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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

swing keel inspection

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dlewis812
Deckhand

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USA
14 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/11/2011 : 13:01:42

apologies for a basic question which has been answered many times (however couldn't find on a simple search).

have had my 25 swing keel for 6 years. i replaced the winch and cable last year but have never inspected the pivot point which makes me a bit nervous (no idea what maintenance if any has ever been done by PO). not really sure how to inspect and what to look for? again apologies if easy info to obtain.

thanks

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2011 : 14:42:39

I would highly recommend CD's upgraded attachment assembly for the cable to keel if you have the old eye-bolt. The pivot assembly is very solid, but it wouldn't hurt to look at it. If it "clunks" when you are sailing, the pivot pin and or/the hole in the keel that it goes through might be worn. I have tried several searches, but have been unable to find my original post on sleeving my keel a couple of years ago, or even a later reference that I made to it. I know it's there somewhere. It is easy to disassemble the pivot if your boat is on a trailer using four threaded rods the same size as the mounting bolts or possibly 6 - 8" full threaded bolts. Be sure that the aft end of the keel is resting on the trailer frame and the cable is slack. I slipped wood wedges into the housing to help keep the keel vertical. Use 12" lengths of rod to be sure of adequate length. Lock 2 nuts together very tightly on one end of each rod and spin another nut a couple of inches in on the other end and put a flat washer on it. Remove a bolt and replace it with a rod and tighten the free nut against the pivot casting. Replace all 4 bolts, one at a time, in this manner. Put a wrench or socket on the locked nuts to prevent the rod turning and back off the upper nut a few turns. Continue around the 4 rods to progressively lower the keel until it is resting on the trailer. Lower casting a little more to remove the pivot pin or unscrew the rods to remove everything. Look for wear in the hole and a sloppy fit of the pin through the keel and check the pin to be sure it is smooth and not bent. The pin should slide smoothly through the keel with no wobble. The same applies to the pin's fit in the castings. Let us know what you find and I'll keep trying to find my repair post.

Edited by - Dave5041 on 07/12/2011 14:44:34

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2011 : 15:28:20

I found three useful links for you:

http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19780
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21678
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22172

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Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2011 : 20:26:26

You Da Man Dave.....

This place rocks...if you own a C25/C250 and aren't here...well...

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2011 : 06:12:39

This link, hijacked from another thread, is about removing the keel; you won't need to remove the keel, but it has a good photo of the threaded rod method and the size and thread of the rod, although the rods can be shorter to just lower the keel to the trailer's central beam.
http://sailincat.com/boating/C25_proj/C25_sk_install.htm

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NCBrew
Captain

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USA
338 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2011 : 10:11:30

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave5041
 I found three useful links for you:

http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19780
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21678
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22172
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Does anyone have the link for doing the swing keel replacement on the hard. The boat will be about 5 feet off the ground. (Any problems?)

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2011 : 12:28:04

That will be a challenge. You can either build a support so the forward end only drops a few inched, an angled support for the forward end and lower the aft end to the ground, or a frame to accept a fully removed keel.. With the cable taking the bulk of the weight, a sturdy sawhorse would probably suffice in the first scenario, just make it high enough that part of the keel stays in the trunk to keep it upright. Personally, I would do the pin work with the sawhorse and reassemble and then crank the keel down to address the cable attachment. If the keel required drilling and sleeving, I would think more along the lines of a bench support.

Edited by - on

Frank Law
Navigator

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USA
159 Posts

Response Posted - 07/20/2011 : 12:04:13

This spring I was faced with the same problem , I would feel a clunk when lowering the keel .. 5-6 yrs ago I replaced the keel pin and hangars and noticed the keel pin hole was worn , but only filed the rough edges. This year the pin hole was badly worn irrgularly up to 1 3/8" I had ordered a new sleeve but that was only 1 1/4" and I had more slop than that.. I ended up having a machine shop make a new sleeve that was 1 3/8 '' ( $40.) I hand filed alot!!!!! I then filled the worn areas and all around the hole with Epoxy and pushed the pin/sleeve through the glop and let it set for a day.. Then raised the keel back up and bolted the hangars back in place.
My boat was on jack stands ,, I used the all thread rod method for lowering the keel ( it really works) I lowered it only enough to access the Keel pin/ hangars ( 8-10").. I made a frame work that allowed the keel to slide down with minimum clearance. The back end of the keel was held by the cable. I used a jack to hold the keel up then lowered the rod nuts and slowly lowered the jack , 1-2 " repeating the process over and over... Note the keel tends to slide back when the bolts/rods are removed My boat was about 40 inches off the ground .. I think you might have to stack up some cement blocks in two columns or have a real sturdy saw horse (800 LBS) . The framework I built was basically 2 right triangles mounted on 2 x 6s spaced to allow the keel to lower between them. I feel good about the repair. I hope this makes some sense to you
Frank Law
" ABOUT TIME "
1983 # 3519
SR , SWK ,

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