How to re-install a keel

Oct 18, 2015
40
Catalina 22 Kent Narrows, MD
Hi everyone,

I did a quick search but didn't come up with much. Does anyone have any lessons learned or even specific steps (or cradle plans maybe) for re-installing the swing keel in a C22?

My local boatyard wants a small fortune to do it. The boat is currently on a trailer and I can't see any way to reinstall while it's on the trailer. I DO have boat stands and can get it off the trailer.

Would love to hear from those of you that have already been down this road.

Thanks!
 
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May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Rusty....you'll find lotsa "methods" here on this forum, but all C22 related (550# keel). Not certain, but I believe yours maybe ~ 1500#?). Definitely a boat yard job from stands with a forklift IMO (or rent a forklift)...others will chime in...goes without saying, but be safe, regardless of how you approach it. We have a guy at our club with a new to him C25 that needs keel work, will ask how he's going to tackle it.
 
Oct 18, 2015
40
Catalina 22 Kent Narrows, MD
I've been giving this some thought - a LOT of thought as a mistake with a 550lb slab of metal could be devastating...

1. pull boat off trailer onto stands (I've done this before - not that hard)
2. use engine hoist (I have one already) to lift keel into a cradle (I need to make this).
3. make the cradle for keel is on a slight angle with pin side the higher side. also make cradle so it WILL slide under the boat, but NOT have a lot of clearance.
4. LOWER BOAT onto keel (using boat stands). My thought here is it might be easier to drop the boat down a few inches instead of building a rig to raise the keel - but the jury is still undecided on this one.

Feel free to tear this apart - it's just some initial thoughts.
 
Oct 18, 2015
40
Catalina 22 Kent Narrows, MD
Not certain, but I believe yours maybe ~ 1500#?).
My original post had a typo (since fixed). I have a C22, not a C25 as the original post indicated. Thanks for catching that! There is NO WAY I would try to do this myself with anything bigger (like a C25 keel). Thanks again!
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
whew!....ok, so you have a C22, not a C25....you'll be fine, search this forum, as said plenty here have done it...many methods and threads on it, your on the right track, and when re-installing, use some threaded rod to help/hoist/snug it into position (what I did).
 
Sep 28, 2017
14
Catalina 22 Southeastern Pennsylvania
Here's mine going in one snowy day last December. The procedure I used went as follows:
I jacked my trailer up and left the boat on the bunks, then removed the axle and crossmember.
I had caster wheels on my sled, so I rolled the keel into position.
Attach the keel lift cable and put some tension on it with the winch.
Put the keel support castings over the keel pivot pin and thread 4 sections of 5/16" allthread into the support bolt holes.
Run nuts with washers up the allthread until they are in contact with the support castings
I chose to Jack the forward end of the keel with a scissor Jack and then follow every inch or so with the nuts on the allthread. This is a lot easier than trying to raise the keel with just the nuts as there is not much room to swing a wrench and raising it would take all day with the weight of the keel on the nuts.
I raised the keel with the Jack and the lifting winch keeping it level, the allthread will guide it into place. Keeping tension on the lifting cable will help keep the keel vertical.
Once it was raised I removed one piece of allthread at a time and installed the bolts.
I have also attached a photo showing my sled at the time of keel removal, this should give you a good idea of what you need to build.
One tip I do have is to bolt your keel support castings in place and measure the gap between them before starting installation, and compare to how thick your keel is, if you have refurbished your keel you may discover that the gap is too narrow now due to the thickness of the epoxy coating on the keel. It will be a lot easier to belt sand some material off of the support castings before you have the keel hanging and you will need to use less work words.
20170826_144615.jpg
20171209_104539.jpg
 
Oct 18, 2015
40
Catalina 22 Kent Narrows, MD
I like this idea MUCH better than my original plan. It never occurred to me to just remove the axle and a cross member.

Thanks for the pro-tip too. I did in fact by the new hangers, and they are A LOT thicker than the ones I took off. I'll measure carefully. I want it snug but certainly not too tight.

Really appreciate the help!
 

greg_m

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May 23, 2017
692
Catalina Jaguar 22 Simons Town
Awesome timeous post... thanks!

I am currently fairing my keel and have been browsing all sorts to figure out safe and easy way. @Norton750s method looks really good.

My job for next month!
 
Jul 13, 2015
893
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
As mentioned-- lots of iterations on how -- I use boatstands to relieve myself of the trailer-- installation via allthread method is painless and SAFE!

Be prepared to cut down your hangers-- my trim mark below and I was successfull with a simple metal chop saw.

File_000.jpeg
File_002.jpeg
 
Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
I just re-attached my keel, and the "all thread bolt method" in pclarksurf's top photo above is great. Being able to draw the keel up to the boat, with perfect alignment by the all thread bolts, is a huge help. You can also use the keel cable itself as a guiding device. Raising a simple auto jack under the front of the keel also helps to carry the load upward, and take the stress off the bolts.

Make sure you orient the keel hangers with the pivot pin up inside the keel slot, and not hanging below. In the heat of the moment, it's easy to have a mental lapse, and put them in upside down, with the pivot pin below the hull. I consciously knew this, but still managed to screw it up, and wound up having to reverse them. Being cramped up under the hull can do strange things to your brain function, at least in my own case.

Overall, it's really not a bad job at all-
 
Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
Depending upon how much work you need to do to the keel, you might be able to just leave the keel on the trailer supports, and raise the boat up and away from the keel.

I didn't need a huge refurbishment, so that's the way I did it. I wooden wedged the keel vertically between the keel supports on the trailer, and just left it there. Detached the 4 keel bolts, and the boat was raised up the full extent of the jackstands, and gave a workable amount of room above and around the keel. Afterward, it was just a matter of lowering the stands, and the boat came right back down on the keel, within about 1/2 inch or so in my case. No keel sled needed. Probably not for everyone, but it worked great for my needs.
 
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Jul 22, 2011
146
Mariner Yacht Co.(NH) Mariner 28 Atlantic Highlands, NJ
We did a friend's with two floor jacks and a frame as in post six. Piece of cake. One jack under the front, one under the rear so we could control the angle. The frame kept it from wobbling. A lot easier than it looks.
 
Sep 14, 2014
1,251
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
I hear you about the hangers going in upside down, My PO must have had a senior moment, but I did not realize it and splashed it anyway, will fix someday, it goes up and down quite nicely and I dock it year round so it can wait until the bottom needs done, which with two coats of trinidad SR so far has made it 3 years now with little or no growth except tiny barnacles on the boot stripe that stays wet for the last 15 inches or so of the port stern. Pix shows threaded bolts for anode near the mixed metal hanger complex as it sits in salt water year round.
D anode attachement and new numbers.JPG
 
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Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
Jacktar -- how hard was it to tap the threads into the keel? I ask as I should probably do that myself..
 
Sep 14, 2014
1,251
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
Very easy, use oil and take it slow after drilling correct size hole first.