C22 SWING KEEL

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MIKE KOSS

I notice that the swing keel on my 1981 c22 seems "sloppy" on the pivot pin- not snug as one would expect if the pin-hole clearance were tighter. (I gathered this information from lying on my back under the trailer.) I imagine that the hole in the swing keel is worn. I know that the cure for this is to drop the keel, re-bore it, and bush the hole to fit a new pivot pin. I would like to do this next winter. My question is- how much trouble am I in to use the boat "as is" this season? What's the worst that can happen? Thanks, Mike
 
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Bayard Gross

Difficult to say without dropping the keel.

Without dropping the keel, the wear in the pin hole cannot be accurately determined. While plenty of C-22's have sailed with this sloppiness, you may place sufficient stress on the keel hole and pin to where they will fail and break. Further, what about wear in the pin? I do think you have x-ray vision to inspect the pin where it is through the keel. Were the pin to fail, you would be one unhappy camper. But, then again, perhaps everything will last for another season. On the other hand, you could be swimming around in the drink saying that you knew you should have repaired that keel. It boils down the old Wise Sailor versus Lucky Dog routine.
 
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Ted

Drop the keel to take a look . . .

. . . the big question is how much wear is there now. You could take a look by lowering the front of the keel and exposing the bushings and pin. I would not use the boat with the pin in its current state, as it will only get worse. Generally what happens is that the pin continues to elongate the hole and eventually wears clean through the keel. At that point the keel goes bye-bye, down to the bottom, never to be seen again. Regards, Ted
 
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Mike

Keel Help.....

Being in the same situation that you are in, I asked the boat yard manager about my keel. I dropped the keel and we took a look at the hole. While it is worn and enlongated, it is not as bad as it seems there is still a lot of metal holding it in place. I purchased a bushing from CD and I am epoxying it in place to take up the little bit of excess space that is left. If I were you, I would drop your keel and take a good look at whats down there. Check your keel pin, as this can wear, and the keel hole. Also, check to make sure the hanger bolts are all there and in good shape. you can get a new keel pin for 9 bucks from CD if it is worn. Before you try to remove your keel hanger bolts, I would 'prep' them by spraying some anti-seizing spray up in the their holes and tap them with a mallet to loosen any corrosion that may have formed. I would do this a few times for a week or so to make sure htey are loose. The last thing you want to do is break a keel bolt in the hangers as it is a hell of a job to drill out the broken bolt and re-tap. Anyway, good luck and feel free to ask me for help.
 
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Bill Ogilvie

Sail your boat

What you are describing is normal for a boat that age. You should sail it this summer and do the work after you haul it out in the winter.
 
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