Beneteau 331 / Jeanneau Swing Keel Mechanism ready for refurbishment.

[@paulstalker4186]

Very helpful, My First 26 has the same mechanism and one of my upcoming jobs. Thanks for sharing

[@spillarge]

You are welcome Paul. Mine is spotless and all shiny again ready for the new season, however I did have to replace the bearing races as they had become pitted and notchy.

[@tonycoldwell5418]

top job.

[@idryhurst]

Hi - Thanks for your very informative video. It is hard to find good information on this. From watching the video, it appears there is no option but to unpin the mechanism from under the boat and remove the shaft, to be able to replace the bearings? Is there anyway to remove the winch handle key from the shaft?

[@spillarge]

Hi, "the winch handle key" I don't know what part you are referring to. However, you will need to extract the whole screw mechanism from your boat to be able to replace the bearing cage and the bearing cups. They come in a pack from Beneteau, however I had new stainless steel bearing cups made up locally by a stainless steel fabricator to the correct specification. One thought, if you are in need of replacing the bearings it would be a good time to inspect everything because all other components are likely to wear out before the bearings as the bearings and screw can be periodically greased from within the boat. However, all other parts of the mechanism cannot be reached without withdrawing the whole mechanism. Don't forget to gently take the weight off the keel first while the boat is suspended in the slings before attempting to remove the bottom pin and split pin which is attached to the keel. It won't be possible otherwise. You will need to take off the stainless bolt and composite ring at the bottom of the screw to extract the brass nut and then the composite parts before you can replace the bearings. Make sure you use the highest quality Locktite or Threadlock compound to secure the stainless steel bolt at the bottom of the screw which secures the small plastic composite stopper when you put it back together. You would not want to lose this or the boat will need to come out to replace it. I have drilled a stainless steel pin through mine to ensure it can never come off over time through vibration. I take out the keel lifting mechanism on my Beneteau 331 every season now and clean it up and polish it all up before re-greasing and replacing it. This way its always in perfect condition and its easy to use. That said, I still ground it twice during the season to re grease the screw and bearings as they will start to get stiff after a few months. This is the only way to prevent premature wear and unnecessary cost IMO.

[@jbmia.]

Many thanks for posting these videos. Very informative! Question. Is there any maintenance required on the front pivot bolt? Grease? Given cast iron would there need to be some maintenance at some point?

[@spillarge]

This is one component which I have never had to do anything to. From what I can see, the main pivot bolt isn't really accessible unless you take the whole keel housing off the boat which one would do if one replaces the keel bolts at the bottom of the boat. There are nylon sliding guides on the keel inside the housing which can be viewed from underneath with a torch once the boat is in slings and again these are low maintenance items which act to stabilise the keel from sideways movement when sailing. There is one stainless nut at the very bottom of the keel housing right at the front underneath which can be seen when the boat is out. Quite what this is about is something which I am going to look into. Once I have more information I will pass it on to you. However, unless you have any play in the keel whilst underway I should not be worried about the main pivot bolt unless its time to change the main through hull keel bolts probably every 25 years and I would replace the pivot bolt at the same time and all the nylon sliders as a matter of course. You will know if you have any play because you will start to hear a knocking or thumping whilst under way if there is any play whatsoever.

[@jbmia.]

@@spillarge Many thanks for the detail reply! Please do post any updates if you have them...

[@trevorwelton7381]

Hi, my question is where can you buy the bronze/ brass two threaded connecting nut? When it requires replacing? Thanks Trevor

[@spillarge]

Hi Trevor, you can purchase it from Foxes Marina Yacht Sales in Ipswich who are the UK Beneteau dealers. Here is the telephone number and you need to speak with Rob: [phone]

[@trevorwelton7381]

@@spillarge Thank you, I’ll give them a call 👍🏼

[@jbmia.]

Another question for you.. do you have the part number for the straps and the pins that make up that lower fork? I've got a 323 and those don't come up in the online beneteau parts catalog...

[@spillarge]

I do have the part numbers for the 331 which is my yacht. But I would not rely on these parts being the same as the 323. The 323 is a completely different boat and hull. You should contact your Beneteau dealer and ask them for your precise part numbers so you know you will get the correct part. If I was you I would not risk it. Your life could be at stake if you have the wrong parts.

[@jbmia.]

Thanks! I actually did engage the dealer, but was looking to cross reference the 331 part numbers to see if they're the same. After speaking to Beneteau Parts Dept , it appears the individual parts are not available .. you can buy the fork assembly for $121 and the top screw assembly for $1482, but they do not sell any of the nuts , bolts, bushings, white nylon parts, or bearings individually.. which is strange.. these parts appear to be available separately for other models, but not the 323.. so my strategy at this point is to buy both these parts and perform a complete replacement at haulout, then take my time to potentially locate or fabricate alternate components to add to the old pulled parts for a complete spare.... Much appreciation again for your videos..@@spillarge

[@spillarge]

I have managed to find the part number which was on a photograph on the yellow label attached to the stainless steel straps which you can see in one of my earlier videos. I cant forward the photo to you on this reply, so here goes with the details as they are on the label. DNROR 23924 N ode: 21/633320 093485 * QTE 1,000 *US/UN* MAG: S EMPL: 1 01 41 KIT LATTES MECAN DERIVE L374 Hope this helps