FINAL C22 questions - Pivit Pin, Hanger Bolts, Keel trunk... Need help to finish.

[Carl Wonderful]

Got the boat raised and the keel off of my "new" 1971 Catalina 22..Repaired keel and now its time to put it back on. Now what? Owner passed away in 2022 so I have no info about what he did or didn't do, unfortunately....If you could give specific materials and step by step directions that would be great!! I've tried to look all this up from multiple sources..but always end up a little less confident that I'd like to be before I dive into this stuff for the first time

I know there's a lot here, but they should be answered pretty quick and simply...from anyone that has experience with these things.


1. Keel is done and ready to be put back on. The photos were from BEFORE I fixed the keel, obviously. Wanted to show them so you can see the Pivot Pin.
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2. Pivot Pin & Keel Hanger Castings....
a. Is this the original pin?
b. It wont budge. Pound on it? or is possible its welded in?
c. Its so tight fitting in keel....but its almost as if Keel Hanger Castings are a bit too big cause there is a little play of the pivot pin inside the keel hanger bushings? Is that unusual?
d. I ordered 4 shim washers from catalina direct just to fill a little of the gap of the keel to the hanger casting, because I didn't want to make the plunge for all new Hanger Castings until I know if I needed them or not? The Old Keel Hanger Castings seem in good shape, I think?
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3. Keel Eye-bolt (that holds the keel cable)... Feels solid. There is a little rust/crack below it but doesn't seem to be effecting that bolt.
a. How to check this eye/bolt? Is it dangerous to check it...better to just leave it be?
b Torque spec on this eye-bolt?
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4. I also have a keel centering spacer kit coming in a month. I heard you can install them while the keel is fully back on the boat?
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5. I have the Catalina direct KEEL CABLE, BALL, HOSE and HOSECLAMPS KIT. Any tips or tricks to install the keel cable? My Keel winch seems to be working just fine so I did not replace that.
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6. 4 BOLTS for Hangers.
a. Even though they all came out easily..I ordered new stainless steel bolts from cataline direct. Am I correct that the torque spec on theses should be 30 foot lbs?
b. Do I use loc tite 243? And how much do I use? Never really used lock tite before...
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7. KEEL TRUNK
a. Looks pretty good to me.. The cracks seem to me to just be cosmetic. There is one little chunk taken out of the corner by one of the bolts though..? Should I worry about the cracks or the chunk?


Thanks guys. I have books and the official tech manual and owners manuals and I still am not certain what to do...A lot of the issue is that I don't know what the owner did so hoping to get everyone's opinion so I can understand what is going on and how to specifically remedy this issues and get on with my life, lol.

THANKS A BOAT LOAD!!

 

[Gene Neill]

On the subject of keel bolt torque, Catalina Direct is dead wrong. The proper torque of 5/16"-18 stainless steel bolts is about 12 ft-lbs. (Don't take my word, here's a google link)

Threadlocker is optional. I use it, just a little dab on each bolt. I replace my keel bolts annually, which is overkill of course. But what the heck, it's like five minutes and five bucks a year to keep them perpetually brand new. I get them from McMaster Carr.

 

[Carl Wonderful]

Yeah I went with ~140 in lbs for the keel bolts...which should be close to 12ish ft lbs. My torque wrench only shows inch lbs.

Anyone else have any opinions or info on the other stuff like the keel pin that doesn't move? Can that be welded in or that had epoxy used to make it permanent.... and what are the pros and cons of doing that I wonder?

 

[Gene Neill]

Okay, this is only a guess. But, iron and steel both swell up when they rust. Perhaps the swollen iron is gripping the pin very tightly?

I don't think (another guess) that iron and bronze can be welded together. Someone could have used epoxy, although there would be zero reason to have done so. The pin cannot escape the hangers unless the hangers (and the keel) have already fallen off the boat. But, people do strange things.

Until I was ready to do a complete keel restoration job, I myself would not try to loosen/remove/replace that pin if it does not come out willingly. The keel eye bolt would concern me more, but I would probably live with that too, for the moment. I've seen some shockingly deteriorated swing keels still holding together somehow.

 

[Carl Wonderful]

Yeah the pin feels and looks solid... I did not mess with it besides trying to bang it a few times with a mallet. Once It didn't budge I just left it go and am good with it. Just very curious ya know!? I heard of people using epoxy for them but not sure why?