide Owners Group »

Hello Mike,
for the princely sum of £3.00 I can send you the Senior drawings on a CD! click the Donate button on the bottom of the Home Page and E-mail us to say what you want and it will come straight back to you!

Re the centreboard, todays flexible mastics, Sikaflex in particular, will cure most of the problems we used to have with centreboards. Sikaflex is not just a mastic it is a marine glue too, great stuff! Highly reccomend it. Just make sure the preparation is fine, then it will stick!

Regards,
john
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chris s
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Location: Netherlands

Post by chris s »

The Bilge keel Senior Is a great little sailing boat If you like sailing sideways!
mine used to make tremendous leeway untill I threw away the bilge keels and enlarged the centre keel, its both longer & deeper this also enabled me to increase the ballast from 160 lbs to about 350 lbs or so WHILE sitting at the same waterline,
the result is a nice stiff boat who will stand up to her canvas, as I proved when I got caught out in a Gale when on passage from Liverpool to Douglas I.O.M.
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