I am currently in negotiations for a Catalina 22. The boat I am interested in has been out of the water for quite some time. The cast iron swing keel in my opinion has quite a bit of rust on it. Can someone give me advise on how the keel should be maintained. I currently race a small boat and am interested in racing the 22 and fear the rust would slow down the boat. As I am concerned with cost does anyone think I could use this as a negotiating tool? Alex Price Rockaway, New Jersey
- Status
Care of Cast Iron
Alex: my experience is based on 20 years experience with a Catalina 25 swing keel. I've had similar issues with rust. The solution I went through last year was about $1200. I had the keel pulled, the pivot hole rebored and bushed with a bearing. The keel was then cleaned to bare metal and coated with non conductive epoxy that provided a barrier between the cast iron and the metallic based bottom coats. I noticed a small amount of rust at the pivot pin at haulout and will be apply approprate Zincs to the keel. Yes I would use the issue as a negotiating point.
Alex: my experience is based on 20 years experience with a Catalina 25 swing keel. I've had similar issues with rust. The solution I went through last year was about $1200. I had the keel pulled, the pivot hole rebored and bushed with a bearing. The keel was then cleaned to bare metal and coated with non conductive epoxy that provided a barrier between the cast iron and the metallic based bottom coats. I noticed a small amount of rust at the pivot pin at haulout and will be apply approprate Zincs to the keel. Yes I would use the issue as a negotiating point.
Look at a Capri 22 before you buy the C22
If you are looking to race it, before you buy, you may want to look around for a Capri 22, ideally one with the racing package. Of course you would need to be sure that you are willing to put up with some of the hassles with the Capri that improve performance, but make it less of a family-friendly boat. I will have to admit there are times when I would prefer the Catalina 22 over the Capri 22 since I have trouble justifying owning a racing boat when I don't race. Catalina builds the Capri so that gives you an idea of the quality.
If you are looking to race it, before you buy, you may want to look around for a Capri 22, ideally one with the racing package. Of course you would need to be sure that you are willing to put up with some of the hassles with the Capri that improve performance, but make it less of a family-friendly boat. I will have to admit there are times when I would prefer the Catalina 22 over the Capri 22 since I have trouble justifying owning a racing boat when I don't race. Catalina builds the Capri so that gives you an idea of the quality.
Cast Iron
Hello Alex, I had a friend who had a cast iron swing keel that he had to keep up, and his methos was to pull the boat block it and rent a small sand blaster to get down to the bare metal then primer it as quickly as you can. Then like another message had said epoxy paint works very well. What he did with the pivot bolt was stainless steel so that would never be a problem for him again. Then it was just a matter of keeping the proper bottom paint on. Hope this helps, Happy Sailing
Dave LaPere
Hello Alex, I had a friend who had a cast iron swing keel that he had to keep up, and his methos was to pull the boat block it and rent a small sand blaster to get down to the bare metal then primer it as quickly as you can. Then like another message had said epoxy paint works very well. What he did with the pivot bolt was stainless steel so that would never be a problem for him again. Then it was just a matter of keeping the proper bottom paint on. Hope this helps, Happy Sailing
Dave LaPere- Status