What is the wing keel of a Cat 22 made of?

[catalanc]

Hi Guys,
I posted the question below on the general site and it was suggested that the Cat22 forum might be a better place, so here it is! I appreciate any info.


I have a 22 MK II that I am laying up for the winter. I noticed that there is some "wrinkling" of the white material covering the wing keel, at the intersection of keel and the wing. My first impression is that I will need to remove the stuff that is detaching and replace it. So ... what is this stuff? What is the keel made of (iron, lead?). Any suggestions on how to remove the offending material that is lifting off?
Thanks as always,
carlos

 

[CloudDiver]

Carlos, the keel is lead. That wrinkling could be any compound... 3M 4200, 5200, or the like. I'm not sure that the wing keel was a 2 piece design, Don or someone else would have to answer that. I'm pretty sure it would have to be because you couldn't get the keel out of the mold otherwise and if there is a joint compound there that would be the reason why. You should be able to safely scrape it out. If it is something that will sand, do that rather than dig it out. If it is soft and spongy or just generally nasty I'd dig and scrape it all out then apply something that is a known factor. Most of us in here hate 3M 5200 and call it 'Satan's Glue' because it is so powerful that its difficult to remove and can literally rip apart fiberglass laminate when two pieces are pried apart... BUT in this case (a keel), 5200 is exactly what you should use. Once it is cured it is sandable almost like wood or cure epoxy.
I've never seen the wing section of removed from or how its bolted to the keel section. If you end up removing everything I think it would worth your time to inspect the bolts connecting the two sections for corrosion. If they were sealed up good you should have no worries. If you see any hint of rust I'd replace them.

 

[CloudDiver]

To be clear... the wrinkling you see is at the intersection of the wing and keel (at the bottom of the keel) where both parts are lead, and not at the top of the keel where the keel meets the hull, correct?

 

[CaptDon01]

Carlos,

The MK-II keels are a single casting, in fact, they are slightly different from the wing keels on the new design C-22's because they are borrowed from the Capri-22. Never seen any wrinkling on a MK-II, and I've had 3 wing keeled MK-II's. Maybe improper keel loading on the trailer? They should have 80% of the boat weight resting on the keel. The keel just has a fiberglass coating, so once the wrinkles are smoothed out, (Seems like a good job for a Dremel tool and thickened WEST epoxy), some white barrier epoxy might look nice to finish the job if you don't have any bottom paint.

Don

 

[catalanc]

To be clear... the wrinkling you see is at the intersection of the wing and keel (at the bottom of the keel) where both parts are lead, and not at the top of the keel where the keel meets the hull, correct?

CloudDiver,
Yes, at the bottom of the keel not the top. The keel appears to be affixed to the hull with four bolts which are visible from inside the cabin.

Don,
I really try to get the center of the keel centered on the carpeted wood support of the trailer when I haul her out. She is out now so I will try to sand/grind/chip off the wrinkled parts and smooth over with west epoxy as you suggest. The keel was painted but most of that has worn away. I keep the boat in Lake Dillon Colorado and the marina staff recommended not painting at this altitude (9000 ft) since not much grows in the lake. There is a film when I haul the boat at the end of the season but it all comes off with a quick powerwash.
Thanks for the suggestions.
cec

 

[CaptDon01]

Carlos.

I've towed our C-22 past Lake Dillon during one of our cross country trips. Someday we'll have to return to sail on the lake.

Don