Keel loose

[Doug Prenovost]

My recently purchased 25' 1978 Venture/Macgregor has no cable attached to the keel winch. When going over wakes the keel bangs around. Can this be fixed without hauling her out? Will the keel come to the up position forcing her on a trailer? Why on my 22' Venture does the keel stay down tight with the winch cable slack?Has anyone experienced this?

 

[Tom]

Keel woes

I've got a Mac25, and would not try to "force" the keel up by putting it on the trailer. That might damage the trunk. Our keel weighs over 600lbs. If you have a winch and it doesn't raise the keel, the cable is probably broken off of the keel. I would gather a line under the boat ahead of the keel, and pull both ends from the stern. If your keel is not locked with a lock-down bolt, you should be able to raise it up a good deal using this method. Just be very careful and don't "overpull" the line, as it will slip past the keel when raised, release the keel, and it will bang HARD against your trunk. If you can put a spotter in the water to watch the process and guide you, so much the better. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Richard Wallace]

The Keel Is Not Locked

The keel on the 25 swings on a large (1 inch) bolt and there is a smaller bolt that can be removed to let the keel swing all the way down. The locking bolt can then be re-installed and the keel will quit banging around. I am guessing that the keel is banging against the locking bolt or that the locking bolt is missing. If you are getting some water in the bilge when sailing, most likely the bolt is not there. I have been around a number of Mac's and some owners will put the bolt in to keep the water out (use some big stainless fender washers and some rubber washers to seal the holes) and then let the keel down on the bolt. That works OK except if you get into a little rough water and the keel starts banging on the bolt. The second problem is if you get into heavy weather and the boat gets laid over, the unlocked keel can come up against the bottom of the boat and you are going to go turtle for sure. Better to always lock it down.As for why it won't lift up, check the winch first. It is an unusual design and if it gets rusty, it may not be compressing down on the winch drum enough to actually lift the keel. It is not a big winch and it takes a good bit of effort to lift the keel. Also, as suggested earlier, if the lift cable is able to be pulled up through the pipe or tube and you have a loose end, it has broken. I have not had that happen, but I have had the winch become difficult.

 

[Bob]

Keel cable replacement

If you want to get a keel cable on and can find someone with scuba gear (that should be no problem, especially if you offer a sail afterward). In fact, if you have good wind and there are no complications like rusted remnants or a broken-out hole you should be able to do this yourself. Get rid of whatever cable remains on the keel. Attach about 10 feet of stainless cable with a shackle and feed it up through into the winch compartment. New winches can be obtained through Dutton-Lainson Co. or contact me at griffinaero@yahoo.com if your winch is no good. I used my trailer winch once but these don't have the clutch and are dangerous.