Keel bolts

Keel fin with underlying keel bomb of a Class 40 yacht, the two keel bolts on top

The keel bolts ensure the firm connection between the heavy keel or the keel fin with the attached keel bomb and the ship's hull . They are usually connected directly to the keel and are firmly screwed to the hull with nuts that are secured against loosening with lock nuts . Since one tries to get by with as few keel bolts as possible in order to minimize hull breakthroughs, the keel bolts are very large in order to be able to transfer the high dynamic forces that act on the keel.