I was given a 1977 Cal 21 this morning but it needs a new swing keel and a few other things but I'm looking for a keel first then I'll see about the other things that need repairs or replacement anyone know where I should look for one and will one from another boat other than a Cal21 work on the Cal21?
In search of a swing keel for a Cal21
- Thread starter Bobby1959
- Start date
That's a 360 LB swing keel designed specifically for that boat so unless you live near a foundry you will probably need to find a free Cal 21 that still has its keel and not much anything else. Having said that I can imagine myself being in your shoes and deciding that I would try to build a swing keel out of plywood and adding ballast to the bottom of the boat just to see if it would work. Only problem is that's about as far as the project would go as I seem to have an unusual ability to paint myself into a corner.
Back in 1986 I had a Clipper Marine 23. We lost the cast iron centerboard and the boat was no longer being manufactured. Back then I has much less money and much longer to live than I have now, so I made a plywood mock up, got it fitted and working right and then went to a local steel shop (actually a blacksmith) and got an exact replica cut out of 1 inch thick sheet. Added lead cheeks at the bottom to get it up to weight and wrapped the whole thing in fiber glass. Sailed it for 15 years.