Catalina 250 water ballast swing keel

Nov 7, 2021
1
Catalina 250 water ballast Osprey
the pulley mounted in the centerboard trunk pulled out. As a result I cannot pull the board up higher than a 45 degree angle, a problem since the depth at my dock at low tide can be too shallow for the board at that angle. My question is about the ballast tank. I can’t find a diagram showing it’s shape and location. Is the tank above the centerboard trunk, or does it go on either side? I need to remount the pulley, but the steel plate that looks from the diagram to be glassed in doesn’t seem to be in place. Quarter inch bolts inserted into the holes where the pulley was attached don’t hit anything or line up with holes in the mounting plate. I’m concerned about hitting the ballast tank if I were to drill new holes to mount the pulley. Does anyone have any suggestions about reattaching the pulley so it can reliably hold the weight of the centerboard when fully raised.
 
Jul 7, 2013
35
Catalina 34 856 hamilton
i don't know if all the 250's are built the same, so take this with a grain of salt. i had a '96 250 and replaced the pulley inside the trunk. mine was through bolted. screw heads and finish washers were on the cabin sole inside and the nuts underneath. my understanding is that there is a cut out in the tank shape around the centerboard. the sole where my pulley through bolted was solid glass as far as i could tell.