Cat 25 swing keel damage

[Esteban Diaz]

Ladies et Gents, Thanks for those that replied to my request on advise in the outboard placement balance. New question:Yesterday I saw an 81' Cat 25 with a lot of potential, offered for sale by a reputable dealer. This is a swing keel boat - and I did find a minor fiberglass repair on the floor inside, just above where the keel hangs. I've read that you periodically need to inspect/replace the cable and pivot hardware that swings down the keel. The pivot pin being made out of bronze and only a 1.5" diameter will wear much faster than the iron keel. Of course, should the pin give way the keel will swing down freely and could seriously damage the hull.I found no sign of a repair or damage on the hull itself, although difficult to see through a couple of layers of paint and some minor imperfections. The dealer tells me that on a boat of this age, and to a great degree some of the new ones out there, I would be hard pressed to find one that has not had some form of minor damage due to the swing keel. Again, it's an 81' vintage. I'm contemplating on making an offer and wonder whether a survey is worth the price considering it's more expensive than the insurance. Anyhow - possible first boat. Any thoughts or experiences with this? thanks in advance, Esteban

 

[Mike]

comments

It's possible that the damage is to the trunk area where the keel lock is. The keel pivot pin is located in the bottom of the hull, and is held in place with 4 bolts, which should be checked every year. If the boat is out of the water, and on a trailer or stands,you should be able to get a bit of a visual by looking up inside of the trunk area with a flashlight from beneath the hull. It will be very confined, but might give you some insight(no pun)on the damaged area. Note that the keel locking pin is situated below the waterline when the boat is in the water.

 

[Bayard Gross]

Some additional comments

Mike’s advice is excellent and I also suspect the keel locking bolt caused the damage.Nevertheless, as discussed earlier on this site, when the cable on a swing keel C-25 fails with the swing keel up, that 1,500 pound keel can do some serious damage to the trunk housing that surrounds the forward part of the keel. As even a relatively new cable can unexpectedly fail, this particular design feature is no longer employed on C-25’s. They now are either wing keels, or have water ballast with a smaller keel like that on an O-Day.I think it would be wise for anyone purchasing a swing keel C-25, to automatically install a new cable at the time of purchase, and preferably one from a good vendor like Catalina Direct.The keel pin and its hangers should also be examined. Technically, the pin should be locked into place into the keel and the pin should pivot on the hangers. However, the pin may be lose in the keel, in which case both the keel and pin will experience wear.A survey on a swing keel C-25 of this age should include removing the four bolts that hold up the keel and then removing the bottom part of the hanger assembly for a reasonably good examination of the keel pin and its placement on the keel. Understandably, this may not be permissible by the owner. However, were he or she to concede to this, then I think you should be prepared to at least supply four new bolts.You must note that the keel weights 1,500 pounds, and as such its removal if necessary will entail some heavy-duty work. I have a friend who successfully removed the keel on his 79 C-25 wile the boat was on stands. However, this person runs an auto-body shop, so he has expertise, tools, labor, and a friend with a tow truck to haul the keel. These are not items readily available to everyone.

 

[Ted]

I have no keel damage . . .

my boat is 21 years old. The keel and hull are in good shape. I would not believe what the dealer is saying. Where there is smoke there is fire. The evidence of damage/repair tells some sort of story. It would be to your benefit to understand the repair that was made. This will give you an idea of the condition/value of the boat.Regards,Ted

 

[tom b]

74 catalina 22 ft

i dont know im no expert by any means.. but ive read and talk to quite a few people.. and i haven't heard of alot of people complaining about keel damage or damage associated to it.. yea, i've heard of some people havin problems and yea it did cause damage.. but in the most part.. thats a pretty good size minority. you know what i mean..sounds like the dealer is givin u a line.. i'd pass.. i found mine at one of those car and boat donation places.. yea it needed some work and i didnt have an idea bout the keel.. guess i just got lucky.. if ur not gettin that.. hey take Me home, from the boat.. i'd pass, there are alot of catalina's in great shape and bad, all with no problem from the keel area like the others have said. it is a place that needs examining