Is there a seal between the keel and the hull?

[Scott_S]

I have a 1996 Compac 16 with the Raven rig. Mine is a white hull with 2 port holes on each side of the cabin, just like other 16's. My question is whether or not there is a waterproof barrier between the cement in the keel and the cabin? If there was a hole in the keel, would the keel fill up with water and then overflow into the cabin? If I spilt water in the cabin, would it drain down into the keel? Living in Ohio, I would be concerned if water got in the keel and froze. I've read of people drilling a hole to drain the water and then patching the hole, but has anyone added a drain to their keel to be sure there is no water? If so, what type drain and where should it be located.
I have owned 3 Com-pacs and I love this forum. Sorry to hear news of Gerry and Richard Hutchins and Com-pac Yachts shutting down. They were always great support and they made great boats.

[Mas]

Hey Scott, not sure about how the CB arrangement is set up on your boat but the usual 16 keel construction is a molded in design with the ballast added after layup is complete. No seams but you can clearly damage the keel in a hard grounding or collision and provide access for water into the keel. It can also find its way in from above if not careful. Our Pacific Seacraft had a bolted on design but no seam was visible as it was fared over after bolting on. It had a lead keel so no chance of water absorption even if compromised. The external vs internal keel debate is almost as common as which anchor is best!