Replacing the keel cable

[Steve Horn]

I need to replace the cable used to raise and lower the keel. I ran into difficulty getting the old cable out of the winch spool. Do I need to remove the winch to replace the cable? If so how do I get at it to remove it?

 

[Bob]

keel cable

The keel cable can be pretty nasty, with frayed wires to stab and tear; be careful. I found the only way that made sense on my 1974 25 ft. was to remove the plank with the winch. If your boat is older and/or been in salt water the winch should be serviced anyway. A winch failure will allow the keel to drop, damaging the hold-down bolt and trunk. I replaced the spool on mine but the cable was acceptable (it is stainless, while the winch spool is steel, which is in a VERY bad place). I have an extra winch if anyone needs one.