Keel Cable Replacement

Apr 1, 2016
21
Catalina 22 14735 Lake St Clair, MI
I'm thinking of replacing the keel cable and associated hardware while the boat is on trailer before launch this spring. Can this job be done while sitting on the bunks, or do I need to raise the boat off and lower the keel a bit to get to everything?
 
Jul 13, 2015
893
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
Going to be tough on a stock trailer. Picture from a stock ‘73– Eyebolt and assembly will be buried in the hull:

3CF61154-EB9A-4116-B085-063C836663F7.jpeg
 
Apr 1, 2016
21
Catalina 22 14735 Lake St Clair, MI
Mine is resting on the trailer, there is a "little" of the eyebolt showing I guess.

KeelHangerBolt2.jpg
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
By the looks of pclarksurf's setup, you could just slide the boat back on the trailer to let the CB drop between supports. I know "just slide the boat back on the trailer" makes it SOUND easy. you will want room to catch the new cable end, just getting the old one off isn't as big a problem. Try a pair of car jacks under the stern. Watch the bow rollers, though. Block it, once it's up. You want plenty of support to spread the load out on.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Sep 11, 2013
242
Catalina 25 6106 Lake Erie Metro Park
Here’s how I did mine:

Jack up the trailer/boat and support it with jack stands. Build a wooden cradle with 2x6’s that supports the boat fore and aft. Lower the trailer and pull it out. I did the whole keel rebuild, including drilling the pin hole and inserting the stainless bushing with only having to lower the keel down on a wooden cradle with a hydraulic jack. It’s a two person job putting it back. Use two hydraulic jacks if you can and use threaded rod stock as guides to align the bearings.
Somewhere I’ve got some pictures, I’ll post them if I can.
Tom G
 
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Jul 25, 2016
197
Catalina 22 Sacramento
If you are only planning on replacing the keel cable, you can do that while the boat is lifted, but still resting on the trailer.

Use a couple of straps to strap the trailer axle to leaf-springs. You don't want the trailer to lift as you begin to unweight it. Next, nower the tongue jack as far as possible. Take a couple of saw-horses and put them under the aft end of the boat. Place a couple of 4x4's across the saw-horses and build up the wood until it comes in contact with the stern of the boat. Then raise the tongue jack as far as possible. This will begin to lift the boat off the trailer bunks. Take some scrap 2x4's and fill in the space between the bunks and the boat to add some stability. Continue repeating this process until you can lower the keel enough to get to the keel cable bolt. Once you have the boat lifted enough off the trailer, then support with some jack stands. I have done this several times now, unfortunately.....

Kevin
 
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Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Been there done that. I imagine it would be pretty easy to lift it just enough to access the cable.
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
I've been considering making a set of those trailer mounted jacks.
A set is around $600. They temporarily mount on the trailer, and pads (like those on boat stands) are cranked up to lift the boat. nice and simple for yearly antifouling touchups, and keel inspections.

http://boatstands.com/product/trailer-mounted-boat-lift/

The brownell ones are $700. Total boat version is cheaper.
I've got a welder, and have acquired old 2 screw jacks for free, so the DIY version should be even cheaper. :)
 
Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
I'm not sure I understand exactly how/where the cable is attached to the keel, but could this job be done with the boat sitting in the water? Would it be possible to do this with the boat tied up at the dock using SCUBA gear?
 
Apr 1, 2016
21
Catalina 22 14735 Lake St Clair, MI
Bottom Paint Question while I'm at it...
I've scraped all of the existing paint off the hull and will be painting this week. I got pretty much all of it off, then power washed all the remaining dust off. Do I still need to do the 80 grit sanding job to rough up the surface for painting. I'm planning on using a primer, then Interlux Micron Ablative paint.
Secondly, the keel seems to be in pretty decent shape, most of the bottom paint still looks good, aside from a few rust bubbles.
Should I just take care of the rust spots and put more bottom paint on it? bottompaint.jpg
 

Adam D

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Sep 8, 2017
12
Catalina 22 Harrison Lake
Bit of an older thread but I figured I would add something to the conversation. I have an '86 Catalina 22 and did the keel cable on it last winter without raising the boat off the bunks. I just removed the rubber support for the keel on the trailer. Crank the keel all the way up, then remove the bolt for the rubber support and use a hammer and a punch to get it out. Then just lower the keel the few inches that you made space for and it is more than enough space to change the keel cable. If the eyebolt looks fine then it does not need to be replaced. Takes about an hour to do the job this way and its safe and can be done alone easily
 
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