Question - Boat rested on Swing Keel...

Mar 7, 2015
13
Catalina 22 UK
Hi Catalina 22 Swing Keel owners

We are concerned about something that happened with our swing keel...

Our swing-keel 22 footer stays in the water on a mooring in the summer. At the end of the season we take it out for the winter.

The boat is floated onto a yard trailer, and to support her at the correct height we place short wooden planks under the hull and at the bow. These are clamped onto the trailer on each side of the keel before the boat is floated onto the trailer. The trailer is then gently and slowly pulled out the water up a gentle incline concrete ramp, and the trailer and boat are placed in a parking bay about 20 meters from the ramp, in the boat yard for the winter.

Last summer we unfortunately discovered too late that we had missed two of the wooden blocks on each side, meaning that the boat was not lifted clear of the keel (keel in up position of course) when it came out of the water.

Instead she rested directly on the swing keel itself as she was taken out the water, as well as on the starboard wooden blocks and blocks at the bow. She was not touching the port wooden block (which we only discovered later), so the swing keep took up a third of the weight of the boat.

You can see this in the photo -- there is a clear gap between the boat and the blocks on the port side by the yellow arrow, ie: not touching those blocks & resting on the swing keel.

We only noticed this many months later after returning to the boat last weekend to clean and anti-foul her in preparation for the summer. We also noticed that the keel did not appear vertical, but rather at an angle. See second yellow line on the photo.

We immediately jacked up the boat and placed the missing blocks on both the port and starboard side, taking the weight off the keel. We also then jacked up the back of the keel and let it down again, and it then settled in a more vertical position. See the picture labelled "after".

There is no visible evidence of any damage to the keel hinge or boat, apart from that the keel was not vertical. The boat is from the late 1970s (1978 we think), however the keel was removed and the entire front hinge was professionally renovated and refitted about seven years ago by a local boatyard.

Our question -- Has anyone had experience of their swing-keel 22 footer resting directly on the keel itself when out of the water, did this cause any concern or damage, and is there any way we can check whether everything is ok?

(see photos)
Thank you everyone!

Regards
Stirling
 

Attachments

Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
First, that is way too little support for the hull. I see you're from the UK, so maybe the Jaguar-22 version has a heavier lay-up of the fiberglass in the hull. On the American versions, the hull on the original versions of the C-22 is pretty thin and would probably not support the weight on such a small surface area, and the blocks would damage the hull where you have them placed. Typically the support bunks on a C-22 trailer are probably 12' to 15' long. You can see the length of the bunks, and the forward support on our trailer for our C-22.
So the keel was against the hull in the keelson slot, again not good, but the fiberglass is thicker in the keelson, so there is probably no damage. Looking at the angle of the keel, it appears like the keel pin hole has worn and probably needs a bushing installed to correct it. There should not be any play to allow that much movement in the swing keel. When the boat is left in the water, do you keep the keel up or down? The keel should be left down, when the keel is stored in the up position while the boat is in the water, there is limited support for the keel in the keel trunk. This is the biggest cause of wear in the keel pin hole, and hanger assembly.

Don
HOA LOVES ME.jpg
 
Last edited:
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
I don't think it is a problem. When the boat is in the water the full weight of the keel is supported by the pivot keel bolt and the keel trunk support. They also hold shifting loads when the boat heels. Both of these items should be able to support the partial static weight of the boat hull on them. Perform a visual inspection of the keel trunk and support and if nothing seems broken just wait until you launch the boat to confirm the raising and lowering operation is just as smooth as before.
 
  • Like
Likes: justsomeguy
Mar 7, 2015
13
Catalina 22 UK
Hi Don and Benny

Thanks both for your replies.

Yes we have often wondered whether the boat is well enough supported out of the water with the wooden blocks in those positions. However the previous owner supported it that way for many years, and we have done the same and we see no evidence of any damage. We have wondered about it but the hull seems perfectly fine.

On the question of whether we keep the keel in the up position or down position while in the water, that is also a question we have not had a clear answer to - and not decided ourselves which is best. Interesting to hear that the keel should be left in the down position when the boat is in the water. It is perhaps worth noting that it is moored in an estuary in the summer with strong tidal currents. The water is half fresh/ half salt. We have normally moved the keel to the up position before leaving the boat on its mooring, so mostly it has been up.

Is there any way to check for damage to the hull or the hinge / visually inspect these from inside the boat?
 
Mar 7, 2015
13
Catalina 22 UK
... also, another question, how stable is the boat if the hinge were damaged and the keel were to drop off in the worst case scenario? (touch wood that it never happens!) Would it immediately capsize even without sails, ie: lying at its mooring?
 
Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
I can't speak construction of the European models, I just assume they are very similar to the American versions. The swing keel design was to make the boat easier to trailer. Again, I assume the keep pivot design is the same as the American versions. The keel hanging assembly is completely visible from the bottom of the hull, there is no way to inspect it from inside of the hull. Let's look at what the manufacture say's in the owner's manual from the original design boat:

"You will note that the keel pivots on a bronze fitting recessed into the hull. Should the keel require to be removed at any time, this casting may be unbolted by removing the stainless steel cable and the four fixing bolts from the underside. Make sure that the keel is well supported before removing these fastenings.
You'll face special problems if you decide to keep your retractable keel model in the water, especially salt water. Bottom paint is a must, plus periodic cleaning and removal of marine growth from the keel trunk slot. The possibility of corrosion to the keel and keel fittings is greatly increased. Keeping a retractable-keel model in salt water for lengthy periods is not recommended.
Should you decide to keep a retractable-keel model in the water at a slip or mooring, the following suggestions may help to extend the life of the keel assembly. First of all, the keel pivot pin is made of silicon-bronze, the hinge castings are of brass, and the keel itself is made of steel. To retard electrolytic action which will "eat" away the metals, drill and tap the side of the keel (near the forward edge) as close to the keel pivot assembly as possible. Then attach a teardrop shaped "zinc." Keeping the keel in the raised position will help prolong the life of the flexible stainless steel cable by keeping as much of it out of the water as possible. Replacement cables are available through the local dealer."

I've taken the liberty of highlighting some important sentences. Now I don't know what a "lengthy period" is, but reasonably could be considered probably a month or longer.

If you look at the swing keel design, a good portion of the keel pivots up into the keel trunk in the hull. This minimizes the side to side motion of the keel while in the lowered position. In fact, most install spacers along side of the keel to eliminate any side to side movement of the keel when in the lowered position. This side to side movement is what wears the hole in the keel, and the pivot pin, not the raising and lowering of the keel. You lose this support when the keel is raised, and the keel is allowed to wiggle. It starts off just a little, but increases as the parts wear.

As to stability if the keel came loose, if the boat was on a mooring, probably minimal. But if the keel failed while sailing, the results would be catastrophic I would bet.

Another issue that most owners forget is when you leave the keep cranked up while the boat is left on a mooring, if the lift cable should fail, there is nothing to prevent the keel from violently swinging down. The top portion of the cast iron keel will hit the back side of the interior of the keel trunk, which is fairly thin fiberglass. The normal result is damage to the keel trunk below the waterline, which could allow water to enter the hull unnoticed until it's too late. It's also a fairly difficult repair to make because of the limited access. This is why I always kept the lift cable taught should I strike something under the water. The keel cable hum never bothered me, in fact, it gave me a good audible indication of my speed.

Don
C-22 KEEL DRAWING 006.jpg

C-22 KEEL DRAWING 005.jpg
 
Last edited: