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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Keel Down--Help

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budd
1st Mate

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USA
45 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/10/2005 : 16:43:31

Help-- Jyst bought a 1980 CATALINA 85 SK/SR and have a couble of quick questions.
1. How do you tell if the swing keel is all the way down. Ive let it down until only 2 wraps was on the spool, didnt want to go any further until I know what happens.
2. under light winds should the keel be all the way down or womewhere in beteween while you sailing,
3. at about 4 knots, The cable seems to "Hum"; is this normal.
Thanks for any and all suggestions.
Bud

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 07/10/2005 : 16:51:24

The good news is that if the cable is humming then the keel is down a way and the cable is attached. On the C250WB there is no winch to raise/lower the keel, so we only know it's down when there is no more pull on the line. We're going to mark the line with some sewn in threads to indicate how much cable is out.

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Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 07/10/2005 : 18:07:55

Bud, when cranking the keel down suddenly becomes easy, the keel is down. That's somewhere between 27 and 30 revolutions from full up. If you want the hum from the taut cable to disappear when sailing, give it another half turn to the left. As soon as you can put the keel down and leave it down do so: your boat will be more stable and sail better.

Brooke

Edited by - Brooke Willson on 07/10/2005 18:09:22

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/10/2005 : 19:43:08

With only 2 wraps on the drum, the keel should be down all the way, or very nearly so.

Crank it back up a dozen turns of the handle... begin letting it down slowly. If you (or crew) watch the cable where it enters the keel pipe, you'll see it go slack when the keel is all the way down. Note the change in the force on the winch handle when it does and you'll have it mastered.

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bear
Admiral

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USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 07/10/2005 : 20:01:43

You could always put on a face mask and snorkel and go take a look when you think it is down all the way.

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dhunt
1st Mate

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USA
83 Posts

Response Posted - 07/10/2005 : 22:06:27

Turn the crank clockwise until you see the cable tighten . . . turn a couple of more turns and you will feel the weight. Now turn counter clockwise until you see the cable slacken. The keel is down. Try to leave it there -

As a general rule, only raise it when you have to . . . putting the boat on a trailer or getting off a grounding.

The keel should always be down when sailing (not like a 'centerboarder') It's best to think of the swinger as a keel boat with a temporary advantage of raising the keel for transport.

This forum is rich in information about all types of C25's and a lot of cautionary messages about the swingers . . . broken cables or fittings letting the keel swing down without control, can cause structural damage and sink the boat. Like anything worth having the C25 is worth maintaining and this forum is the BEST source of info about your boat.

I've had my swing keel 25 for nearly two years now and I love it!

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 07/11/2005 : 09:11:10

Bud,

I may be misunderstanding what you wrote. But if your swing keel cable is humming with only two wraps left on the winch, then I suspect the cable is too short. The attachment for the end of the cable on the winch drum doesn't look to me like it's intended to take the full weight of the keel. (And even less likely to survive the shock load of a keel bumping over a hard submerged object.) I'm under the impression that there should be at least two or three turns of cable still on the winch after the keel is all the way down, and the cable is slack. Like the wraps of jib sheet on a primary winch, these extra turns provide important added holding friction.

If the present keel cable is too short, I wouldn't loose a lot of sleep trying to figure out why. Used boats are full of such mysteries. On a previous swing keel boat I bought (not a Catalina), I discovered that those extra wraps around the winch drum were the only thing attaching the cable to the winch at all!

The frayed end of the cable looked like it had been gnawed through by some steely toothed monster. The other end of the cable at the keel was corroded most of the way through. The seller said he couldn't imagine how it got into that condition. (I hope he's getting medical treatment for that memory problem of his!

)

Since you just got the boat, if you're unsure of the age of the cable, this would be a real good time to replace it. I repace mine about every two years. In the past, I've ordered my cable a couple of feet longer than stock from Catalina Yachts specifically so that there would be more turns left on the drum with the keel down. Sometimes they shipped it long as requested, sometimes not.

-- Leon Sisson

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