Hello All,
I have a 2006 Catalina 22 Sport. I had a man come look at it because he was interested in buying it. Although he said the boat was in great shape, his concern was that the keel trunk would leak. I assured him it never has. Having said that, he saw a hairline crack and said that the keel had slammed into the trunk and would probably leak. So, he passed on the boat. Be that as it may, my question to all of you who have, or have had Catalina 22 Sports. Have you ever had a leak coming from the keel trunk? I can promise you that all the time it was in the water, I never saw any water come through the hairline crack. I will admit there is a section of the cabin sole (Pics Below) where someone at some point thought it was a good idea to cut a section out that is about 4"x7" rectangle that is right next to the keel trunk at the aft end. This was also a major concern of his. However, when I bought the boat a while back I knew that the cutout was only through the cabin sole, so I wasn't ever concerned about it leaking and it never has. From what I can tell, and this is pure conjecture on my part, but perhaps whoever made the cutout thought they needed to in order to get the pivot pin of the keel. Of course, I could be way off base there. I have inspected the bolts and hanger castings and seem to be secured very well. Having said that, there is some slop or play, if you will, when I grab a hold of the keel and try to move it from port to starboard. I would expect there should be some play, but I honestly don't know how much it should be.
Here's the thing. I would never want to turn over a boat to someone where a major catastrophe could take place. The issues that were referred by the man are repairable of course and I'm very capable of performing such tasks. At the same time, I have to ask myself if it's worth all the work. One thing is for sure. The removal of the keel trunk appears to be as simple as loosening the keel lock-down bolt and then removing screws from the flange of the trunk itself where it is fastened to, what appears to be the cabin sole. But, I'm not sure about that since I've never removed the keel trunk before. Regardless of the hairline crack though, removing the keel trunk would allow for a very close inspection of the keel that one never sees. I don't know if this is for sure either, but perhaps I'd be able to get a good look at the keel pin as well.
Sorry about the long rant. But, I felt it was better to be as detailed as I could with these possible issues. I will also say this, I could never in good conscience turn over a boat with these possible issues. So, I'll do whatever takes to make sure this sailboat is in every degree of seaworthiness. It is my hope that some of you guys who are experienced in this particular area will offer advice, and of course, any comments are welcome as well.
Thanks for listening,
Robert
I have a 2006 Catalina 22 Sport. I had a man come look at it because he was interested in buying it. Although he said the boat was in great shape, his concern was that the keel trunk would leak. I assured him it never has. Having said that, he saw a hairline crack and said that the keel had slammed into the trunk and would probably leak. So, he passed on the boat. Be that as it may, my question to all of you who have, or have had Catalina 22 Sports. Have you ever had a leak coming from the keel trunk? I can promise you that all the time it was in the water, I never saw any water come through the hairline crack. I will admit there is a section of the cabin sole (Pics Below) where someone at some point thought it was a good idea to cut a section out that is about 4"x7" rectangle that is right next to the keel trunk at the aft end. This was also a major concern of his. However, when I bought the boat a while back I knew that the cutout was only through the cabin sole, so I wasn't ever concerned about it leaking and it never has. From what I can tell, and this is pure conjecture on my part, but perhaps whoever made the cutout thought they needed to in order to get the pivot pin of the keel. Of course, I could be way off base there. I have inspected the bolts and hanger castings and seem to be secured very well. Having said that, there is some slop or play, if you will, when I grab a hold of the keel and try to move it from port to starboard. I would expect there should be some play, but I honestly don't know how much it should be.
Here's the thing. I would never want to turn over a boat to someone where a major catastrophe could take place. The issues that were referred by the man are repairable of course and I'm very capable of performing such tasks. At the same time, I have to ask myself if it's worth all the work. One thing is for sure. The removal of the keel trunk appears to be as simple as loosening the keel lock-down bolt and then removing screws from the flange of the trunk itself where it is fastened to, what appears to be the cabin sole. But, I'm not sure about that since I've never removed the keel trunk before. Regardless of the hairline crack though, removing the keel trunk would allow for a very close inspection of the keel that one never sees. I don't know if this is for sure either, but perhaps I'd be able to get a good look at the keel pin as well.
Sorry about the long rant. But, I felt it was better to be as detailed as I could with these possible issues. I will also say this, I could never in good conscience turn over a boat with these possible issues. So, I'll do whatever takes to make sure this sailboat is in every degree of seaworthiness. It is my hope that some of you guys who are experienced in this particular area will offer advice, and of course, any comments are welcome as well.
Thanks for listening,
Robert
