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 Swing keel winter blues
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C25BC
Navigator

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Canada
200 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/04/2019 :  03:25:16  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
No mild western Canadian winter this year .After days of high winds , unusual cold and ice our lake is the shallowest it's been in years , depthfinder read 7' yesterday in my slip and no precipitation predicted
for least a couple weeks .
Has anyone been in a situation where the keels in the mud ?
Is there any danger of damage when this happens ?
As I understand it the keel is never supposed to be left cranked up for extended periods of time .

Angus
S.V.Tempus
#4748
1984 Catalina 25 SK/SR/Trad.

Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2019 :  05:39:16  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
As I understand it the keel is never supposed to be left cranked up for extended periods of time .

There has been debate here on the forum over this issue many times before.

I owned my C25 for ten years, docked behind my house, in saltwater 24/7 365 days a year. The keel was always cranked up while at the dock. Mainly because we have about a three foot tidal swing, and many times at extreme low tides the boat would be sitting on the bottom, even with the keel up.

With proper maintenance I would not hesitate to leave the boat with the keel up. Especially, since in my case, and apparently yours, if the cable would fail, the keel should hit the soft bottom.




Davy J


2005 Gemini 105Mc
PO 1987 C25 #5509 SR/SK
Tampa Bay

Edited by - Davy J on 03/04/2019 05:41:49
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Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2019 :  08:07:45  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Davy is correct. With proper maintenance, you should not have much to worry about cranking up the keel.
The alternative of having the water drop to the point where the keel is driven into the mud, sand, rocks, et al... is much worse. Even if your boat is moored very tightly, she will move in the slip due to waves and wind. That movement with the keel buried can potentially rack the pivot brackets and damage the bottom of the boat where they are secured. This leads to an expensive repair.
Bill Holcomb - C25 #4839
PS - Proper maintenance includes freq1uent inspection and maintenance of winch, cable, and attachment gear between keel and cable.
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C25BC
Navigator

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Canada
200 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2019 :  08:23:29  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
That definitely makes sense , Thanks , the whole keel lift assembly and 1" bronze pin was replaced by the PO , he should me the original pin and it looked in very good shape . I'm hoping the situation is just just for the next couple weeks .
The boat is in freshwater and apparently was primarily . But I guess you never know for sure .
It will be on its trailer next winter ,

Angus
S.V.Tempus
#4748
1984 Catalina 25 SK/SR/Trad.
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Boomeroo
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Australia
128 Posts

Response Posted - 03/05/2019 :  22:44:09  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Just check the depth under the rudder. As any slop in seabed can impact on it and it is weak cf keel. Especially if boat rocks.

Graeme Bishop boomeroo Australia
C25 SK
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C25BC
Navigator

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Canada
200 Posts

Response Posted - 03/06/2019 :  05:13:32  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I was out yesterday , cranked the keel up , checked depth meter. The lake had gone down a bit since the weekend , I'm around 6.5' now , I took a boat pole and double checked for accuracy seems to be closer to 7 ' .
It will probably rain for 2 months this spring once it starts .

Angus
S.V.Tempus
#4748
1984 Catalina 25 SK/SR/Trad.
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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3992 Posts

Response Posted - 03/06/2019 :  06:47:39  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
If your worrying about a possible keel drop if you put it in the up poition you could walk a line from the bow back to the winches on both sides then crank the line up. This could take the weight off the lifting mechanism. Just a thought.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound



Edited by - islander on 03/06/2019 06:48:23
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C25BC
Navigator

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Canada
200 Posts

Response Posted - 03/06/2019 :  08:14:33  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
That is a good idea , when I was running worse case scenarios in my head ( long winter ) i wondered what one would do if the cable did break without ripping the bottom out of the boat , and was thinking of a big ratchet strap pulled back somehow and try ratcheting it up .
After reading Davy and Bills posts and being fairly confident In the condition of the cable I'm thinking it should be ok .

Angus
S.V.Tempus
#4748
1984 Catalina 25 SK/SR/Trad.
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sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 03/07/2019 :  18:39:07  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
While the boat is not designed to rest on the keel, letting the keel rest on the bottom is not likely to cause damage. The keel hardware and trunk are subject to substantial lateral loading when the boat is hard over under sail.

As the keel touches bottom, it will tend to drive the boat forward as the keel is forced back and up. Therefore, I would worry more about adjusting lines to allow for that forward motion in the slip, than the forces on the keel hardware and trunk.



Seth
"Outlier" 1987 Catalina 25 SR/SK/Traditional Interior #5541
"Zoo" 1977 Morgan Out Island 30
"Nomad" 1980 Prindle 16
"Lost" 1988 Catalina Capri 14.2 (sold - yay!)
"Marine Tex 1" Unknown Origin POS 8' Fiberglass Dinghy
https://whichsailboat.com/2014/07/27/catalina-25-review/
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sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 03/07/2019 :  18:46:31  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by islander

If your worrying about a possible keel drop if you put it in the up poition you could walk a line from the bow back to the winches on both sides then crank the line up. This could take the weight off the lifting mechanism. Just a thought.



Excellent idea!



Seth
"Outlier" 1987 Catalina 25 SR/SK/Traditional Interior #5541
"Zoo" 1977 Morgan Out Island 30
"Nomad" 1980 Prindle 16
"Lost" 1988 Catalina Capri 14.2 (sold - yay!)
"Marine Tex 1" Unknown Origin POS 8' Fiberglass Dinghy
https://whichsailboat.com/2014/07/27/catalina-25-review/
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