Catalina Smile
This is popular topic on another group I subscribe to. ( Catalina30 ) on Yahoo. There are many very knowledgeable Catalina 30 owners in that group. You could go to that site and do a search on the many threads concerning the Catalina Smile. If I recall, the pre-mid 1980 boats used plywood sandwiched in the glass in the bilge holding up the keel. The plywood would compress a little. Catalina stopped doing this and went to straight fiberglass. Most people agree it is not a big issue. Clean / grind out the area, and re-glass. According to the people on that list, a keel has never fallen off a Catalina 30 in all the years they have been making them.
The bigger issue, in my opinion, was that the earlier Catalina's used steel Keel bolts and not Stainless. The steel bolts, after many years, just seem to get eaten away from the enviorment ! One guy is in the process of replacing those bolts, with the keel removed from the boat. ! Very intresting project, and he has posted many pictures of his progress. The easier fix which is backed by Catalina is to just add new SS lag bolts near the existing Steel bolts. But all in all, everyone on that list agrees that Catalina makes a great boat.
Walter Leary
1988 TRBSFK #5093
Bay Tripper
Boston Harbor
Searching catalina 30 at wikipedia there is a paragraph about the "smile". It mentions that this is only an issue with pre mid 1988 boats (pre MkII?). Anyone know if this is true? When my '90 was surveyed they mentioned the possible beginnings of a smile. I also found an archive referral to a smile on a '97. Just curious more than anything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalina_30
-gracias
S/V Sonrisa
