81 H22 swing keel bushing

Apr 5, 2018
95
Catalina Capri 25 Jackson
hey all. I have my keel out, and after reading the posts on here and looking at the pictures I’m starting to chip away and take out the worn nylon bushing. Even after exposing the bushing it’s really stuck in there (almost looks like it’s glassed all the way around?)and I’m pretty confused on how I’m supposed to get it out

Can anyone provide some pics and guidance on how exactly I get this thing out? None of the pics I’ve seen have included the actual removal
 
Oct 31, 2008
30
Hunter 386 Point Breeze,NY
ID, It's been a while since I did mine, the bushing is 1.5 inches dia. by 1.75 inches length, I remember cutting or sanding the fiberglass on one side of keel to expose the nylon bushing , I think I used a cone shaped punch to pound the old bushing out ( it was a tight fitted bushing ) but I did get it out by hammering on it !! I went to local machine shop to get a new nylon bushing made and they suggested going with brass and a new steel pin , they took measurements from old parts, new parts fitted perfect ! Good Luck.
 
Apr 5, 2018
95
Catalina Capri 25 Jackson
ID, It's been a while since I did mine, the bushing is 1.5 inches dia. by 1.75 inches length, I remember cutting or sanding the fiberglass on one side of keel to expose the nylon bushing , I think I used a cone shaped punch to pound the old bushing out ( it was a tight fitted bushing ) but I did get it out by hammering on it !! I went to local machine shop to get a new nylon bushing made and they suggested going with brass and a new steel pin , they took measurements from old parts, new parts fitted perfect ! Good Luck.
Thanks for the tips!! Cone punch seems like the way to go to get through, but what I don’t get is that each side of the keel is different. So I chipped/opened the starboard side, which looked like direct access to the Bushing, but now looking and poking in the port side the material under the glass hole seems much softer, like I could pound dents into it and chip it away very easily, vs the nylon on the other side(starboard side I chipped away) which is very dense.

From the one pic and vid I’ve seen I think i chipped out the wrong side , so I might just have to glass both sides. I just don’t get what I’m trying to pound out, cuz each side is different

Also, all the measurements I see are 1 1/4” od for the bushing and are 2 1/4” Long.

So is there a “filler piece” that also comes out that you then add a longer bushing to fill the whole widt of the keel

I think I have no choice but to chip out both sides to try and get this thing out, I don’t see how everyone only opened one side and knew wat was in there
 
Last edited:
Apr 5, 2018
95
Catalina Capri 25 Jackson
False alarm, I did infact grind out the correct side and got the bushing out easily. I could t tell what was glassed in and what wasn’t and I was afraid of doing more permanent damage