swing keel repairs & retrofit kits?

[sanshonea]

Hi, I am new owner of 1979 Catalina 25 swing keel without a trailer. I bought it in search of a shoal draft boat because the dock only has shallow depth slips of less than 3' at low tide and no more than 4' high. It has a just got a bottom job and it is in boatyard and it seems timely to also do maintenance and redo the swing keel parts. The question is how far to go. Catalina Direct says to replace keel cable at least every 2 years. Also recommend a "Keel Hanger Casting kit" with new pins, bolts, ball, etc. , plus "Keel centering Spacer" kit to stop swing of keel and therefore wear of pin, hull clunk, etc.

They also say don't moor boat in slip with keel up. So then what's the point as most owners I know have keel up at dock???
Doubt prior owner did any maintenance given bottom condition.

Have any of you installed the retrofit kits?
Are all those what I should do? Your advice welcome. Thanks, Frank

 

[Grasshopp]

I did that exact job on my Catalina 22 in my back yard. It was an easy job and made me feel a lot better about the safety of my boat. I did the casting and the spacer kit. Never did get to the cable, that was on the list, but did not get done before I had to sell.

As for the keel up or down. pros and cons to both. If it is left down and growth gets in there you won't get the keel back up easy. you could have trouble putting it on a trailer or getting it out of the water for maintenance. If it is left up, and the cable broke it could swing down and damage the keel trunk. but if I read your situation correctly then you have no choice but to leave it up. (Shallow dock) If it does drop it might hit bottom before doing any damage to the keel trunk. I feel though that with regular maintenance cable failure is minimal. with the spacer kit you minimize the wear that the pin gets with it up or down.

just my own thoughts and experience.

 

[sanshonea]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and advice "grasshopp". What you said helps me feel safe and good about going ahead with getting both kits and a zinc which I am not sure is on the boat. Stay well and safe yourself in Iraq. Thanks for all you do.
ciao, Frank

 

[Bilbo]

I have a C22 that we dock in about 4' of water on average. The dock is in a bay that is not very protected from wave/wind action. Some boats are moored. Some don't advocate docking a sailboat because they would say that the wave action on a moored boat is more from the bow. Boat into the wind.....and all. What I discovered on my lake is that in bays, the wind and waves aren't always in agreement. The other boats really don't cause much wake damage in my situation but for some it is a concern.
This water height varies on my lake because of several factors but mostly the whims of the Army Corps of Engineers who control the reservoir height and so my dockage is anywhere from 4 1/2 feet of clear water and then 6" of mud down to 3 1/2 feet of water (according to depth-fish finder). So, with my C 22 Swing keel, I vary the height of my keel and try to keep the keel as far down as possible. This is partly because of the keel and lifting hardware but also to minimize rocking effects on the mast rigging. If I were to keep the keel up, the turning ball and cable would need replacing every year. Because when up the cable attachment for the keel is closer to the turning ball, the amount of sideplay on the keel will cause abrasion on the turning ball and cable. This will cause a flat spot on the slot of the turning ball and this flat spot can get so deep that the ball will not be able to turn. If the cable is rubbing on the turning ball flat spot it could cut the cable. I know this because when I bought the boat and I knew nothing, the cable had about 5 good strands left before breaking and that first ball is right here at my computer table to look at.
When the keel is down, the keel trunk helps to prevent side-play in the keel and takes most to all of the weight off of the lifting hardware. You don't however, want the keel to be hitting bottom or resting on the bottom for days on end at the dockage. That puts strain on the keel bolts and hull.

 

[Tractor John]

Don't forget the hose!!!!!

All good stuff here, but don't forget to replace or at least examine the rubber hose the cable goes thru. You want to double clamp this hose with the best marine grade clamps.

 

[Bilbo]

Yes, the Catalina Direct hose and clamps are very good and they are the correct size for the job.