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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
 Catalina 25 Specific Forum
 Swing Cable failure		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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Rollins
1st Mate

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USA
50 Posts
Initially Posted - 06/29/2002 :  19:48:05  Show Profile
Went hard aground on Tues.(minus 3.1) and cranked the keel up as far as I could. Today ( Sat.) I went to lower the keel and about 1/2 way down it snapped. BOOM, boom, boom. I think I might have over tightened the cable trying to get off the grounding (got a limit of Red rock crab though) but now I'm worried about damage to the pinions that hold the keel.

I plan to hoist it up to see if there's any damage to the pinions. If not I may just leave it down til I retrieve it in Oct. Or possibly replace the cable right then. How long would it take? Should I just take it to the yard and have it done? Anybody have a similar experience? Is it just as simple as feeding a cable (3/8"? and easily available, swaging?) down thru the hole or more complicated. '78 tall C 25. Help!
Terry
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Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts
Response Posted - 06/30/2002 :  10:17:29  Show Profile
Hi Terry,

Take a look in the brochures section at the C25 parts catalog.

http://c25c250.best.vwh.net/restricted/pc13.gif

This page shows the swing keel assembly. Of particular interest to you should be the turning ball in the tube. This item is often overlooked and ends up shortening the life of the cable.

Changing the cable should be done with the boat out of the water since replacing the turning ball at the same time requires removing the rubber cable tube. If the boat is in the water, you'll get a flood.

Of more concern to me is the loud thumping noises you experienced. There indeed could have been significant damage to the hangers, pivot pin, or even the hull and trunk. I would want to get the boat out of the water ASAP to inspect the area thoroughly.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839
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Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts
Response Posted - 06/30/2002 :  10:31:44  Show Profile
Yup, Bill is right, as usual.. Inspect carefully around the trunk, first, to make sure you haven't cracked it and opened up a small leak somewhere. Keep an eye on the bilge for awhile. Do you have a trailer? It might be fun getting it loaded with the keel in the down position. Good luck. As for replacement: if nothing in the hull or trunk is damaged, you can certainly replace the cable and turning ball yourself. I just did them on two different SKs. I got supplies, including new turning balls, cables, and even clamps through Catalina Direct. The job, with the boat on a trailer, took less than 2 hours each, probably less....I think the whole job will cost between $50-$100, depending upon how thorough you are in replacement of parts, and whether or not you damaged anything else. Since you are obviously using the boat in salt water, replacement of the cable should be done every few years. In fresh water it will last at least twice as long. Check the pivot and bolts while you do the cable job...

Gary B.

Encore! SK/SR #685



Edited by - Gary B. on 06/30/2002 10:33:29
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Gary
1st Mate

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58 Posts
Response Posted - 06/30/2002 :  11:45:01  Show Profile
The 1/4" cable has to come up from below 'cause there isn't enough room for the swaged fitting to get by the turning ball. Although a couple folks have replaced the cable with their boats in the water, it's not really an in the water job. Scuba?

Bill & GaryB offer good advice. Get your parts from Catalina or Catalina Direct and do the work with the boat out of the water. Good luck.
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Rollins
1st Mate

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USA
50 Posts
Response Posted - 06/30/2002 :  20:50:02  Show Profile
I slung the boat out to day and there was no damage to the pinion bolts or the hull. I grabbed the keel and tried to move it focefully and it seemed fine. So it looks like I'll be sailing as a fixed keel for the rest of the summer.

I'll order a new cable from Catalina and try to install it my self in Sept/Oct.

I really think that the damage was done by over tightening the keel winch when I was aground.

I'm extremely HAPPY with the preformance of the swing keel housing and pinion bolts in what could have been a catastophic failure. Anybody who's afraid of the "Swing Keel" in salt water should feel good too!.

I should mention that I just met the owner before the owner who had put shims in the keel to stop the clunk clunk. Maybe that bit of maintenence (he raced it) saved me.

Any comments welcome

Terry
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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.