help! can not lower the keel!

[bmwtourer]

I can not lower the keel of my new to me catalina 25 swing keel.

it looks like the one with automatic clutch; it moves, i could turn clockwise and heard a click.
but trying to turn counterclockwise the odd/ bizarre bold simply unscrew!
see the "normal" state and below the "unscrewed" result...
How do I remedy to this?

 

[Ken Cross]

I don't know specifically the Catilena 25 but I would look for a dog that prevents accidental movement.
I'm sure others will chime in.

Ken

 

[Meriachee]

Judging by the condition in the picture, some preventative maintenance might be considered. Maybe a disassembly, clean and possibly lube?

 

[31seahorse]

Welcome bmwtourer,

First, I'm not familiar with the boat you have, so I will just ask a few questions that might be of some help in sorting out your sticky situation. I like the suggestion of adding some lubrication to the parts. Does a crank of some sort fit onto that nut with the flattened sides or do you crank from some other location? If the boat is our of the water can you take some pressure off the mechanism by wedging something under the keel? Can you see the cable? It might be wound up in an overlapped position. Removing some wood on the centerboard trunk might expose the problem. If the wheel to crank is very tight the "stuck dog" suggestion might be your answer.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Where is the handle ? A handle fits on that shaft and is secured by either a lock nut or 2 nuts together.

 

[Daveinet]

There has got to be a cog someplace that engages with the gear. Slip your phone underneath and take a photo, so you can see what locks the gear in place.

 

[Leeward Rail]

If the lock nut for the winch is not secured correctly it will spin off the shaft just like the photos. The handle is sandwiched between nuts that are tight enough that the handle can spin the shaft either direction.

The CD website has Fulton winch inatrcutions and a description on how the clutch works.

 

[bmwtourer]

I would look for a dog that prevents accidental movement.

...sorry, what is a dog? some clip that would lock the "nut"?

 

[Leeward Rail]

That "nut" is prevented from turning, by a handle and another nut.

Do you have the handle or is it missing ?

 

[bmwtourer]

Where is the handle ? A handle fits on that shaft and is secured by either a lock nut or 2 nuts together.

the handle does fit the bizarre nut, I agree nothing prevent it from unscrewing ...
whould there be open end c shape lock washer ?
like

???
btw thw cable appear to be really recent.. no rust or even "trace of use"

 

[Leeward Rail]

No no lockwasher. Just another nut. When you tighten 2 nuts towards each other they effectively prevent themselves from.turning. especially when you are actually turning the handle sandwiched between them.

 

[bmwtourer]

No no lockwasher. Just another nut. When you tighten 2 nuts towards each other they effectively prevent themselves from.turning. especially when you are actually turning the handle sandwiched between them.

there is no thread available for another nut.
the bizarre one is pretty long and take all the thread

 

[Leeward Rail]

 

[Leeward Rail]

The winch on a c25 usually has a removable handle.
In the photo above is a new handle itself, and a piece (barrel) that threads on the very end of the winch shaft.

On one c25 I saw, there was a second nut with nylon in it, that you turn backwards (as if you are removing it) which jams the "barrel" so it cannot easily spin off.

One at our marina, has a "barrel", like the one in the photo, with little set screws in the side which allow you to lock it in place and prevent it from spinning.
(You can just see the set screws if you look closely at the barrel in the photk)

Maybe post some images of you handle.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Looking your photos in a decent size, on a computer now, and the shaft DOES seem to a groove in the end of the shaft for some type of clip. What year is your C25 ? Maybe that is some older setup that wasn't on the C25s I have been aboard.aboard

 

[Ken Cross]

...sorry, what is a dog? some clip that would lock the "nut"?

May not be relevant, but a dog is the "clicker" that keeps things from turning in the wrong direction (like on a winch, inside a mechanical watch, inside your parking brake, or in a rachet wrench).
Ken

 

[bmwtourer]

Looking your photos in a decent size, on a computer now, and the shaft DOES seem to a groove in the end of the shaft for some type of clip. What year is your C25 ? Maybe that is some older setup that wasn't on the C25s I have been aboard.aboard

I will get and post pictures in 5 or 6 hours of the handle, may be I am missing the little "barrel"

 

[31seahorse]

RE: dog.......not the four-legged kind that makes a "WOOF" sound.

A trailer winch would have a "dog" that is moved manually from one direction to the other to keep the winch from turning to unwind the cable, rope, or strap. That is the clickety-click sound you hear as the dog moves from tooth to tooth on the gear it meshes with. There needs to be some mechanism on the turning parts of your CB winch or the centerboard would lower as soon as the "wincher" or "cranker person" stopped cranking. If that is jammed or rusted in place I can understand how you might not be able to unwind the cable to lower the CB.

 

[bmwtourer]

here is the handle, sorry for the dust I am sanding and repainting the whole boat..

the white tube is rigid...

 

[Leeward Rail]

Interesting. Looks like your weird nut is actually the piece that fits into the winch. Just like the barrel on the evidently newer c25s I have seen.

The groove on the shaft in your original photo does look like a spot for a lock ring. Hmm..

There is another c25 at our marina, that I can likely inspect, but it will be a few weeks before I get back up there.

I suspect that if you turn the shaft with vise grips it should lower the keel, but that is no help in the long run. Maybe test with cloth protecting the shaft ?