Do I need a new swing keel

[Ed Reynolds]

I have no experience with sailboats, but am looking at a '75 22 that's for sale. The swing keel looks quite rusted, and looks as if it's been painted more than once. The surface of the keel is not even or smooth. If I buy the boat, should I play it safe and have a new keel put in? Is the expense prohibitive given the age of the boat? Are swing keels generally problematic? I'd appreciate any insights, since I have to make a decision in the next 5-6 days.

 

[Nukesailor]

New swing keel

Unless there is major damage, you would not need a new keel. All it would need is refinishing. This would involve some work:Remove it from the boat (danger - 650 lbs!)Sand blast it until you see shiny metalCoat with epoxy to seal itFair to a proper shape with epoxy with fillers (one side of the keel will probably be flat, the other side curved; you want to shape it so both sides are curved like an airfoil).Seal it again with a couple of coats of epoxy.Paint with bottom paint, if needed.Important things to check when the keel is removed: the condition of the hole the pin goes through and the pin itself. If needed, these can be fixed, too; but that's another story.

 

[john renfro]

keel

hello ed, no need to replace the keel, it is just a big slab of steel. CATALINA DIRECT ( 1-800-959-7245 ) has a video that showes how to overhaul a keel. i used it to do mine, but unless you are a rabid racer, don't try to give it an airfoil shape as shown in the video,it took six weeks of two hours a day, eight on the weekends to fair it, ( spread it on, let it set, sand it off. ect. )for not any practical gain. so just lightly fair it and paint it. a new keel is around $900.00 and as nukesailor says, it is more than 600 lb.good luckjohn

 

[CHARLIE]

re-finish the keel

Hi, When I bought my 86 Catalina last fall I new something was wrong with the way the keel hung. I bought Catalina Direct's video and talked to a lot of knowlegable sailers around here and removed the keel. My trailer is substantially different than the one in the video, but the basics are the same, it is a lot of work. My pin hole was worn extensivly and I brought it to a local machine shop. They sandblasted it , re-bored the pin hole back to round, fabricated a stainless steel bushing and welded it in. While the keel was out, I re-finished the bottom with barrier coat apoxy and replaced the keel hanger and bolts. I couldn't see going thru all this and not use new parts. I re-finished the keel to the approximate shape ( it was real close to begin with)with barrier coat, fairing compound more barrier coat and bottom paint. If there is no major damage to the keel or hull and you don't mind a lot of work, I'd recomend doing this if the rest of the boat is worth it. Good luck

 

[Aldo]

Just Paint It

Ed: Or you could just paint it. Just scrape off the loose paint with a putty knive, wire brush the keel. Then paint on a coat of Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer, then a coat of Rustoleum paint. I don't know if the boats in your area use bottom paint on them. I know your boat isn't in salt water, but I don't know what grows in the water where you will be keeping the boat, so ask people at the marinas whether they bottom paint their boats. If they do, you would also want to add a coat of bottom paint to the keel. Then you can enjoy your boat. I paint my keel every year, and I would like to have it epoxy coated, but have never found the time or money to actually do it, and the boat sails just fine. Aldo