Sail Life - Rebuilding the keel of a 44ft catamaran

In this week's video, it's time to rebuild the keel. Having done Athena's refit in Europe, this is also my first chance to use some different products from ‪@TotalBoat‬. It was a great trip down memory lane to lay up fiberglass again. I'm a big fan of the low viscosity of Total Boat's 2:1 epoxy. It makes wetting out fiberglass a dream. Especially when you're used to working with higher viscosity epoxies in colder temperatures.
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[@TotalBoat]

Nicely done - such a great repair on the keel!

[@SailLife]

Thank you so much! :)

[@HansWeberHimself]

Hey Botal Toat!!! 😂

[@TotalBoat]

👋👋 #iykyk@@HansWeberHimself

[@dickdaley9059]

“Today, ladies and gentlemen, we are fortunate to observe a very rare species of a Danish Keel Constructor busy at work in his native habitat. The amazing ability of this species to accomplish fiberglass construction and repair with only a fourth generation software coding background has mystified Entomologists for decades.”

[@charonstyxferryman]

Narrator: Sir David Frederick Attenborough.

[@Bill_N_ATX]

Mads, you are at least a final contestant in the Brother in Law of the Year award! Awesome work.

[@rossdalfreys8883]

Definitely the best keel that brand of boat has ever seen. We all know how thorough you are by now. Been watching a long time!

[@Mrcrawford100]

I feel bad for the other keel 😢

[@GrahamC-m9g]

I was too busy enviously admiring your reclining keel creeper to notice ANY cargo ships!

[@svlamancha9877]

Totally utterly top notch professional repair job. If you own a boat you need a Mads in the family. 👍

[@wallacegrommet9343]

Next week, we take on a bigger diy project: a bulk carrier of gravel comes into the boatyard for keel repairs!

[@SailLife]

Hahah :D

[@DavidIanDehli]

Hi Eva & Mads i like to send you a thanks and here is why But first i like to say I been watching religiously every sunday ever since video nr 9 and i hope the nervousness over what content to make going from DIY to acturelly sailing and showing life in between don't get you nevers and here is why, it's the personalities you have there makes me come back the topics is just a plus.. Now here is why i like to thank you, i'm a day trader and spend preferley 10+ hours in office and have sail life videos running from monday morning to friday night in one corner of a monitor and i really appreciate that you have taken the time to make all your content in to seasons, so i no longer have to select manually after the old version where all videos in chronological stop being updated.. So thanks so much I really appreciate you noted my request in the last live stream.. Best Of Regards David Ian Dehli

[@waltervanderboor]

You just made one side of that boat a lot better than then the original.

[@scotttan6377]

I was riveted in this episode ! That's going to be a "million dollar" keel once finished (lol) . #TotalBoat is really making a name for itself among the sailing channels.

[@johnnyhag675]

It's a Mads, Mads world! Way better than the factory ever thought about doing. You've documented the repair so well.

[@RonKris]

Happy you're keeping your sanding skills intact. Rusty sanding skills could bite you later on your new boat refit.

[@Alan52L]

Goodness me Mads a true craftsman, a top job if you ever saw one.

[@peterasacker5948]

I have to say you are one detailed skilled craftsman. I am amazed at your talent for these repairs. Watching your videos in the past I love how detailed you are. Thank you for sharing...now hurry up and get back to sailing...lol

[@trey1531]

That keel is now built to last!

[@grabasalad5945]

Sunday wouldn’t be Sunday without church in the morning and Sail Life in the afternoon…

[@henricagven2874]

🙃🤙 nice going👍you should build yourself a full maintenance sailing ship next and sail around the globe and only do sailing ship renovations with people, oh boy how nice would that be to watch all the time🥰

[@geekdomo]

Would love to see you head over and help RAN Sailing lay up at least their first layer of their new boat.

[@mitchellmcpherson8489]

We would have to rally to pay for such a trip, what is a round trip flight to Europe go for?

[@geekdomo]

@@mitchellmcpherson8489 I’d pitch in

[@oneredsailboat4947]

That’s a nice professional job brother I wish you were my brother-in-law. Keep up the good work.

[@dcallan812]

great update 2x👍 I couldn't hear the gravel getting unloaded. 🤣

[@svenhohne2697]

Hey Mads, I presume you already decided and purcased the needed glue for the keel, but just in case and for anybody else reading this and having to deal with a similar situation, I would highly recommend PLEXUS MA 530 as glue to be considered. It is widely used within Boating has a immense strength and by using the cartuches easy to apply. This is the right stuff especaially on a situation like yours where you on one hand have as you mentioned a couple of times only the glue holding the keel on its dedicated place, on the other quite some mechanical stress on the glueline while sailing the boat, plus quite a gap, at least of the thickness of a scroll saw blade ;) , to close.

[@OddLifeCrafting]

Just found out the watching foam expanding at 8x the speed is really therapeutic. hehehe 🥰

[@SailLife]

Haha 😀 Can’t wait to see you guys in Annapolis 👍

[@Albert_206]

That’s not diy anymore but sheer professionalism right there. This old fart learned that if things seems so easy from viewers point it is probably very hard to achieve this part of restoration 👍👍👍

[@cantsolvesudokus]

Huh having a catamaran up on the hard, it’s certainly nice to have that “workshop” area down between the hulls.

[@petenaylor1353]

Very nice job on the repair, never seen a cleaner dressed fiberglassing team before. I guess they have very lax environmental concerns in South Carolina. Most yards require vacuum attachments when grinding or sanding?

[@lydiaajohnson]

Ah, just like the good ole days. Nice.

[@denisohbrien]

I have a fiberglass car im modifying. your videos are head and shoulders above any I can find about automotive fiberglass work. just so you know :)

[@thomaspaccione8237]

Mads, you truly are an artist, your work is second to none.

[@henrymorgan3982]

You guys could easily setup a sailboat repair business. Really. Great video for the next person who needs DIY keel repair!

[@juanjosegarcia8499]

Mads you are the best! It's a place to see you with Epoxi and fiberglass in your hands! Jejeje! I need for Christmas one Brother in law likes youuu! 😂😂😂

[@realulli]

Watch out with the bonding of the keel - you don't want it to be *too* strong, since the keel is supposed to break off instead of damaging the hull. Don't forget, epoxy is nothing but a rather strong adhesive that adheres lots of glass (or carbon, or aramid) fibers together. Even if you use a decidedly inferior adhesive, if you adhere the keel with that amount of surface, you might end up with a much stronger bond than what holds the rest of the hull together. That keel is not one of the heavy lead things monohulls have, it will even float, so except for the side loads when sailing, there should be very little force on the joint in normal operations.

[@toddr2265]

Mads, you can make any boat work entertaining 😊

[@rogerbayzand4455]

A really great job, it's good to see Total Boat supporting many KZbin boatbuilding projects. I have had excellent results with Sikaflex 291 as an underwater adhesive/sealant, I have two full lengths of iroko stuck to the bottom keels of a 10 metre power catamaran that have been in place for 23 years with no problem.

[@gramos9115]

Thank you very much for your detailed analysis of the keel work . I found it as I am about to remove the keels from my Solaris catamaran due to , well, they are bulging a little so need removing for a look at what is going on in there .they are also " foam filled " but they do seep water out whenever the boat is lifted out in the winters. I look forward to your follow up videaos , well done .

[@WaterFaucet24]

Nice work Mads, looking forward to the keel returning to the boat!

[@SailLife]

Thank you so much! :)

[@heyheyjc]

Holy cow that yard must be a superfund site

[@acraftman2823]

A question came to mind regarding the possibility of a buoyancy discrepancy between the two hulls after a professional job has been done on only one that can be verified ( nice work Mads). I guess if your beverage tends to slide across the table in harbor that might be something to check.

[@IoannisSoulos]

Same question here... loved the video though

[@mk1photography62]

Nice spiffy job Mads

[@paulkeffer7580]

You're certainly in your natural element doing this repair, and it shows in the high quality of the episode.

[@hakanostberg]

How did you take care of all micro plastic from all grinding? 🤔

[@kiwinorth5735]

In our boat yard any sanding of fibreglass, gelcoat or bottom coat, you would need to tent the whole boat off to prevent dust from flying around.

[@TR4zest]

I wonder if the manufacturer is taking any note of your repair to their shoddy work.

[@SootHead]

New passtime.... sitting around and watching foam expand.

[@CodeSquares]

The amount of (fiberglass) boat construction knowledge you've accumulated is just so fun and satisfying to watch. Thanks to you I've been able to become less scared of epoxy to fill some deck fastening holes; fiberglassing will be next one of those days, inevitably, and inevitably I'll turn to a Sail Life video for guidance. :) Keel's looking great.

[@johnmooney9444]

Excellent. BTW, Ava content adds value to the videos. She has a calming and pleasant demeanor and is good at sharing information. Cheers

[@glenn5ft19]

I would suggest using an Olfa rotary knife for cutting the fibreglass cloth. Use a 1/8” thick strip of plexiglass as a cutting board. Much better and faster than scissors.

[@bdphourde]

I was surprised to see the foam being pressed out of those very small cracks in the top of the keel! The foam poured in that area was not confined and forced under any pressure. Perhaps the foam expanding on the side closest to the middle of the keel exposed to oxygen and water vapor, hardened sooner than the foam with the air cut off by the expansion, and that caused the pressure build-up. Makes me leery of doing a pour into a closed, empty void. It seems the expansion is much more haphazard than I thought. It might be easy to swell and crack a contained void if the foam doesn't stay soft until it completely fills the void and oozes out the expansion hole. Nicely done repair! I would have just slapped on some duct tape and hoped for the best! 😉 Are you sure you will be content with only doing one side? How will you sleep at night? 😉

[@tedboender]

Mads is in his happy place!! Love this stuff.

[@allsearpw3829]

Hi great work , I have only used expanding foam on closed areas on new build work , two holes one for pouring and another for excess expansion, your way seems to make a lot of sense as to see , what did fail after a short time . Please keep them coming and we will all keep watching .👍👍to oh glorious sanding .🤔

[@jvkew]

Your explanations of the processes are worth a lot to me. I have a rudder that might need work.

[@SailLife]

I'm very glad to hear you found the video useful. The rudder should be a very similar project :) I have a series of videos form when I build Athena's new rudder but that is a very labour intensive way of doing it. Unless you want to learn about mold making and vacuum infusing there are other less labour intensive options :)

[@mozismobile]

Never ask where all that dust goes.

[@TheMattiger]

Well done you're keeling it. Sorry I'll show myself out.

[@SailLife]

Haha, love it! :D

[@robjohnson2649]

Great work

[@garethevans2185]

"Very expensive dust" that could be a tag line on Oh Glorious Sanding....

[@JakobEngl]

Great video

[@karlfair]

Nice work.

[@FlyingConey]

What I usually do when someone makes loud noises while I try to film is, I just walk over to the neighboring boat and kindly ask if I can have 15 min to finish the video. Most people are very helpful!

[@RenegadeADV]

Mads, I have really enjoyed this series of videos. Keep up the great work!

[@horstszibulski19]

What a great job! Watch out that you don't get hired to do repairs all over the boatyard! 😂😂😂

[@lukeboelitz]

Really enjoying this project, Mads. It's be wonderful watching you sail but as a long time fan I'm glad to see you return to your true passion: sanding!

[@Sailing_The_Unknown]

Very intresting Thank you for all the details

[@RNZN102939]

Looking pretty spiffy

[@euanmckenzie2029]

The phrase “like a pig in sh1t” comes to mind! You do love DIY

[@realulli]

I can totally see him buying an Amel Super Maramu next... or possibly a cat.

[@Anne6621]

do not take this as a negative comment but seeing how bad of a job the factory did on this keel and even if they say the other keel is dry it does not mean it will stay dry and seeing how bad the foam job was would suggest the other keel is the same so why not do both keels , i would fear the other keel breaking away and sinking , but as always top notch work from Mr Life

[@milt7348]

Stay safe and we'll see you next week.

[@jeffalexander544]

Wow! What a hell of a project to take on. 👏😎⛵️⚓️

[@tejolisboa]

Great job. Maybe the catamaran builder has learned something from your job. 😂😂

[@jacobhicks7959]

Overthinking leads to good results, they just take longer

[@alanwiser5578]

Hi Mads wondering where and when you will be at the Annapolis MD sailboat show this October? Would like to meet you and Ava at the show.

[@matthewgartner5339]

Is there any concern of the list of boat when you relaunch? The keel you fixed was fairly empty which leads me to believe similar results in the other keel. So now you have more foam on one side which will cause the boat to ride higher on that side

[@svbarryduckworth628]

Air and foam have pretty similar buoyancy and the weight & density differences of the foam itself is likely less than what extra fiberglass & epoxy was added for the repairs. The other keel tested dry by the meter so they should be much closer now than before when one was full of water. If they didn't have a balance issue before with the one full of water then they likely will not feel anything now that they're closer to being equal than the cat has ever been since they found the water issue on the survey.

[@327365hp]

Excellent as always!

[@williamjacobs236]

Another great video Mads .

[@USAMOTORHOME]

Good Job :)

[@dannyjones3840]

Good morning from Oriental guys!! And I know those freighters unloading are annoying, I've spent the night in my truck sleeper at the yard waiting to load a boat in the morning, and that noise all night will drive ya crazy

[@svbarryduckworth628]

Although we love the town those fishing boats at the dock in Oriental make a lot of noise all night as well. We don't often use the Free Docks there when we come through town and instead anchor in the harbor by the dinghy dock or if there is no room there on the other side of the big marina by the bridge. That is much more peaceful a couple hundred yards away. We are just a foot too tall to sneak under the bridge otherwise we'd be up that Creek instead.

[@SailLife]

Ahoy Danny :) Yeah and it's a surprisingly long process to empty one of those. I hope we get to say hi to you in Oriental when we start heading north :)

[@nmccw3245]

I do believe Mads has created the finest Fontaine-Pajot keel in existence. 👍🏻😂😁

[@danieloliver20]

I hope the other keel doesnt leak now! 🤞

[@RonaldJHElzenga]

Great DIY work and explanations Mads..sound background ship not heared as HSP..😉

[@alexdieudonne1924]

I bet the foam has collapsed in the other keel to. I would have put the panels back in before foaming save a lot of o glorious sanding !

[@japc4326]

As always, very informative and easy to follow. John

[@mitchellmcpherson8489]

Fascinated by the production failings from such a well known brand but the Smythe or Mads brand is very much intact, love from landlubbers of Oklahoma.

[@brownnoise357]

Nice. Very Nice. 👍⛵️✨️✨️✨️❤ Bob in Wales.

[@jamesgordon2289]

great video Mads. you must be tempted to drop that other keel and fix it to match ...?

[@YTMegiddo]

Another great video! Thanks again.

[@bobrose7900]

Being French, the other keel will be exactly the same, I'll put money on it! Some form of mechanical fixing should be considered, I think. Shoot me down, but that would aid the fit and adhesive. Remember, these boats are built to a tight budget, at all cost, unlike Athena!

[@realulli]

The keel is supposed to break off instead of taking part of the hull with it... If you want to stick it in place with no chance to come off, just sand the top clean, sand the inside of the slot clean as well, close the gaps with thickened epoxy, sand that back so the keel will have a snug fit, put a bunch of thickened epoxy on top of the keel, smush it in place, then glass over the joint with 3-4 layers of heavy glass. At that point, the keel will not come off at all, except when taking along the part of the hull that it was attached to. The boat will sink rather quickly after that.

[@bobrose7900]

@@realulliYes, I forgot these are sacrificial... so just what does that mean? By any standard that is a shallow keel, so my reasoning was that it is unlikely to be unintentionally grounded. There have been instances where keels have been ripped off though, the amount of ocean going structural damage was very high last year (ref. ARC members), afflicting lighter built boats, and I was thinking to make this contact point stronger. As you infer the hull strength is probably reduced though, and I've seen just how lightly built some of these Cats. are. The only option? To stiffen the hull below the waterline as with Athena!

[@realulli]

@@bobrose7900 unintentionally grounding... unless it's a hovercraft, you can ground everything if you're adventurous enough. I'm not a boat owner but I know a river entrance that looks deep enough. When we went there on a charter cat, depth sounder showed less and less depth, at som epoint our paranoia grounded and we turned around. After anchoring and launching the dinghy, we went exploring... and grounded the dinghy. (IIRC, the map didn't show any depth there) I'm pretty sure Fountaine-Pajot engineered the hull to be light and thin and the keel to break before the hull breaks. The trouble with cats is, they need to be light to perform well. If you build them in a way to make them nearly unbreakable, they'll probably going to sail like pregnant cows...

[@bobrose7900]

@@realulli We have a 3m draft and I've never grounded, but I appreciate some people are more adventurous than me. These shallow keel boats are designed to be tested, Fountaine Pajot probably make this a selling point. My point was that cats shoulder the wind and all that force goes through those keels, so it's a case of good luck I fancy. I wonder how they handle with one or two keels missing...

[@domcp711]

What a thorough job! The guys in La Rochelle would have probably build a quarter boat in the same time. It´s safe to say that atleast the keel will last a very long time…

[@jeffvoight6586]

In exchange for all of this work, you should make your bro fill that stainless steel rail hole between the monitor and the galley in your boat with paper towels or something.

[@jeanhawken4482]

Amazing work

[@harrytheriver254]

I'm sure you checked the water content just as you did on Athena back in the day.

[@realulli]

He left his capacitive moisture meter back on Athena... and unlike the cheap ones with the two tips that you jam into the part to be measured, those things are rather expensive ($400-500).

[@daviddickmeyer5231]

Very enjoyable video this week. Nice work!

[@johnwspeck]

I'm trying to get over a keel with no fasteners other than adhesive... not for me, even on a multihull! I'll stick to boats with fully encapsulated keels.

[@philgray1023]

I would have the same feelings except that there are airliners that are literally glued together. I also had the major misfortune of having to remove a marine ply panel glued in using polysulphide adhesive. That was the most miserable day of my life. It fought until the last splinter came off. 3 minutes to glue it in 7 hours to get it out!

[@mentalFPV]

The amount of extra buoyancy may best be offset by extra beer stored in that hull.

[@jonunya3128]

always enjoy your content, thanks bud!

[@johncampbell388]

You know, in our work yard on the west coast we had to connect sanding tools to a shop vac. Do they have some other dust abatement system in this yard?

[@douglasrobbie9998]

When you dropped the keel, you noted that there were spots where the adhesive did not bridge the gap between the keel and the keel hole. Surprised you have not done some measurements/studied your earlier video and built up the keel's thickness in places to reduce the gap and enable the adhesive to actually do its job adhering to keel along its entire length.

[@andrewmullen4003]

I thought the same, hopefully he's on the ball, Mads usually is.

[@jorgeconcheyro]

There is no better brother in law for a boat owner than you Mads hahahahaha

[@paulodonohue8253]

as always another great job. my only question is; after seeing how poorly the first keel was filled why didn't you do both? fantastic video as usual.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Rinse and repeat on the other keel.

[@athertop]

Mads, when you smushed the panel back in place, how did you ensure no air was trapped underneath? Is it just about making sure the foam surface is shaped accurately enough to not create any voids on the underside of the panel?

[@billkaroly]

Can you use a construction adhesive like liquid nails, Home Depot or Lowe's would have that.

[@honorharrington4546]

This is probably too late but, I would contact Fountaine-Pajot for what they use and then contact a local 3M rep for what they have that meets those specs. Might be something common like 3M 4200.

[@TheSkydiverphoenix]

It pays to have a brother in law like Mads when you need boat work..