CATALINA SMILE

NICK1951

NICK1951

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Aug 3, 2014
68
CATALINA, BENETEAU OCEANIS 36, 400 Grosse Ile, Mi and Fajardo, PR
Hello all,


I visited my 1984 Catalina 36 on 4/25/17 which is on a cradle in Michigan. There is a hairline crack on the front of both sides of the keel extending 15 inches aft. This is between the fiberglass stub and lead keel. It was not there in the fall. Based on my internet studies, this may be caused by poor blocking of the keel. I understand the keel needs to be supported forwards not aft, due to the aft rake of the keel. Unfortunately, I supported the full length of the keel. I plan to check the forward keel bolts for torque. Mike Barnard from West System has an internet article suggesting widening and beveling the crack then filling with G flex 655. I plan to check the integrity of the plywood beneath the fiberglass in the bilge. Any thoughts? Thanks.


Nick
 
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Apex

Apex

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Jun 19, 2013
1,197
C&C 30 Elk Rapids
g-flex for sure. They should start calling it a Catalina frown.
 
capt_clyde

capt_clyde

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Nov 17, 2009
20
Catalina C-310 Falmouth
Is this problem limited to the Catalina 36' or is it common to other Catalina's?
 
C

Capt jgw

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Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
capt_clyde said:
Is this problem limited to the Catalina 36' or is it common to other Catalina's?
Click to expand
Actually can happen in any boat with a bolt on keel. May be more common in some models than others, but they all can do it.
 
P

pufferboat

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May 1, 2014
4
Catalina C34 Muskegon
We have a 1990 C34 with the same smile. I see that the Fiberglass is starting to delaminate from the keel, and based on the recommendations from West Systems, I will be using "GFLEX". This forum does raise a question though. Is it possible that this could be an area that is allowing water into the Bilge? Although, after sitting on the hard all Winter long it still fills up with water.
 
C

Capt jgw

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Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
If water weeps out after haul out, then yes water is leaking in. If that water is rusty, then the bolts are corroding and need attention. My Columbia 36 was doing that, and when I tried torqueing the bolts one broke off. It had corroded all the way through and was the source of my leak. I dropped the keel and replaced all the bolts.
If the weeping water is not rusty, torqueing the bolts and sealing the joint should be all you need to do.
 
M

Meerchaum

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Apr 5, 2020
4
Catalina 27 Northbridge, MA
My Catalina 27 has a noticeable smile. It looked rusty in a few spots before we stripped the bottom, but now that we are digging into it, I see mostly saltwater corrosion on the lead behind an old patch. Guessing I should try torquing the keel bolts. Does anyone know a source for the torque spec?
 
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