I am thinking of trading up from Capri 22 to Cat 30 and have found an '89 boat in average condition. But.... during the survey we found a keel bolt whose thread is completely stripped /galled. Attached photo .What is the standard procedure for repair here. The brokerage/owner has suggested re tapping a thread for an under size nut. Given the loads on these bolts I am wary of this suggestion and wonder if there is a better option, other than walk away...
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Does it leak?
Is the keel-hull joint still intact? Or is salt water leaking into the bilge around the keel bolts? If saltwater is leaking in, I'd think really hard about this boat or get a major price reduction because the keel bolts are probably all compromised and you'll probably want to drop the keel to get things cleaned out and resealed properly. If the keel is tight and its just a munched-up bolt, give the Catalina factory a call. They are great on the phone (they aren't so good at answering email, so use the phone) and can tell you what they recommend. I think they have a keel bolt replacement thing which is essentially a big lag bolt that you install through the bilge right next to the existing bolt. It's not hard to do and not expensive.
Is the keel-hull joint still intact? Or is salt water leaking into the bilge around the keel bolts? If saltwater is leaking in, I'd think really hard about this boat or get a major price reduction because the keel bolts are probably all compromised and you'll probably want to drop the keel to get things cleaned out and resealed properly. If the keel is tight and its just a munched-up bolt, give the Catalina factory a call. They are great on the phone (they aren't so good at answering email, so use the phone) and can tell you what they recommend. I think they have a keel bolt replacement thing which is essentially a big lag bolt that you install through the bilge right next to the existing bolt. It's not hard to do and not expensive.
Ask this question on the Yahoo Catalina 30
Ask this question on the Catalina 30 Yahoo Group message board and you will get good advise. Basically, the keel bolts don't mean anything. The keel bolts are only used in production to hold the keel to the boat until the adhisave cures. After that, they really aren't needed. By 1989, the keel bolts were stainless, not steel. I think they changed them in the late 70. Check the Yahoo Catalina 30 group for more information. While you are at it, you might want to take a look at www.catalina30.com. Dave
Ask this question on the Catalina 30 Yahoo Group message board and you will get good advise. Basically, the keel bolts don't mean anything. The keel bolts are only used in production to hold the keel to the boat until the adhisave cures. After that, they really aren't needed. By 1989, the keel bolts were stainless, not steel. I think they changed them in the late 70. Check the Yahoo Catalina 30 group for more information. While you are at it, you might want to take a look at www.catalina30.com. Dave
Thanks, I've asked the seller to contact Catalina and make the repair to they're recommendations. Water has been getting into the bolt hole from the bilge because the nut was not even hand tight .There is a hairline crack on stbd side of hull/keel but no sign of water getting in. I also asked the seller to remove all other keel nuts for inspection as the survey indicates evidence of crevice corrosion on all bolts. Maybe these are all related, maybe not, thanks anyway.
Check out...
the latest issue of Pacific Yachting. They had a writeup on this. Sister lag bolts are being done by some owners. They basically said the idea of adding sister lag bolts may not be a very good solution since lead is so soft. They didn't have any quick and easy solutions. Dave: I heard that before about the adhesive being the main support. Maybe it is but it just doesn't seem that any adhesive could be that strong. I don't know. Cheers Rob
the latest issue of Pacific Yachting. They had a writeup on this. Sister lag bolts are being done by some owners. They basically said the idea of adding sister lag bolts may not be a very good solution since lead is so soft. They didn't have any quick and easy solutions. Dave: I heard that before about the adhesive being the main support. Maybe it is but it just doesn't seem that any adhesive could be that strong. I don't know. Cheers Rob
I have an 83 Catalina 30 whose keel bolts are stainless and don't leak and in excellent condition. However, I bought a full set of stainless nuts and added them over top of the existing nuts. You might consider this as an option if there is enough thread left especially higher up on the thread. What is the condition of the other bolts and overall condition vs price of the boat? The lag bolts are availble too as previously mentioned.
Hmmm... the lagbolt repair sounds like there might be problems later on if the stresses start to pull on the thread/lead. We'll probably re-dress the bolt (grind off the remains of the thread) and cut a 5/8" thread over it in the end. I'm not a great believer in adhesive to hold , great if it does, really really bad if it doesn't.
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