G
greg
I have been thinking about dropping the swing keel onmy Catalina 22 for some maintenance. I think I have come up with a workable idea that would involve securely fastening the keel to the trailer (a few temporary mods to the trailer), unbolting the hinge plate bolts and removing the keel cable connection. Then I would back the trailer into thewater, float the boat off the trailer and keel. I would then pull the trailer up out of the water, go to a local free gantry frame and hoist the keel onto the bed of my pickup. Then I would go back and retrieve the boat and park it until the keel is ready to be reinstalled. In theory, this seems to be a workable solution. Since my boat is currently parked close to the water, I am able to leave the mast up. I have heard people losing their keels, presumably while sailing, and not turning turtle. So I thought the above scenerio would work with the mast UP sans keel. Or would that be pushing the margin of safety? Any comments or input about my "plan" would be appreciated.