I am in the process of buying my first boat. I have just gotten back from looking at a 1994 Catalina 22 (swing keel). Overall the boat looks to be in great condition. However, I am a little concerned about the condition of the keel. I have included a link to a website showing photos of both sides of keel. This boat has not been in the water in approximately a year. Is the rust shown normal and easy to fix or is this a symptom of a larger problem? Your opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Russell
Need advice on condition of keel
- Thread starter Hurley
- Start date
- Status
Suspicious
Russell: The main concern would be above the area of the photo. The Keel Pin and its assembly and the hole through the keel that holds the pin needs to be checked to answer your question. If all is firm there, maybe the rust you see is cosmetic. You have to take it apart to know. In the photo, it kind of looks like a bolt was added to the assembly which is not flush with the hull, if so that is a bad sign. RK
Russell: The main concern would be above the area of the photo. The Keel Pin and its assembly and the hole through the keel that holds the pin needs to be checked to answer your question. If all is firm there, maybe the rust you see is cosmetic. You have to take it apart to know. In the photo, it kind of looks like a bolt was added to the assembly which is not flush with the hull, if so that is a bad sign. RK
cast iron
The keel on most of the C22's is cast iron, (the new boats have a stainless frame/lead keel) its either painted or covered in epoxy. Its not the surface you worry about but the hole where the keel pin goes through. To inspect this you need to lower it.
The keel on most of the C22's is cast iron, (the new boats have a stainless frame/lead keel) its either painted or covered in epoxy. Its not the surface you worry about but the hole where the keel pin goes through. To inspect this you need to lower it.
Additional Question
Thanks for the quick responses! So it sounds like to me that the rust on the keel itself is not a big issue but the condition of the keel support that could be a problem. Is the keel cable hanging down like it is normal? Or was it just not raised completely before loading on trailer? In a worst case scenario where the keel support and pins/cables need to be fixed/replaced, is this boat worth the effort and expense (It's priced at $7,500)? I know I haven't given a lot of additional information, but I'm just trying to get a feel for whether it's worth the effort to pursue this boat (it's located about 2 hours from my house). Thanks again, Russell
Thanks for the quick responses! So it sounds like to me that the rust on the keel itself is not a big issue but the condition of the keel support that could be a problem. Is the keel cable hanging down like it is normal? Or was it just not raised completely before loading on trailer? In a worst case scenario where the keel support and pins/cables need to be fixed/replaced, is this boat worth the effort and expense (It's priced at $7,500)? I know I haven't given a lot of additional information, but I'm just trying to get a feel for whether it's worth the effort to pursue this boat (it's located about 2 hours from my house). Thanks again, Russell
Looks OK
When placing a swing keel boat on its trailer, the the keel is lifted to itÕs upper most point with a cable. Right after pulling from the water the keel should be lowered to allow some of the weight to rest on the trailer for hauling and storage. The boat can be launched without raising the keel back up. What I see in your photos is that when the keel was lowered onto the trailer many extra cranks of the winch was used and what we see is the cable hanging down along side the keel which is normal. The rust is also normal, just need covered with bottom paint which will needed to be done next year also. A top end solution to this problem is sandblasting, filling imperfections with an epoxy, VC tar and bottom paint. If you do this, make sure you check out the wonders of VC tar! The keel bolt can only be checked by raising the boat and dropping the keel part way down or removing. I would say if the boat looks in great condition the keel bolt would be OK.
When placing a swing keel boat on its trailer, the the keel is lifted to itÕs upper most point with a cable. Right after pulling from the water the keel should be lowered to allow some of the weight to rest on the trailer for hauling and storage. The boat can be launched without raising the keel back up. What I see in your photos is that when the keel was lowered onto the trailer many extra cranks of the winch was used and what we see is the cable hanging down along side the keel which is normal. The rust is also normal, just need covered with bottom paint which will needed to be done next year also. A top end solution to this problem is sandblasting, filling imperfections with an epoxy, VC tar and bottom paint. If you do this, make sure you check out the wonders of VC tar! The keel bolt can only be checked by raising the boat and dropping the keel part way down or removing. I would say if the boat looks in great condition the keel bolt would be OK.
- Status