77 Catalina 30 Keel Crack

[Roger Dupre]

I have owned a 77 Catalina 30 for more than 20 years. Pulled and stored each year. Have never had any crack between keel and hull, until this year. Notice the small, diagonal cracks with dried rust stains. Keel is very tight. No water leaks noticable bilge, except for drainage from ice chest. I checked web site and found I likely do not have stainless keel bolts so, it appears the rust is from the keel bolts? My question is, has anyone experienced a similar problem and, if so how did they correct. My plan would be to grind out and repair with glass screen and West epoxy. Comments please?? Check photo on Photo Forum page for same topic " Keel Crack Weeping Rust "

 

[Richard]

Keel stub

Roger,Although I don't have the problem, it may be that your keel stub is going south. The 3 forward keel bolts run through a plywood or hardwood stub (Pre 88')that is sandwiched between the keel and bilge. When this goes soft I believe it(one of the reasons) creates the "Catalina Smile". If this is the problem, Your West System fix probably wouldn't last a season. I have the fix in JPEG from Catalina. Or go to site below for this and other info as well. Hopefully you won't have to use it.richard@gresham.com

 

[Gene]

Keel Stub Wood Test

I don't claim to be an expert or experienced but do believe in KISS! Yes the wood may be bad but don't automatically think that the worst possibility has always happened. I would remove the keel bolts, clean them, chase the bolt threads, replace any corroded ones with stainless, and retorque them. This should be done one at a time. If your bolts won't torque down firmly and hold torque then and only then would I consider bad wood.

 

[Roger Dupre]

Keel Bolt Removal

Years ago, when I left the boat in the water, I would find water in the bilge. I found the leak in the aft end of the boat where the rudder had a burr and had rubbed the glass thin enough to allow slight drips of water. Since that repair, bilge has been dry. Before I found this, I thought the leak could be around the Keel bolts so I epoxyed over them (dumb!). Anyway, the nuts would be very difficult to remove. If I were to follow your suggestion, and cut the bolts, one at a time, how would I remove them from the keel? How deep do they go? How would a replacement ss bolt be fastened inside the keel? Thanks for your response. Oh, I am inclined to agree with your assessment. If the wood had gone bad, I think I would see a keel crack vs a few diagonal smiles, as you see in the photo.

 

[Roger Dupre]

Keel Stub Wood Replacement

Richard, thanks for your response, and the excellent drawing. I'm keeping all my options open. I assume the wood covers the entire area over the keel stub? About how thick is the remaining glass underneath, once the wood is taken out? About how thick is the replacement 3 alternating layers of glass I would replace the wood with? Are there any bolts underneath the Atomic 4 that would be difficult to reach? Also, any good ideas on how to remove some clear epoxy, w/o glass webbing, that someone foolishly may have poured over the keel bolts??

 

[Richard]

Keel stub

Roger,I'd assume the glass would be thinner than the wood your taking out. Ive heard that you would probably have to lift the engine to get at the keel bolts under it. As for getting rid of your epoxy job I suggest a full face safety shield and a ball peen hammer. Go slow so you don't hit the threads. There are methods to replace your keel bolts in stainless and you can find them in the archives. I would suggest you seek out the best resource for laying up the glasswork. I would also suggest that you find a way to pump the icebox directly overboard so your bilge stays dry. Its an easy project less than $50......

 

[Gene]

Nuts

Rodger,Sorry about my previous answer, I used the word bolt, should have said "nut."