I want to safely refinish the keel on my 23. Should I drop keel off boat or finish keel on boat? Also I would like to check the pivot pin, what is the best why to check this. Where would I buy these? Thanks. Take care.
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Weighs 650lb
The keel on my 23 was badly pitted by many years in salt water. I removed the keel completely to refinish. It takes some careful planning to figure out how to do it safely. I can provide detailed instructions, if needed. The pivot pin is basically a SS Bolt with a lock nut. I can't remember the exact dimensions, but it is about 3/4" by 6". You can probably find it at a larger hardware such as a Home Depot. The easiest way to remove the bolt is to put a jack under the keel below the bolt and put a light pressure on the keel, so that only the keel is supported and not the whole boat. It helps if you support the trailer all of the way around with jack stands so that the trailer and boat does not move up and down on the springs. It will probably take some wrenches with a lot of leverage, if the the bolt has been in there a quite a while. Use a drift or large screwdriver to align the holes when reinstalling the bolt. Don't use your finger.
The keel on my 23 was badly pitted by many years in salt water. I removed the keel completely to refinish. It takes some careful planning to figure out how to do it safely. I can provide detailed instructions, if needed. The pivot pin is basically a SS Bolt with a lock nut. I can't remember the exact dimensions, but it is about 3/4" by 6". You can probably find it at a larger hardware such as a Home Depot. The easiest way to remove the bolt is to put a jack under the keel below the bolt and put a light pressure on the keel, so that only the keel is supported and not the whole boat. It helps if you support the trailer all of the way around with jack stands so that the trailer and boat does not move up and down on the springs. It will probably take some wrenches with a lot of leverage, if the the bolt has been in there a quite a while. Use a drift or large screwdriver to align the holes when reinstalling the bolt. Don't use your finger.
DIY Mac 21 Keel job
Earlier this year, I dropped the 450# cast iron keel on my Mac 21 and re-worked it. I installed a new winch, new SS keel cable/bolt and a new pivot bolt. To do it, I simply put my car jack underneath it and let it drop down onto the MacGregor trailer. So the keel was only 2/3 of the way down, resting on the trailer's crossmembers. I simply did not have the set-up to completely remove it. From there I replaced the pivot bolt/cable/etc. and then jacked it right back up. Amazingly, the holes aligned and I re-chaulked the washers/nuts on the interior. While the keel was down, I cleaned it up, primed it and re-painted it. Good luck, Kevin
Earlier this year, I dropped the 450# cast iron keel on my Mac 21 and re-worked it. I installed a new winch, new SS keel cable/bolt and a new pivot bolt. To do it, I simply put my car jack underneath it and let it drop down onto the MacGregor trailer. So the keel was only 2/3 of the way down, resting on the trailer's crossmembers. I simply did not have the set-up to completely remove it. From there I replaced the pivot bolt/cable/etc. and then jacked it right back up. Amazingly, the holes aligned and I re-chaulked the washers/nuts on the interior. While the keel was down, I cleaned it up, primed it and re-painted it. Good luck, Kevin
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