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mfasis
Navigator

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114 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/05/2004 : 17:37:10

Tomorrow I will finally be able to hual out my new boat for the first time. It has sat neglicted in the water for many years. I have already ordered and recieved all parts pertaining to the keel and thru-hull fittings from CD. So far all I have been able to do is replace the keel winch.

I have spent a lot of time searching this site for ideas and techniques regarding swing keel maintainence as well as bottom painting but I am still a little nervous as all of this is so new to me.

Does anybody have and last words of wisdom?

Mark Britton
Huntington, NY
'82 C25 FK/SR #3202
"Good News"

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 08/05/2004 : 18:19:45

Begin

Edited by - on

mfasis
Navigator

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114 Posts

Response Posted - 08/05/2004 : 19:16:36

See, that is why I enjoy this website so much. Where else can you find such fitting yet succinct advice?

Edited by - on

oldsalt
Admiral

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USA
578 Posts

Response Posted - 08/05/2004 : 19:48:40

Seriously, since your boat has been afloat and neglected for years, if you have access to a pressure washer, the very first thing I would advise that you do, would be to meticulously clean up the bottom, take a good look at what's under the crud, and make plans from there.

Good luck with your boat.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 08/05/2004 : 19:51:30

Get on cleaning it right away. When the crap bakes on it's twice as hard to get off.
IMHO, the pressure washer is one of mankind's top 10 inventions.

Edited by - on

jwilliams
Captain

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USA
357 Posts

Response Posted - 08/06/2004 : 11:48:24

Friends and Beer

Jim Williams
Hey Jude C25fk 2958
SF Bay

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Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 08/06/2004 : 11:53:51

Did you get the new turning ball as well as the cable from C.D.? It is really not a huge job after the boat is well stabilized. How will the yard block the hull so that you can still drop the keel some inches to get to the cable connection on the keel? That would be my only real concern, because if they set the boat down on the keel, you won't be able to access the pin.

As I recall...just unwind and unhook the cable from the winch, drop the cable down the hole. Knock out the pin and remove the old brass turning ball and replace. Unhook the old cable at the keel, attach the new one...thread it up through the hole (actually I think THIS is the time I changed the turning ball, to make sure the cable rode over it properly), reattach the cable to the winch. With some tension on the cable, rewind it onto the winch. Unless you are going to change out the fitting on the keel itself (I have not, but might if in salt water), you are done with that part. Then pressure wash, sand, fill any blisters, repaint and voila! Done!

Gary B.
Commodore of Vice
s/v Encore! #685 SK/SR

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mfasis
Navigator

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114 Posts

Response Posted - 08/06/2004 : 22:20:44

Well the boat is out of the water. I have never seen so many barnacles! I finished scraping today. Tomorrow I will be working on the keel. I am glad I have all of the parts on hand. So far so good.

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2004 : 09:50:55

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by mfasis
 Well the boat is out of the water. I have never seen so many barnacles! I finished scraping today. Tomorrow I will be working on the keel. I am glad I have all of the parts on hand. So far so good.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Mark-
If "Blew Bayou" has been in salt water for many years (you said there were a lot of barnacles on the hull, so I guess the boat is in the Gulf), there is an issue involving the keel you need to be aware of. This involves the hole in the keel through which the pivot pin goes, in the front end of the keel opposite where the cable attaches. Over time, the cast iron keel gradually rusts around the hole, since the hole is fully exposed to the salt water even if the rest of the keel has been encapsulated in epoxy. As the keel "works" against the pin, the rust flakes are ground off, continually exposing fresh iron to the salt. The net effect is that the hole gradually gets larger and elongates upwards as the bronze pivot pin slowly eats away the rust, effectively "sawing" away at the keel until, in extreme cases, the hole wears completely through the top edge of the keel. This is a catastrophe whether the keel is up or down, as the sudden failure of the pivot and free-fall drop of the 1500# keel is almost certain to snap the cable, and damage the cable winch too. Then, without the ballast weight of the keel there, the whole boat is likely to roll over, even sitting at a dock, and probably downflood and sink if the pop-top or companionway is open. What you need to do is inspect the pivot pin, and especially the hole in the keel, while you have the boat hauled out. You can try to look up there with a flashlight, but chances are that there won't be enough of a gap for you to really see anything, and to be really sure, you should drop the keel. This involves removal of the 4 bolts that hold the pivot bracket. There are several message threads on the Cat 25 Forum that explain how to do this, so i won't go into it in this message, except to say that the keel is EXTREMELY heavy and lowering the front end of it (removing the pivot bracket bolts), requires care and planning. Remember that the bolts are only 3/8" diameter, and thread into stainless steel plates embedded in the fiberglass. Whatever you do, DON'T apply excessive force on the wrench as you remove or reinstall thhese bolts! If you damage the threads on those embedded plates, you will have a VERY expensive repair bill to replace them. Personally, I would contract the job of lowering the keel for inspection and replacement of the pivot bracket to the boatyard. The keel is so heavy that I would rather let someone else takes the risks of dropping it. There's a good chance that your boatyard guys have done this before, since there are a lot of Catalina 25's around, and they will know how to go about the job using proper heavy duty lifting equipment. I recommend you replace the bracket and pin in any case, even if they look in decent condition. The cost is less than $100 from Catalina Direct, and you will have the peace of mind of knowing that the entire keel has all new parts, not just a new cable. If you find that the pin hole in the keel is enlarged, you need to call Tech Support at the Catalina factory in Woodland Hills, CA, and ask for instructions on the recommended method for repair. I think this involves boring out the hole and installing a bronze or stainless steel bushing to bring the hole back to the proper diameter that matches the pivot pin, but call them for precise instructions. They may have a retrofit kit available that has everything you need. Good Luck!!

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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.