I must confess to be biased against boats with bolt-on keels. Mainly due to the difficulty of checking the bolts, and the possibility of crevice corrosion with stainless steel bolts.
However, I recently did see a S&S 30 Yankee, with a fibreglass stub, and lead bolted on with massive si-bronze bolts. This looked like a good solution.
S&S Yankees are very rare in Australia, but I was wondering if the brains trust know of any other yacht designs in the 24 to 30 ft range, with a similar arrangement with si-bronze keelbolts?
As a story about bronze, in my youth I dived on the wreck of the RMS Athens in Table Bay, which was wrecked in shallow water in 1865. The remains of the top part of the engine can be seen above water. Underwater I was amazed to see the massive bronze prop shaft sparkling in the sunlight after more than 100 years submersion. At the same wreck I dug out a bronze barometer which was half embedded in coal. To my further amazement, after cleaning out the coal, a small bronze screw inside, turned in its thread under my fingers.
Cost would be the killer at the moment. Bronze is very expensive. My fishing vessel was built at the end of WW2 and had a bronze propeller shaft, 2 1/2 in by about 14 feet. Had a SS one when I bought it. If you have any bronze or brass kicking about in your shed it's time to put it in the safe!
