Just Bought My First Boat - About to Give it to a Scrapyard

Jun 1, 2004
412
Catalina 22 Victoria BC
@aftica_1 i popped out to Westport hoping to meet you but was told that you’re back in the water?
Edit: found her still on the hard. Missed you by 10 minutes according to the nice fellow working on his Monk trawler beside you.
Looks good!
 
Last edited:
Sep 18, 2024
18
Catalina 30 marina park marina
What I don't understand is the torque dropping. That implies that something is moving - it could be the bolt is breaking or the attachment is somehow not stable. Perhaps the hull is compressing or the keel attachment is sliding - neither are good things.

That is not a good sign and one I would definitely want to sort out.

dj
thinking about it afterwards, I think it may be my inexperience with the torque wrench. I was being as careful as possible as I’ve read horror stories of sinking bolts, I may just have not torqued it enough

I did manage to convince the yard to torque these bolts for me, hopefully this week, so Ill know for sure soon. The ones that did torque up nicely definitely had to be torqued, they were initially at 60 ft-lb (factory spec is 105 ft-lbs for my model), no wonder I have the smile.


@aftica_1 i popped out to Westport hoping to meet you but was told that you’re back in the water?
Edit: found her still on the hard. Missed you by 10 minutes according to the nice fellow working on his Monk trawler beside you.
Looks good!
too bad I missed you! I’m there almost every weekend at this point but usually leave early Sunday if I can to get back to the lower mainland. Glad you got to see the boat in person!

The owner of the Monk Trawler is really nice. He let me use his car headlights last night so I could do the first coat of bottom paint! (Started at 9)

Here is the boat currently!

IMG_1727.jpeg
 
Sep 24, 2018
3,001
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
@aftica_1 Nice progress. Go sailing, enjoy the boat and keep an eye on the keel issue, specifically are the keel bolts sinking into the fiberglass at the bottom of the keel. It may need a repair later when you have the time and funds.
Is water seepage ever an issue with C30 keels?
 

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,750
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
I believe it can be. I understand that failing sealant at the keel / keel stub joint lets water seep in and get the wood wet.
I don't think it's as much as a problem with newer C30s without the plywood in the keel stub but that is my impression from what I've read.
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem
Apr 8, 2010
2,027
Ericson Yachts Olson 34 28400 Portland OR
Do you have any cites for this or are you thinking of a problem wih the late 80's 302 model?
It has been way over a decade, and I do not recall the exact model. The story was either here or the other large site, sailnet. There were pictures of the inside sump after the boat was recovered, with torn out frp. Kind of unsettling, actually.
 
  • Like
Likes: Ward H
Nov 22, 2011
1,219
Ericson 26-2 San Pedro, CA
The C30's, and if I'm not mistaken, other Catalinas, used wood until 86 or 87 when the Mark II came out
I had an 87 MK-II and it definitely had wood in the stub. It was bone dry, but wood nonetheless.

I believe the change happened in 1988, though I can't say whether some of the '87 boats also had the all-glass stubs. But mine most definitely did not.
 
Nov 22, 2011
1,219
Ericson 26-2 San Pedro, CA
If you mean 'no reports', you might want to change the wording to *"very seldom" ... as there was a time in the 70's when they were using a plywood reinforcement in the the sump. Keel bolts when thru that and a thinner-than-optimal layup. The plywood rotted. Not sure if any keel totally fell off, but fixing them was time and money consuming
The switch to all-glass keel stubs occurred around 1988. I was very active on the Catalina 30 list for the 10 years I had my boat and there were no reports of keels having fallen off. The repair is messy but not especially expensive or difficult. Catalina issued instructions on how to do it.
 
Jun 11, 2004
1,698
Oday 31 Redondo Beach
It has been way over a decade, and I do not recall the exact model. The story was either here or the other large site, sailnet. There were pictures of the inside sump after the boat was recovered, with torn out frp. Kind of unsettling, actually.
That is unsettling but you have the wrong boat and the wrong time frame. I would respectfully suggest that if you don't know the facts you should not post something like that.
 
Last edited:
Nov 22, 2011
1,219
Ericson 26-2 San Pedro, CA
The switch to all-glass keel stubs occurred around 1988. I was very active on the Catalina 30 list for the 10 years I had my boat and there were no reports of keels having fallen off. The repair is messy but not especially expensive or difficult. Catalina issued instructions on how to do it.
I just checked to see if I have the repair instructions from Catalina saved on my hard drive, but I do not. These files were readily available through the C30 forum I was involved with at the time. I probably did not bother to save it because my boat had no issues with the keel stub. But I do recall seeing the document at one time, and that the fix involved simply chiseling out the wood and laying glass in its place. It was hardly rocket science but more of a messy annoyance, as I recall from the posts of a few members who found themselves having to do the modification. Thankfully Catalina got rid of the wood in '88 or so, eliminating that as a potential failure point in later boats.
 

dLj

.
Mar 23, 2017
3,772
Belliure 41 Back in the Chesapeake
thinking about it afterwards, I think it may be my inexperience with the torque wrench. I was being as careful as possible as I’ve read horror stories of sinking bolts, I may just have not torqued it enough
Well, let's hope that is the case - otherwise it is not a good sign at all.

Do keep us up-to-date - we do care...

dj
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,657
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Here is the Keel Stub Repair document from Catalina Yachts
If the sump remains wet while in the water & keel exhibits a big smile, seems that it would be prudent to drop keel while removing the plywood core & glassing the sump. Only positive is that with the advent of multi / oscillating tools, should make the job much easier with the variety of blades, scraper, & sanding attachments available.
 
Sep 18, 2024
18
Catalina 30 marina park marina
I just got an update from the boatyard. They haven’t mentioned the keel yet but its a good thing they looked at the thru hulls. The engine intake apparently snapped from corrosion as soon as they touched it (the backing wood was rotten) and 2 others weren’t thru hulls at all, just copper tubes in the hull. Might have been a previous DIY repair.

I’m glad these are getting fixed before I launched!
 
May 7, 2012
1,477
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
I just got an update from the boatyard. They haven’t mentioned the keel yet but its a good thing they looked at the thru hulls. The engine intake apparently snapped from corrosion as soon as they touched it (the backing wood was rotten) and 2 others weren’t thru hulls at all, just copper tubes in the hull. Might have been a previous DIY repair.

I’m glad these are getting fixed before I launched!
Your surveyor should be held libel.
 
  • Like
Likes: FastOlson
Sep 18, 2024
18
Catalina 30 marina park marina
Your surveyor should be held libel.
That's what people keep telling me...I am not sure what I can do at this point but just doubt everything I've been told about the boat.

At least for my peace of mind the whole underwater portion of the hull has now been worked on by either myself or the boatyard, there isn't much left down there that hasn't been looked at.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes: jssailem
May 7, 2012
1,477
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
I am confident that your survey has a clause that says they surveyor is not liable for error or omissions.
How about negligence? Once everything is fixed to his liking, I would certainly confront the surveyor and go over what he/she missed. In a nice way over a cup of coffee.
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,257
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
I am confident that your survey has a clause that says they surveyor is not liable for error or omissions.
No doubt. However, every surveyor has E&O insurance (error and omission) specifically to protect against liability for both. They wouldn’t pay for such insurance if it was unnecessary.

Ask the surveyor who his underwriter is. Typically, that will get his intention. If not, pursue any claim with his insurer. Whether that bring you any satisfaction is another issue.
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem