whoops ...
They changed the site!! Sorry. There used to be a tech forum section where you could look such things up. Might find it in the archives here too, but ... The external crack you describe could come from a grounding, but I think it's more likely it resulted from improperly blocking the keel when the boat was stored out of water. The bottom of the keel has an angle to it, and if the block the keel sits on does not have the same angle, all the weight is focused on the aft edge. This in turn puts a lot of stress on the forward keel bolts, and the keel can pull away from the hull a little bit, resulting in the crack you describe. Again, could also be grounding, but I don't think so. To fix ... Block the boat properly, with the right angle distributing the weight. Torque the keel bolts. Can't remember the spec, but you can get it from Catalina Direct or Catalina Yachts. Then you can prep the hull/keel surfaces, epoxy and barrier coat, and you're back in business. While everything's nice and dry in the bilge, you can also do a gelcoat repair on the little cracks you mentioned. Lots of C27's have them. Mine did, I fixed per above, doesn't seem to be a structural issue. (I'm assuming you have the nice new stainless steel keel bolts and that they are in good condition. If you have the old iron onees, they'll be real rusted. You'll need to talk with Catalina. They have a procedure where you encapsulate the iron ones in epoxy and install some stainless steel lag bolts. You need to follow their directions and procedures.) Sorry about the web site. Tom Monroe Carlyle Lake
