Keel damage on Catalina 30, need help!

[ChangsinLattitudes]

Hello all,

Went to see a Catalina 30 in North East, MD 2 days ago. Really liked the boat, seems like the owner took good care of it, everything looked good and had tons of extras except.............

He had the boat on a mooring and the chain damaged the keel on the port side, looks like it wore the paint down to the fiberglass. When asked he said it wasn't structural, just cosmetic.
Some sort of delamination crack with some sort of mystery fluid weeping out of it on starboard side. Also some sort of dark liquid stain on the starboard side of the rudder, when asked he said it might be from when he greased the rudder stock.

My question is, what is the repair like for this, how much would it cost and should I just give up on this boat and find another one or continue to pursue it?

It's listed for about $3500 below fair market value so my opinion is it might be worth my time to fix. Keep in mind I am pretty new to sailboat maintenance.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

 

[patrickince]

I think you should google the term Catalina smile.

 

[ChangsinLattitudes]

I am familiar with that term, this is on the lower keel, not where the keel meets the hull on the forward portion.

 

[patrickince]

Oh good wasn't sure but I have heard that can be a costly fix.

 

[ChangsinLattitudes]

Yup! Heard the same. Just trying to get a feel for what kinda fix job this would be. Ideas?

 

[Scotty C-M]

Those look like three different issues.

The bottom of the keel is no big deal. Smooth it out and paint it over.

The keel should be a lead keel. If this is a break in the area of the lead, no problem. If the break is in the stub, it still should be an easy fix. Grind down, fill, glass and paint - there is a bit more to it than that, but basically that's the plan.

The rudder might be a bit more. The rudder post may be failing, which would require a rebuild or a new rudder. Eithor of those jobs is quite do-able, but you should reflect that job with a price reduction. I might suggest that you have someone look at this for you.

 

[Warren Milberg]

I agree with Scotty that these repairs don't look that bad to me and the cost of them should be reflected in the price of the boat. If you otherwise like the boat, make a contingent offer based on the results of a professional survey that would look at these issues (as well as the rest of the boat, of course) and then make a decision to buy or walk.

 

[jimmcgee]

The keel is no big deal. You may have water intrusion in the rudder, which is not uncommon. A moisture meter will tell you if there's water in the rudder. A surveyor can look at what's weeping out and give you an idea of your options.

At $3,500 below market it sounds like the seller already allowed for these in the price.

A survey is always a good idea.

 

[Randylb]

The first photo of the keel looks cosmetic and just needs to be faired and painted.

I'm not sure what the second photo is?

The rudder photo is likely water intrusion. I had the same issue, same location when I bought an 87 in 2004. I dropped the rudder dug out the bad material and rebuilt using west system it was a relatively straightforward DIY project. In many cases,as in mine, what happens is that there is a small drain hole in the well that holds the radial steering. The hole gets plugged and water enters the rudder stock which is hollow from above. I think some have repaired it without removing the rudder, but you need to drain any water that's in there. Others have replaced the rudder completely out of concern the integrity of the steel frame in the rudder was comprised. At one time you could by a rudder from Foss Foam Products for around1800 but that was a few years ago. You can always call them for a quote but the rudder is likely repairable.

Randy

 

[Apex]

bottom of the rudder post is rusting, and the water inside the rudder is weeping the rust. For me, the rudder looks like it needs replacement, others may choose for repair. the keel is certainly repairable IMHO

 

[Bad Obsession]

The rudder repair was $5,000 in 2006 when I bought my boat. I know because mine had the rudder replaced as part of the sale. A new rudder was bought and installed on the boat.

 

[AXEL]

I had to replace the rudder on my "77 C30 (see pic) after a grounding. I bought from Foss Foam in Fla. and had a boatyard do the repair. BoatUS picked up the tab. This was about 3 years ago. Cost $3500. But they also had to repace the quadrant and some other steering stuff.
BTY, I hightly recommend Foss Foam. They fabed and shipped total 7 days! No place else in the country could match price and delivery, not even close!

 

[ChangsinLattitudes]

Folks, thank you all for your tips and suggestions. It's most appreciated.