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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Gaining access to the swing keel

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Shauneen
1st Mate

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USA
27 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/01/2006 : 20:40:17

We have just towed our C25 Swing Keel back from the Marina and would like to inspect the sk pin and perhaps install the retrofit kit from cd in hopes of eliminating the klunk. Our boat is on an easyloader trailer. Is there any way, short of a crane to gain access to that part of the boat. Can boat stand be used to "jack" the boat up?

Thanks for any suggestions
Shauneen

Edited by - on

ct95949
Captain

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Aruba
300 Posts

Response Posted - 04/01/2006 : 21:31:04

Hi Shauneen
Many of us have replaced all the parts you're talking about without lifting the boat off the trailer.Last winter I replaced the pin,hanger castings and installed a bronze bushing in the pin hole by lowering the keel from the trunk with a floor jack while the boat was on an EZ Loader trailer.If you do a search on the subject you will find lots of other good ideas.It's easier than it looks.Hope that helps.

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 04/02/2006 : 10:45:29

Look through the "Tech Tips" section of this website, I think there is at least one article on how to drop the keel with the boat still on the trailer. It involves bracing the keel so that it can't fall sideways, lifting the bow of the boat with a jack, then lowering the keel a little at a time using long all-thread rods. The floor jack method Craig Trotter uses sounds good too. The #1 consideration: DON'T FORCE THE KEEL BRACKET BOLTS! These bolts go into a stainless steel plate embedded in the fiberglass, and if you strip or seize the bolt threads in the plate, it's a VERY expensive repair. If you can't turn the bolts with moderate torque on the wrench, don't force the issue! It's this risk of seizing that would incline me to pay a yard to do the work. If they seize the bolts, it's their problem to fix, not mine. Good luck, and be extra careful - that keel weighs 1500 pounds and if it gets away from you and falls over or something, it's not going to be easy to lift back into position. make sure it's STRONGLY braced against falling over sideways.

Edited by - lcharlot on 04/02/2006 10:53:53

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 04/02/2006 : 11:47:56

Indeed, with an EZ-loader, the boat can easily be lifted far enough to service the keel cable and the hinge assembly. IMHO: It's easiest to deal with them seperately... depending on what else you need to do.

Lay a 4x12 timber across the aft end of the main trailer frame and put jacks and blocking under the forward ends of the two roller assemblies (2x2 tubing). Lifting the forward ends of the tubular roller frames swings the whole unit up and aftward which lifts the boat nicely. If you PM me, I think I have some photos of this lifting method. Alternatively, a couple jacks and lifting 'pads' (blocking to distribute the load) should work fine too.

Lifting front of boat... hydraulic jacks, blocking, and 12x12 pads to distribute the load. Lift just forward of the keel trunk. Put carpeting between the pads and the hull to cushion things a bit.

When you have the front of the boat lifted on the jack(s), removing the forward roller assemblies makes servicing the keel hinge a LOT easier.

Think safety. C-Clamp some blocking to the trailer frames to prevent the keel from flopping sideways. Never trust hydraulic jacks as a single support. Put safety blocking in place to catch the boat if a jack should fail.

Edited by - on

steephen
Navigator

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100 Posts

Response Posted - 04/05/2006 : 10:50:32

Does anyone with a SK know if/what the torque should be on those four keel hanger bolts? I replaced the whole set-up two years ago but never knew if all the bolts were of the same tightness. I've had no problems, and lower the keel each season for a look.
By the way, why isn't that 1500 lbs too much weight for four bolts, especially when the boat's heeled over?
Stephen Z sailing "Little Wing" (#1667)

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 04/05/2006 : 11:36:21

Stephen Z,

Yes, those four little bolts don't look very confidence inspiring. We've discussed that here previously, done the math, talked to the factory, and I believe come to a consensus that if all the keel pivot hardware is in reasonably good condition (including the SS weldments buried up in the fiberglass), then one's time is better spent worrying about other things.

The torque for the four swing keel pivot hanger bolts is in the owners manual located else where on this website. About every two or three years, I replace the ones on my boat, reinstalling the new ones with lots of polysulfide goo, and tighten them with a torque wrench. So far, so good.

-- Leon Sisson

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 04/05/2006 : 11:36:46

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by steephen
 By the way, why isn't that 1500 lbs too much weight for four bolts, especially when the boat's heeled over?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Have you ever seen the truck commercial with a guy standing under a pickup truck that is suspended above him by a single bolt?

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steephen
Navigator

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100 Posts

Response Posted - 04/06/2006 : 19:53:33

Don: I try not to believe most of what I see on tv. But I will try not to worry about my keel bolts.
Leon: All I could find was the owner's manual, which doesn't have technical info. Do you know what the torque number is, or where on the site this info might be?

Stephen Z.

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 04/06/2006 : 22:43:57

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">All I could find was the owner's manual, which doesn't have technical info. Do you know what the torque number is, or where on the site this info might be?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Yeah, here's a [[url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/manbro/om79-2.asp"]link to it[/url]]<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">To remove the keel you will note that the keel pivots on a rod, secured by two cast fittings recessed into the hull. Should the keel require removal at any time, these castings may be unbolted by removing the stainless steel cable and the four 3/8 x 16" bolts from the underside. Make sure that the keel is well supported before removing these fastenings.

When replacing the keel be sure to use lock washers and a liquid locking agent like "lock tight". The bolts should be reset with a torque wrench to 35 Ibs. ea.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">But instead of LocTite, I use polysulfide sealant, as I mentioned above. I think LocTite is way overkill for this, and polysulfide does a better job of protecting the stainless steel threads from corosion.

-- Leon Sisson

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steephen
Navigator

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100 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2006 : 17:34:36

Ahhh, Leon, that's why they pay you the big bucks...
SZ

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