I watched them for a while last week. Rather than risk damaging the boats structure by 'ripping' it off, they were moving cautiously. 1 was using a sawzall, another the wedges, and the travel lift operator who has the magic touch, on the remote. It was quiet and they moved like surgeons in an operating room.

This boat is 60 plus years old and I don't know when the keel was off last(if ever). And it's cast iron which makes me think rust may be a factor in the keel bolt holes. Plus there's sealant of some kind(not the dreaded,...5200?).

Most of all, the mating surface of a long keel like this is huge so there's a lot of bond to break.

It was a beautiful thing to see this Concordia out in the January thaw. It's only a matter of time now.