Northland keel removal

gibsonra

New Member
I have a 14ft Northland that has served my wife and me very well for about 30 years. I have decided to remove the glass which is badly damaged in a few places and re-glass it. I want to remove the keel but after removing the keel screws from the inside and removing the bow and stern wear bands, I can't seem to get the keel off! I would be happy to use greater force but I don't want to cause any structural damage. Any clues?
 
The keel may have been glued on with epoxy... sort of a replacement for the bedding compound used on W/C canoes' keels. A heat gun would work, but will soften every other adhesive and finish anywhere near where you want it to work. Be extremely careful -- excess force will cause more damage to the wood than the boat's worth.
 
My Northland keel came off with a little force, there was some putty or caulk between it and the hull. Pry it off, you wont hurt anything as Albert glassed the hulls entirely then put the keels on. You might find you need to replace it if its rotten or broken in some spots.
 
Thanks for the input. I took a chisel at the leading end and pryed it gently. I had previously epoxied the edges of the keel where it meets the glass to prevent leakage and that was holding it on. I've got all the glass off and I'm now sanding it down in preparation for re-glassing. I'll definitely be asking more questions.
 
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