Sistering Lags into the keel?

[jGo]

I am brand new to the world of boat ownership...I bought a 1973 Catalina 27 on Tuesday!

The boat is in remarkable shape with the exception that the keel bolts are fairly corroded. Because of this, I offered $2000 less than ask price to give me cushion for repair. On haul out, I saw a 24" crack at the port side keel/hull joint, and took another grand off my offer. Long story short, I bought the boat hoping that the $3k I negotiated down will cover the repairs.

I have read nearly everything I could find about corroded keel bolts, I have the drawings from Catalina for the repair, I have even found repair kits from Catalina Direct. Before I go with this type of fix, I have some questions.

Has anyone had the lags installed? How do they perform? Can they be tightened in the future?
Has anyone heard of the lags pulling through/out of the relatively soft lead?
Has anyone found a 316 SS bolt that is course thread on the bottom 8" and has a portion (3-4") of machine thread on top to facilitate future tightening?

And last, what is an appropriate budget when planning repairs like this?

For the new lags?
For the keel/hull joint?

Thanks!

 

[jGo]

Update:

I found a 1/2" x 10" stainless steel hanger bolt with 3" of lag screw, 4.5" plain center, and 2.5" machine screw here (http://www.hangerbolt.com/stainless_hanger_bolts.htm). $9 a pop.

Next question...Whats the pull out strength of lead on a 3" bearing?

Thanks!

 

[Faris]

Yes, even if you have all of the work done at a yard, $3k should cover it. There is a crack that tends to develop along that seam which is so common among Catalinas that it is often referred to as "the Catalina smile". It tends to develop more-or-less bilaterally, at least where I've heard of it. I'm not sure whether this one-sided crack is a red flag for any more unusual problem. It may not be, but I would do some research.

The real deal with the sistering is drilling the holes. I would not worry too much about the holding power. I actually did a BUNCH of asking around looking for anyone who lost a keel or even nearly lost a keel due to inadequate keel bolts on a Catalina. I have yet to find any case where it has actually happened. I have heard of cases where water seeped into the bilge though, which to me is an indicator that it needs to be fixed in a hurry.

I just went through this with my 72. Though the bolts were corroded, the surveyor and boatyard agreed that it wasn't an urgent repair, and I decided to forego it for the time being (in lieu of a LOT of other work that was more urgent). Though, mine didn't have a crack, which was a strong factor in the decision about its non-urgency.

If you're at Shilshole, PM me and I'll show you mine and go over what I was told. I'm there right now for about the next 12 hours, but then gone for good. I'm just waiting on the pizza guy right now ...

 

[Joe]

http://www.blumhorst.com/catalina27/images/keel_factory_drawings/

My recommendation is to contact Catalina Yachts customer service for their advice on the keelbolt issue if this link seems indequate.

Since you are new to Catalina ownership..... you should know that Catalina supports ALL their boat models, whether out of production or not.... and regardless of when you purchased the boat. For a lots more information go here: http://www.catalina27.org/