Main Sail Rip and Bow Rail Repair

[JimGo]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Hi! I'm looking at a used, 25' Catalina swing keel. She's older, and certainly shows her age, but all-in-all, she's not a bad boat. She survived Irene unscathed, which is at least a good start! The two issues I've seen with her are that there's a tear in the main (though the current owner said he may have a spare) and the stainless rail at the bow has been torn out at one of the four mounting brackets. The owner said it hit the dock a while ago, before he put in spring lines. The fiberglass is torn, as is the plywood under it. Does anyone have any idea what it would cost me to get these two things repaired in the greater Philadelphia/Jersey Shore area?

Any feedback is appreciated.[/FONT]

 

[JimGo]

Here's a link to the picture:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimgoepel/6107724020/

 

[Stu Jackson]

Jim,

That's a pretty heavy stress area at the bow because the forestay connects there. Older C25s have replaced their forestay fittings to strengthen them. The bow pulpit is not the issue, the forestay fitting should be.

The C25 Association has a GREAT website, and you may want to ask there, they are true experts on their boats. I know, I had one for 12 years.

Try this: http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=3

Good luck.

 

[JimGo]

Thanks for the quick reply, Stu! I was afraid the answer would be something like that. The boat is otherwise nice. I had considered reinforcing with a 3/8" stainless steel plate throughout that whole area of the bow (i.e., a nice, triangular section) and then patching the fiberglass. But if the wood inside is rotting, that would be a bigger problem.

 

[Fly_H23]

Inspect the entire inside with a good flashlight and camera. Hidden damage can cost $$$ and/or many weekends of your time to repair.

I found water damaged woodwork under the v-berth in a few places and was able to negotiate a lower price to offset the repairs.

Good luck

 

[jrowan]

I used to own an '85 C-25 swing keel. They're a good starter boat, & usually cheap to buy but beware of several areas: rot in the deck balsa core can be expensive to fix if it causes delamination. Replace all of the original cotter pins, any solid body turnbuckles at shrouds, fore, and backstays as they're crap & can & will break, risking a demasting.
If the swing keel cable & pinion hardware haven't been replaced then do it, cause if the cable snaps with the keel up, it will swing down hard & crack the fiberglass support trunk in the cabin sole - & can sink the boat. I had to spend a couple of grand to fix these problem areas (rebuilding a cracked trunk case) etc. But it was worth it cause I only paid $1,200 for the boat, trailer, and outboard - a bargain. But there's no such thing as a free lunch. Sometimes its cheap for a reason. If it not cheap enough to make it worth the risk, then use these problems as a negotiation tool, or walk & look for a boat in better condition. ps. Replacement sails are expensive!

 

[Mdherbert]

My Catalina 320 has been laid up for 4 months in a boatyard. I need to flush out the fresh water tanks. Any tips?

 

[jrowan]

U may want to repost your own question, otherwise most viewers won't see it or respond. But I would drain the tanks completely of stale water, and refill and drain a 2nd time to get the funk out. A teaspoon of bleach can help kill bacteria growth, and a lil baking soda added can freshen it a lil. They sell expensive commercial additives to "freshen' water tanks, which are not really proven.