Keel up not down

[Dan]

I keep my '79 CAT 22 in the water full time. Pulled it out to clean the bottom. Finished, put it back into the water, went to lower the keel and no go. Didn't want to force it to hard. Any tips on how to get the crank to lower the keel. Is there somewhere I can get to to WD40? Or what?

 

[Don]

Stuck keel

Do NOT use WD40 on the winch system! If it is the cranking, or winch that will not allow the keel to lower then you need to clean the break disks that govern the lowering of the keel. Use regular break pad cleaner to do this. The friction is important to lower the keel in a controled fashion. Good luck.