1980 Catalina 22... keel damaged

[Mayaken]

Hello all,

Bought a 1980 Catalina 22, hull number 9708, at 2 pm on the 18th of April in Destin, Florida.

The night of the 18th there came a terrific blow and ripped the boat off anchor only to beach her 3 miles north off Jack Lake just south of Eglin AFB.

The rudder was torn off, tiller intact though Thank God.

The swing keel came off as well. It is sitting at the bottom of the harbour somewhere.

Being a handy sort, with a nicely equipped work shoppe, I plan to build a new keel from sandwiched and staggered stainless steel sheets from some old machinery that I bought at fire sale prices. Then I can glass it over and mount it.

The bugger of it all has been finding a pattern for a Catalina swing keel.

Does any body perhaps have that sort of thing close at hand?

 

[rpludwig]

Sorry for your loss/damage, now that is an undertaking I doubt this forum has never encountered!
Others will chime in with some dwgs, I expect, good luck with your plan, although I believe you'll need more than SS sheets, and you'll need the proper ballast weight (550# or so) to make it sail-worthy....may be better off searching for a keel off a trashed boat, or even ordering a new one...wonder how did the weldments fair in this tragedy?

 

[Mayaken]

The swing keel is pinned in place. The mounting brackets are still there, but apparently the pin sheared off.

Also the volcano sides were crushed when the swing keel winch gave way. Why is the swing keel winch made of potters metal when it is so pivotal to the whole enterprise? I would go on at length but I'm sure the designers meant well.

I'm going to build a new keel and then glass it into place as permanently "up". It will be a flats boat, may do Bimini in it but I wuldn't go much more. All I need is the swing keel measurements or a pattern so I can get it installed as originally designed and then glass it into place, filling the volcano and filling the keel-down rest as well.

inb4 "give up and buy another boat"

I'm not the sort to give up, I don't watch telly or play the video game, and I want to get this ship back up and into service again. It won't be an HMS but by God it will be the next thing to it.

Please someone help me with the keel pattern.

 

[pclarksurf]

They all tend to be a bit unique: but hopefully this should get you started:

 

[pclarksurf]

and a couple other views that might be helpful-- added a last minute photo of my hangers with calipers set to my keel width-- right at 1.5" I can archive the foil dimensions as well if you really want to go that far

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Most swing keel, daggerboard and centerboard (non-shoal keel) boats are very sloppy with their boards up. It's kinda like driving on ice with bald tires

 

[pclarksurf]

Can be — but if he’s willing to spend the time it can be tight as a drum: just a lowly spacer with zero play

 

[pclarksurf]

On second read @Project_Mayhem : yes! Up is nothing short of a canoe down es Mui bueno

 

[greg_m]

The swing keel is pinned in place. The mounting brackets are still there, but apparently the pin sheared off...

Huge "Gulp"....

That pin on my boat is at least 25mm solid stainless steel... To shear off it must have been severely worn! To me it would go without saying that the actual keel hangers must be very well inspected if you plan to reuse them...

Plenty of post about restoring the keels in the C22 forum and youtube and most of these talk about the hole in the keel wearing out rather than the pin! I am busy refurbing my keel and the hole is certainly the worn part. The reboring and pressing in a new sleeve is the option.

If I had to go the new keel route it would be as per diagram above but I would create the bulb effect at the lower edge with welded on strips for the extra low down weight, use good old solid mild steel and have it really thoroughly galvanised.

Surely you could sell the stainless to cover the costs of a new item as described in the drawings?

 

[Mayaken]

@pclarksurf : Spot on, mate! If you're ever in the Panhandle, hit me up. I owe you a growler of beer.

The previous owner had the boat in the water for over a decade. Salt water in a bayou off Choctawhatchee Bay.

The keel was already slated to be removed for a good cleaning, and the mounting hardware replaced as well.

The barnacles had set up a gated community on it complete with an HOA, quickie mart, and a Honduran lawn crew.

I had been planning to build a new keel and replace the winch, but since the volcano is smashed I'll go ahead and glass the entire thing into place for use as a flats boat. Much of the bay in this region of Florida is from 1 foot to 5 feet deep sand flats, and with a permanent-keel-up design I can go clear from Pensacola to Mexico Beach without having to take her into the Gulf.