Viper 640 Class Association Forums

Viper 640 Public Forums => Viper Discussions => Topic started by: Walters0331 on June 22, 2025, 01:05:57 PM

Title: Keelbox loose and cracked through bottom of hull
Post by: Walters0331 on June 22, 2025, 01:05:57 PM
Well I noticed my keel moving around while I was sailing today. The bolts were tight. Pulled it out of the water and it's cracked through the fiberglass on the bottom of the hull, all the way around the keel. Not sure what would cause this. Or how to repair/reinforce to prevent it from happening again?
Title: Re: Keelbox loose and cracked through bottom of hull
Post by: Eddie Wolfe on July 05, 2025, 06:09:41 PM
Your series of boats has "Sacrificial" keel cassettes. Some research should provide options on how to replace it. If the actual boat is damaged, you'll need to have someone repair it. The boat would probably leak if the boat (and not cassette) is damaged. Good luck.
Title: Re: Keelbox loose and cracked through bottom of hull
Post by: Joe638 on July 31, 2025, 04:05:40 PM
I have searched online rondar USA for a replacement cassette but it looks like only one side of the cassette is available.  Are there other sources for cassettes for 200 series V640s?   And are these simply glued in with 5200?
Title: Re: Keelbox loose and cracked through bottom of hull
Post by: Eddie Wolfe on August 04, 2025, 08:48:37 AM
In general terms, the use of 5200 is a horrible idea. It's meant for the most permanent applications and over-used in situations where it later becomes a shock to find out how hard it is to get off.  The Viper keel cassette is meant to be sacrificial / replaceable and thus 5200 is not the right solution. With that said I've never done a replacement so can't speak to what's actually best. Contact Rondar, they can probably give you an idea on acquiring both parts along with the best manner to repair them.