Keel Support

[jasagarf]

Just put a lift in my slip. Was anticipating buying a larger boat in the future so I bought a lot more lift than I actually needed to for a 22' Catalina. Can't lower the pads any more and I have about 18" clearance between the bottom of the wing keel and the bunk board. 1. Should I put something in the gap for support? 2. If so, does anyone have a suggestion as to what? Thanks.

 

[txtowman]

I would need more info or pics in order to comment/help with this.

 

[jasagarf]

Good morning. I will take a few pictures and post them tonight after work. Thanks for your response.

 

[jasagarf]

two shots - bow on and starboard side

 

[GorillaToast]

Wow!?

No one in my marina has anything like that. Other than the obvious, lifting the boat out of the water, what is it used for? Is there access for a trailer in front of your slip, and the lift somehow moves forward to load the boat?

 

[jasagarf]

This is the boat slip that I purchased with my condo. There's a a pretty constant SW wind in the warmer months and that, combined with a lot of thoughtless stink-pot drivers makes a boat lift a necessity.

 

[Bilbo]

I would suggest that you don't really need to support the keel with this setup.

 

[jasagarf]

I've heard that from a number of people -- including the contractor who installed the lift. He felt that the boat was so small and light that it wasn't necessary. The pads on the support arms are articulated and self adjust so the hull is well supported. My concern is the 650# suspended below with nothing but air under it.

For "trailering" I've been told that half the weight should be supported by the hull and the other half by the keel. Of course trailering involves bouncing down the road at varying speeds and placing stresses on the boat that it's not undergoing just hanging in my lift.

I was considering using a ratchet strap attached to the I-beam on either side and passed under the keel. If nothing else, it would be a pacifier that would keep me from obsessing about it.

 

[jfrench]

I would point out that the keel is unsupported during sailing yet no harm comes to the boat. The hull is supported by the displaced water, while the weight of the keel hangs from it. The keel is additionally pulled away from one side of the hull or the other as it counters side loads applied by waves or wind against the sails. If yours is a wing keel, even greater loads are applied every time the boat's pitch angle changes and the wing portion is pulled away from or pushed toward the hull.

When trailering, the suggestion to support one-half the keel weight is likely because of the additional "G" forces applied when the trailered boat hits bumps on the road.

 

[KingAirDriver]

It seems to me that you have plenty of adjustment available in the lift. I would put a piece of lumber on the bottom of the lift where the keel would contact it. Say perhaps a 2x6 running the length of the keel support beam on the lift, and lower your bunkboard supports to have the keel make contact with the bottom lift beam. You could take a table saw and throw a little taper to the 2x6 or 2x8 to get it to fit a bit nicer to the shape of the keel, but it is probably unnecessary. I would support the keel so its suspended weight does not distort the hull. When the boat is in the water, the load is spread out over a MUCH bigger area then a couple of bunkboards.

Lowering the bunk boards will also give you more clearance.

IMHO.

 

[jfrench]

It looked in the picture like there wasn't much "beef" on the cross-member that runs under the keel.

BTW King-Air, I noticed your tagline about tossing 'chutists. I dropped the Clemson skydiving club back in the '80s using a 500 year old Skylane. Most fun I've ever had! During initial training, the jumpmaster was checking out a newbie prior to putting him on the step, then grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him out the door! When we got on the ground I asked what the heck that was about. He explained about frightened newbies opening their chutes on the plane because they think it'll get 'em out of having to jump. That evening he showed me a photo of a plane with its whole right side ripped out by one of those guys as his chute got sucked out the door and pulled him thru the side of the plane!

 

[jasagarf]

I purchased an oversize lift in anticipation of getting a bigger boat in the future.

Though they appear to, the support arms have no adjustment left without cutting. Not ready to go there yet. I've just ordered a heavy duty ratchet strap with flat hooks that will attached to the I beams at the top of the lift. I'm thinking that if I can add sling support to the keel I can take the pressure off of the hull. For the winter I'm thinking about buying a short, adjustable keel stand that will sit on the bunk board and support the keel.

 

[Sylvan]

Support it.

Just put a lift in my slip. Was anticipating buying a larger boat in the future so I bought a lot more lift than I actually needed to for a 22' Catalina. Can't lower the pads any more and I have about 18" clearance between the bottom of the wing keel and the bunk board. 1. Should I put something in the gap for support? 2. If so, does anyone have a suggestion as to what? Thanks.

If it was mine, I would lower the four supports and add a small padded keel support. Shouldn't be too difficult, and can't see it could hurt anything. RK

 

[littlescoop]

I would paint the bootom of the boat