The swing keel on our 1974 cat 22 is in need of repair. The hole that the pivot pin goes through was wallowed out. We filled the sides of the hole with west systems filler and put a piece of copper pipe in it as a sleeve. This has held up well, but there is still allot of play in the keel when it is down. The screw pin that is supposed to be in the trunk was removed by a previous owner. What can we do to improve this system? How does the swing keel on a newer boat operate? What changes were made on the system since 1974?
Swing Keel Improvements???
- Thread starter Tahoe Crew
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Swing Keel on the C22
The keel set up on the C22 has not changed much over the years. The biggest change is that they went from the iron keel to a lead/fiberglass keel in the late 1980's. www.catalinadirect.com has repair kits and replacement parts to deal with the pin/hole problem. When you put it all back together, make sure to lube the pinbushings with marine grease. This will prevent the pin from binding up in the bushings and elongating the hole in the keel. Regards, Ted
The keel set up on the C22 has not changed much over the years. The biggest change is that they went from the iron keel to a lead/fiberglass keel in the late 1980's. www.catalinadirect.com has repair kits and replacement parts to deal with the pin/hole problem. When you put it all back together, make sure to lube the pinbushings with marine grease. This will prevent the pin from binding up in the bushings and elongating the hole in the keel. Regards, Ted
spacer kit
Catalina Direct has a spacer kit that you can apply to the keel to reduce some of the wobble. In addition, you may wish to put some washers onto the pin to reduce space between the keel hangers and the keel. The keel locking bolt (the screw pin you mentioned) is frequently removed and I do not think you should worry about missing it.
Catalina Direct has a spacer kit that you can apply to the keel to reduce some of the wobble. In addition, you may wish to put some washers onto the pin to reduce space between the keel hangers and the keel. The keel locking bolt (the screw pin you mentioned) is frequently removed and I do not think you should worry about missing it.
Different Hangar Blocks
Tahoe Crew: Some time in the 80's I replaced my keel hangar blocks with blocks that I had to machine to the correct thickness for my keel. I got these from Catalina directly. This was before Catalina Direct. The idea was to sand them to the correct thickness, but I took them to one of the shops where I work and had them milled to the correct thickness. I saw the old hangar blocks and pin that came with the boat yesterday in my basement when I was looking for some other boat parts. Apparently there were 4 thick plastic washers, 2 on each side of the keel, on the pin on the original system, but now my hangar blocks go right against the keel without any washers. This has worked well for years, minimizing the amount of keel rocking. On the issue of the pin and keel wear relative to the pin, I feel this is related to having sacrificial zincs on the keel in near the pin. The pin is silicon bronze, if I remember correctly, and galvanic corosion will eat at the cast iron keel unless zinc anodes are screwed to it, in my opinion. This is in one of the books that came with my boat, but no one seems to believe me on this point. I've never read that anyone else puts zincs on their keel, but my keel has held up well for 25 years in brackish water. Aldo
Tahoe Crew: Some time in the 80's I replaced my keel hangar blocks with blocks that I had to machine to the correct thickness for my keel. I got these from Catalina directly. This was before Catalina Direct. The idea was to sand them to the correct thickness, but I took them to one of the shops where I work and had them milled to the correct thickness. I saw the old hangar blocks and pin that came with the boat yesterday in my basement when I was looking for some other boat parts. Apparently there were 4 thick plastic washers, 2 on each side of the keel, on the pin on the original system, but now my hangar blocks go right against the keel without any washers. This has worked well for years, minimizing the amount of keel rocking. On the issue of the pin and keel wear relative to the pin, I feel this is related to having sacrificial zincs on the keel in near the pin. The pin is silicon bronze, if I remember correctly, and galvanic corosion will eat at the cast iron keel unless zinc anodes are screwed to it, in my opinion. This is in one of the books that came with my boat, but no one seems to believe me on this point. I've never read that anyone else puts zincs on their keel, but my keel has held up well for 25 years in brackish water. Aldo
Hey Aldo, I believe you!
That's what it says in my 1980 owners manual too. When I did some modification to "Powigs" in 1991, I didn't bother to read the manual. Hate reading manuals, prefer trial & error. (I didn't know that I had a manual) I turned a 316 SS oversize keel pin & drove it into the keel with a hammar & block. Used Locktite too. SS washers on each side. I screwed Zerk fittings into each hanger to lubricate the pin/hanger. At that time I was not interested in corrosion. The Zerks are zinc so even though they are very small & located incorrectly, they probably offer some protection against electrolytic action. My first moorage was in a slightly alkaline lake & the Zerks would only last 1 season. After moving to a clean lake, the Zerks last 3 seasons. Everything on the keel appears to be tight. (no rocking & rolling) You, I & others have "spoken" before & I would like to thank you for supplying me with a picture of the infamous keel cable turning ball. Hate to mention that friggin thing again. I still do not have one installed. It was not drilled for the turning ball shaft or pin. The cable does not wear on any part of the hull or trunk! Regards, Bob B.
That's what it says in my 1980 owners manual too. When I did some modification to "Powigs" in 1991, I didn't bother to read the manual. Hate reading manuals, prefer trial & error. (I didn't know that I had a manual) I turned a 316 SS oversize keel pin & drove it into the keel with a hammar & block. Used Locktite too. SS washers on each side. I screwed Zerk fittings into each hanger to lubricate the pin/hanger. At that time I was not interested in corrosion. The Zerks are zinc so even though they are very small & located incorrectly, they probably offer some protection against electrolytic action. My first moorage was in a slightly alkaline lake & the Zerks would only last 1 season. After moving to a clean lake, the Zerks last 3 seasons. Everything on the keel appears to be tight. (no rocking & rolling) You, I & others have "spoken" before & I would like to thank you for supplying me with a picture of the infamous keel cable turning ball. Hate to mention that friggin thing again. I still do not have one installed. It was not drilled for the turning ball shaft or pin. The cable does not wear on any part of the hull or trunk! Regards, Bob B.
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