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 Swing Keel eyebolt failure, cracked fiberglass		  New Topic  Reply to Topic
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davidkmeyer
Deckhand

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USA
1 Posts
Initially Posted - 07/07/2025 :  15:16:45  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
1982 Catalina 25 with Swing Keel.

Cable was pulled up too tight and with lateral movement of keel, the eyebolt that connects the cable failed, dropping the keel suddenly. With the keel down I couldn't bring it into my marina so I left it overnight and found water in the bilge. After hauling the boat, I filled the bilge with fresh water and found some leaks.

I've ordered a new keel hanger kit from Catalina Direct, and the spacer kit but I'd like some advice on the fiberglass work needed.

Here are some photos:

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5372 Posts
Response Posted - 07/09/2025 :  05:37:31  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hello David, thank you for the excellent photos and detailed description of the failure incident of your swing keel Catalina 25. I’m very sorry to hear about it.
I’m not a swing keel owner, so I am not familiar with the pictured areas of your boat.
Aside from the faulty mechanism, it appears that the results are (1) a leak problem and worse, (2) a structural integrity or hull strength problem.
C25 hulls we’re laid up with wa-a-a-ay overkill on thickness and strength. That’s a starting advantage for your repair. It’s not easy to tell from the photographs but aside from the cracks in the hull, are there any missing pieces, or loose chunks of hull?
Either way, before you begin a repair, it’s important to know the full scope of the damage.
For example, could you simply fill the cracked areas with epoxy (kinda like gluing an eggshell back together), or would you have to cut out the affected area of the hull with a sawz-all and rebuild the affected sections by rebuilding the affected structure?
The former approach might be sufficient given the inherent strength of the rest of the hull, but you might sleep better if you rebuilt it.
A good approach might be to clean the surfaces back to the gelcoat so you can get a clearer picture of the damage. Then, if it’s possible, use plaster of Paris and built a plywood form to make a “casting” of the affected sections of the hull. This form would be used if you decided to take the sawz-all approach. The casting would be used to construct a fiberglass and epoxy replacement section of the affected sections of the centerboard trunk.
The former would be a good-sized project while the latter would be a huge one.
There’s a lot to think about.
Perhaps asking a marine assessor/inspector to eyeball the damage onsite would be a good place to start.
Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain — Milford, CT
Edited by - Voyager on 07/09/2025 05:41:20
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Lee Panza
Captain

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USA
468 Posts
Response Posted - 07/13/2025 :  00:05:18  Show Profile  Visit Lee Panza's Homepage  Reply with Quote
David:

You are one very lucky boatowner!

Based on the photos you posted, you came very close to a catastrophic failure and a sinking. But, now, you've got a fairly serious repair on your hands.

I'm going to share links to a couple of images to help you understand what needs to be done (I tried using the tags provided for incorporating the images directly, but I couldn't get them to work).

First, here's a portion of a diagram in the "Manuals & Brochures" section of this website. It shows the receivers that are embedded in built-up areas in the hull, into which the bolts holding the pivot hanger brackets go. They are identified as #14, and they are surrounded by a bulge of fiberglass that transmits the weight of the keel to the hull.

https://photos.smugmug.com/MYSAILBOAT/The-Boat-Renovation/The-bilges/i-T2nTFds/0/LDRrkn8ThNtctMc6Z8r3djD5pG9r492BzJ28tbQst/XL/Swing%20Keel%20components%20diagram-XL.jpg

This next photo was shot through an access port I've installed in the sole of the saloon in my boat. This shot is looking aft under the sole, along the ridge over the slot that the keel partially slides up into. To the far right is the bulge around the embeds and the keel hanger bracket. In your photos you show the undersides of those bulges on each side of the keel case (I had intended to go down and check the stowage locker under the dinette settee on my boat for the partner bulge on the port side, but I think it would be visible in that locker). Here's the view aft under the saloon sole:

https://photos.smugmug.com/MYSAILBOAT/The-Boat-Renovation/The-bilges/i-WLpC6dm/0/Nhnj53jBCWcRj9hxLHQJHxQcbFfhR6CzfLQb5PdDM/O/x_IMG_0203.jpg

The cracks you see on the outside of the hull indicate that these bulges were pulled downward with such force that they were nearly pulled right through the hull.

To repair this, you'll need access to those bulges on both sides. The stbd. one will require surgically opening up the saloon sole.

The leaking could be stopped by simply injecting some thin resin mix into the cracks from above. However, unless it fully penetrates the cracks to provide solid bonds, the support for the keel will still be compromised. A proper repair would involve layers of fiberglass & resin bridging between those bulges and the surrounding hull. That, of course, requires some grinding to expose uncontaminated material to adhere to.

It's a rather major job, but the potential consequences of not doing it right should not even be considered. Good luck!

- Lee
The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)
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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.