Recently looked at a 380 on the hard. It was a 1998. It was exceptionally clean with bright shiny keel bolts. But, the keel was being fared at the hull to eliminate what the broker called the "Catalina smile" which he said was not unusual. The hull and keel showed no indications of grounding but they could have been repaired already. Is there a common crack in the joint at the hull?
Catalina keel "smile"
- Thread starter pitzerlaw
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In many cases, it is a result of Catalina, in a less than wise move, using plywood in the bilge for the keel support. I believe it was anohter member here, Maine Sail, who posted some very disturbing photos of what happens to plywood in a bilge.
A proper fix involves dropping the keel, removing the rotted plywood and rebuilding the keel support area with a very thick layer of fiberglass, and then rebedding the keel.
Filling the crack with filler compound is going to look like a repair, but it really isn't—it's just a cosmetic cover up of the problem. Without rebuilding the keel support inside the hull, rebedding the keel and torquing the keel bolts to the proper specification, you run the risk of losing the keel.
In all fairness, I should also mention this smile is typical and normal for Catalinas and never seem to worry about it which always seemed strange to me being a problem unique to Catalina. If another boater with a different manufacturer boat noticed this problem, I would expect they would be very concerned. I could never differentiate the mentality.
A proper fix involves dropping the keel, removing the rotted plywood and rebuilding the keel support area with a very thick layer of fiberglass, and then rebedding the keel.
Filling the crack with filler compound is going to look like a repair, but it really isn't—it's just a cosmetic cover up of the problem. Without rebuilding the keel support inside the hull, rebedding the keel and torquing the keel bolts to the proper specification, you run the risk of losing the keel.
In all fairness, I should also mention this smile is typical and normal for Catalinas and never seem to worry about it which always seemed strange to me being a problem unique to Catalina. If another boater with a different manufacturer boat noticed this problem, I would expect they would be very concerned. I could never differentiate the mentality.
I didn't feel comfortable about what I saw. Your thoughts make sense. I should add that the sole had been completely removed for replacement because the bilge cover boards had delaminated as the result of an alleged leak from arond the mast step. I thought that must have been a long standing leak. Perhaps that moisture penetrated the plywood? It looked very clean and normal in the bilge.
Very common among Catalinas and no big deal. For peace of mind, I would check keel bolt torque and clean and fill the crack. Probably never come back.
I also do not believe that the C 380 would have plywood in the bilge beneath the keelbolts in 1998 era. That crack is much more likely the result of a past grounding. Also as far as what Don said, I have never heard of any Catalina actually loosing their keel, or having one fall out beneath a boat as a result of a Catalina smile crack developing. All of the fiberglass surrounding the keel faring would have to give way & the keel bolts would have to rip through all layers of the keel stub, etc., which is extremely unlikely. Also the keel is not dropped to repair a keel stub rot problem, such as on a C - 30. The boat always rests on the keel when on the hard. It must be well blocked up in position, but the keel bolts are removed & the rotted areas of plywood are cut out & replaced with new fiberglass matt & roving, etc. & the bolts are then re-torqued once the bilge has been restored. But this is something that U don't have to worry about doing on this model & year of construction Catalina. I would adjust any offer to deal with the faults that the boat actually has, but I wouldn't let it prevent me from making an offer, if the boat is otherwise in good condition. That said, there are a lot of fish in the sea & boats for sale. Hunt down the one that is right for you.
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