Need ideas on stripped keel lock nut

[Nursemnr]

Hello everyone

First, I appreciate any advice. I never owned a swing keel boat and struggling with a repair and an inspection. Catalina 22. Replaced all lines, rigging solid. Thought everything was ready for her first sail until I tried to work on keel lock pin. It was rusted and locked. WD40; PB blaster and then a freeze.....yup, the bolt snapped and was drilled out. Problem: existing nut that normally has keel lock system is stripped. I have tried to re-thread it but have had no success so far. It would be nice to have easier access to this thing.

Does anyone have ideas of what I can do to re-thread this nut so that I do not have to replaced the whole system? I thought about re-threading to 9/16" but I do not know if that would cause other problems. Being a sailor for a few years with fixed keels, this type is foreign to me.

Also, this boat has been in salt water, keel shows some corrosion but nothing major. How can I check keel pins without dropping the keel? Let's face it. This lady owner only weighs 115lbs, works on her boat mostly alone since I am new to FL, and doesn't want to lose her keel during her sail trips.

ANY ADVICE IS EXTREMELY APPRECIATED.
LOLLIPOP

 

[justsomeguy]

snip-

Does anyone have ideas of what I can do to re-thread this nut so that I do not have to replaced the whole system? I thought about re-threading to 9/16" but I do not know if that would cause other problems. Being a sailor for a few years with fixed keels, this type is foreign to me.

Also, this boat has been in salt water, keel shows some corrosion but nothing major. How can I check keel pins without dropping the keel? Let's face it. This lady owner only weighs 115lbs, works on her boat mostly alone since I am new to FL, and doesn't want to lose her keel during her sail trips.

ANY ADVICE IS EXTREMELY APPRECIATED.
LOLLIPOP

I'm assuming that the locking bolt's nut is embedded, correct? If so, I doubt that the slight increase in the nut's ID will be of any consequence.

As to your keel pivot bolt, you could jack up the keel under the bolt and safely remove the bolt for inspection, as long as your keel support remains solid in the interim.

Hope others chime in as well.

 

[Fred Villiard]

Heli coil can be used to fix stripped nuts. Mcmaster Car, or alot of auto parts.

 

[Nursemnr]

thanks for the info. I will try to locate one. Hopefully this works. Need to get out on the water for sanity

 

[msmalter]

I had a C22 from 1987 to 2005. I never used the locking bolt. The cast iron keel had a groove from the keel rotating with the bolt engaged. I figured that if I hit something, I would want the keel to come up easily rather than fight the bolt. So one option would be to just fill the hole to make it water tight. Another would be to use a short bolt as a plug: anything that grips a little would work if you use some caulk to make it water tight. If you want to use the bolt, the helicoil suggestion is good.

Regarding the keel pin. The pin is supported by 2 pillow blocks, each of of which is attached with two 5/16" stainless bolts. If you replace the bolts every 5 years or so, you should never loose the keel. This can be done from under the trailer without jacking anything. I replaced the 1" bronze keel pin once in the life of my boat. It was worn (1/8"), which allowed the keel to rock a bit, but I can not imagine the keel bolt wearing through such that the keel would drop.

The most important thing with the swing keel is the keel cable and turning ball (looks like a 1" sphere with a groove on the outside for the cable and a hole through the middle for the pin). I had the keel cable break twice during my time with the C22. Its not fun when it breaks. I would recommend replacing the cable every 5 years and inspecting the ball for flat spots in the groove when you replace the cable. A flat spot would indicate the ball is not turning and the cable is rubbing the ball whenever it moves. Replace the pin for the ball every time you replace the ball. If you replace the cable, the cable goes on the aft side of the turning ball.

I did my own maintenance by making a double 2x6 beam for the bow and stern and jacking the boat slightly off the trailer, supported by the beams. The work could easily be done by a marina with a travel lift once every 5 years if you don't want to do it yourself.