Swing Keel winch attachment question

[Clipper87]

Hi all -
I'm a fairly new owner of a 1977 C-22. As I've been cleaning it up I noticed how the winch is attached to the companionway area, and am a bit puzzled. I was told by the prior owner (who never put it in the water) that the assembly had been replaced and it certainly wasn't the original.

Would anyone like to weigh in on whether this winch is attached appropriately? I've seen references to other winches attached to wood more securely, with the grain, etc... I had it moored for 60 days or so last summer, but haven't sailed it yet. Any input is welcomed.

 

[pclarksurf]

Based on what I can see your winch is in the typical location-- classic through bolts in the cabin step. Appropriate is definitely up to you and your inspection. Typical challenges with the older boats was water working its way down the bolts and ultimately rotting or weakening the plywood laminate. In my case the step was two layers of 1/4" ply that was in very poor condition. Replacing the substructure is doable-- folks have used steel, wood and various creative ways of stiffening up a fairly weak point load. Couple of pics attached of my version-- I cut out the plywood completely and replaced it with a solid 1"piece of maple --

 

[Sacto Dave]

Hi Clipper87 and welcome to the forum!
A little over a year ago, I bought a '73 that had been sitting on a trailer for years. I believe my keel winch is original and have been advised that the cracks visible in the substructure (seen above the winch) indicates compromise or rot.

 

[pclarksurf]

If you compare your structure to @Sacto Dave -- you can see that yours is in much better shape visibly. Not unlike Sacto-- although much worse--mine was heavily cracked/crazed and the ply was weak and wobbly when operating the winch. Possible that you have a nice solid substrate-- many folks are running around on their original hardware without issue. It is less about a design flaw and more about care and neglect over 40 some odd years.

 

[MaryEllaRose]

I ran into the same issue with the Rose. I reinforced the top of the step with a piece of white oak on top and a 1/4 " aluminum plate on the bottom. It's rock - solid now but here's a couple of things to keep in mind: 1) Make sure that your winch is level when you're done. You may have to shim it. It's important that the cable winds up on the winch spool without bunching as shown in Sacto Dave's picture. Overlapping will lead to premature cable failure. 2) When you're trailering your boat, relieve the tension on the cable by lowering the keel so it rests on the trailer. Bouncing down the road puts a lot of strain on the step if the weight of the keel is left on it.

Tom G

 

[Clipper87]

Thanks all for the helpful comments and insights. I'm a bit relieved to hear that my current setup isn't flawed by design. My current trailer doesn't have support for the keep, but I have access to another that was made for the C-22. I welcome any thoughts on how I could rig something on my current trailer, just for the couple-mile trip to the coast to make the switch. Thanks.

 

[MaryEllaRose]

Don't scrimp when it comes to the keel hardware. The boat can damaged catastrophicly (as in sink) if the keel drops uncontrolled and cracks the hull. At best you'll have a heck of a time getting back on the trailer.