Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
Well... it finally happened, the S/S original (1997) lifting cable on my C250 separated at the clevis on the keel. Looks to be galvanic corrosion and age.
I note the replacement cable on CD #E2031 is a vectran line, not S/S cable. Anyone have experience with this or another replacement?
Anyone have luck pulling the keel up with a line around the hull... maybe using the cabin top winches or another approach?
Worse case I sail the 15mi to the next harbor and have it pulled with a travel lift.
We replaced our cable several times. A vectran cable is by far the strongest and well suited. If the boat is in the water and a diver is available, replacement is very simple and inexpensive, by feeding the cable down the tube and attaching it to the centerboard. We unsuccessfully tried to raise the centerboard by using a line around the hull... it just did not seem to work for us. If the boat is on the trailer it will need to be lifted in order to have access to the centerboard. If you wish to launch the boat from the trailer, use 3/8 plywood to glide the board over the trailer crossbeams
3/8 plywood providing a path to slide for the centerboard to slive over the crossbeams of the trailer
San Diego West Marine - Professional Vectran splicing
Vectran cable spliced to the centerboard attachment using a split-pin
Spliced spare Vectran cable
Looking down into the uphaul tube and viewing the turning ball
Open block for easy installation of the Vectran uphaul cable
Closed uphaul cable block
6:1 uphaul mechanism
Henk & Johanna "Floating", a few off your "barnacles". "Someday Lady" '95 C250WB #151 ('03 - 2016) "Sea ya" 30ft Bayliner (04-2018 - 09-2018) "Mariah" '96 C250WB #191 (05-2019 - 15-05-2023) "Lady J" '00 C250WK #499 (05-2021 - 09-2022)
Thanks for the detailed response and great pics! I was thinking diving, but didn't know if the small components and cold water of Morro Bay would be compatible :-)
If I may, some follow-on questions:
1. Are the original keel lifting pennant block, turning ball, and pennant lifting block compatible with the diameter of the vectran? 2. I like your choice of open uphaul block... do you have a brand and #? 3. How does the vectran respond to the chaffing on the turning ball? 4. Do you replace the keel cable hose with each pennant change? Thanks again, -Patrick
The Vectran cable has the same diameter, or in any case is very close to the original SS cable. No need to replace anything. However, if your turning ball is grooved or corroded and will not turn you may wish to remove it and replace it with a turning ball kit available at Catalina Direct. The old existing turning ball will have to be removed.
Sorry, I've no idea what brand name of the replacement block is... the new block operates with a lot less friction
You'll be able to notice if the Vectran cable starts to wear or gets ragged as it runs over the turning ball
In our case the black "hull cable hose", did not need to be replaced
If you replace the cable while the boat is floating, connect the cable to the center board. Drop a "fish line", from the top through the hose and connect to the Vectran cable, pull up, attach and voila...
Just a note: To eliminate center board "clunking", we epoxied "spacers", to the center board. It always has taken a lot to raise the center board even more so with the spacers. To avoid undue stress on the up-haul mechanism we often carefully nudged the boat up the ramp until the center board started to be pushed up. Once it moved up we could pull it up rest of the way until it reached the mark on the rope indicating that the center board was all the way up and ready for the trailer
Tried this but does not work....
Port Hudson, Florida A lift truck with "looooong", forks lifted us and held the boat while the cable was being replaced.
Turning ball with cut fiber-glassed in SS pin (Photo courtesy of a forum member)
Henk & Johanna "Floating", a few off your "barnacles". "Someday Lady" '95 C250WB #151 ('03 - 2016) "Sea ya" 30ft Bayliner (04-2018 - 09-2018) "Mariah" '96 C250WB #191 (05-2019 - 15-05-2023) "Lady J" '00 C250WK #499 (05-2021 - 09-2022)
I have what may sound like a dumb question. On my 250 a PO must have replaced a SS cable with vectran as it looks exactly the same as you show. Last summer I swam under the boat to look at the board in the extended position and saw that the cable just seems to be tied to the board with knots. Is that the correct attachment method? I haven't had any issues with it and the board goes up and down just fine. Just curious since I'm still new to this boat.
It does, in my opinion, not really matter how the Vectran cable is connected to the center board. Try to avoid "knot loss", (also a great name for your next boat
Full size "Noah's Ark", on display in Dordrecht The Netherlands
Cars?... Orillia, Ontario.
Orillia, Ontario "Christmas in June", festival June 2007
On auto pilot... just past Lake Simcoe, Ontario and Orilia, on the way to Port Severn
Broken home-made 5 ft rudder... held the boat in position by reversing the 8HP outboard while replacing with a spare rudder blade
Smiling, coffee and underway again
Henk & Johanna "Floating", a few off your "barnacles". "Someday Lady" '95 C250WB #151 ('03 - 2016) "Sea ya" 30ft Bayliner (04-2018 - 09-2018) "Mariah" '96 C250WB #191 (05-2019 - 15-05-2023) "Lady J" '00 C250WK #499 (05-2021 - 09-2022)
I have what may sound like a dumb question. On my 250 a PO must have replaced a SS cable with vectran as it looks exactly the same as you show. Last summer I swam under the boat to look at the board in the extended position and saw that the cable just seems to be tied to the board with knots. Is that the correct attachment method? I haven't had any issues with it and the board goes up and down just fine. Just curious since I'm still new to this boat.
Hi Kemp, Catalina converted from cable to Vectran, so yours is probably original. Your and my boat are pretty close and I haven't had to replace the Vectran. Henk has a 1995 and Patrick has a 1997 when they used cable.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.