Swing Keel questions

[JTarka]

Hi - I'm new to the forum and have questions about the C22 swing keel.
I'm in the market for a trailerable cruising sailboat, and am looking for a well-kept used C22 to purchase.
One thing that's slowing me down on the search is this:
* How much do I need to be concerned about the condition of the swing keel?
* If it needs maintenance, how big of an ordeal is it to replace the pivot pin and/or cable?
Any input & advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[AaronD]

Hi - I'm new to the forum and have questions about the C22 swing keel.
I'm in the market for a trailerable cruising sailboat, and am looking for a well-kept used C22 to purchase.
One thing that's slowing me down on the search is this:
* How much do I need to be concerned about the condition of the swing keel?
* If it needs maintenance, how big of an ordeal is it to replace the pivot pin and/or cable?
Any input & advice would be greatly appreciated!

Replacing the cable and turning ball is a pretty easy job; give it an hour or two the first time, and less after that. That's if your trailer bunks are high enough to allow you to lower the keel a couple inches and access the eye bolt. If not, you might have to remove the keel rest to lower the keel a bit further; still not a big deal. Personally, I decided to replace the cable every 3 years, and the full assembly (cable, ball, hose, clamps, etc.) every 6 (for a boat that's in the water for a few months most years). That's probably overkill, but it's a quick project and not terribly expensive.

If you want to do the full sandblast + epoxy + fair + paint job, ask @pclarksurf. His looks amazing; I haven't tackled that ordeal yet. If your keel isn't in terrible shape, you can put that off awhile. If big chunks are rusting off (especially around the eye bolt), then a full refurb becomes a higher priority.

 

[JTarka]

AaronD - thanks so much. That's good information; I thought it was a much more involved job. I'd assumed you had to get it off the trailer to do this. Relieved to know it can be done on the trailer. Thanks again.

 

[watercolors II]

This is my 30 season with a 1987 Catalina 22 swing keel. Im on a central PA lake where the season is only 6 months. I have found that the smoother the bottom and keel of your boat the better it will perform and the easier it is to handle when the wind picks up.

In these 30 years I have done the swing keel 3 times; of sandblasting all of the rust off, filling the low areas with epoxy and coating with paint to keep it sealed from the water. I have done this twice with the boat still on the trailer and all three times with the keel still on the boat.

I have never dropped my keel and have never changed any of the keel’s lifting items, Note I do inspect eveyrthing before spring launch.

 

[ambler]

I've seen several advise periodically replacing the keel hanger bolts. Four, surprisingly small, bolts hold the keel on. You can get new ones at catalinadirect.com. I'd replace them one at a time. If the hangers shift it's amazingly hard to get them lined up again. If that happens you can use long bolts to guide the hangers back in place (picture attached)Be careful not to over tighten the bolts. Stingy Sailor (stingysailor.com) advises 12 ft pounds. If you strip the threads on the weldments in the hull they'll have to be dug out and new ones embedded with fiberglass.

I've not heard of the pivot pin failing It's pretty hefty, 1-1.5" brass. I have heard of the hole in the keel that the pin passes through getting elongated and in rare cases reaching the edge of the keel so that the keel drops free. However on my 1983 cat 22 both the pin and the hole were perfect. I suspect it's more of a problem for boats exposed to waves so the keel is shifting on the pin. My boat has spent its life in a well sheltered marina.

I did remove and refinish my keel. It was covered with large knuckle sized nodules of rust. I expected it to take about month; it took several. Several people have posted about a keel refinish in this forum. Stingy Sailor has a particularly detailed account with lots of pictures.

The Catalina 22 is an ideal choice for day sailing on a lake and the occasional night out. I've really enjoyed mine.

 

[captcoho]

Hi - I'm new to the forum and have questions about the C22 swing keel.
I'm in the market for a trailerable cruising sailboat, and am looking for a well-kept used C22 to purchase.
One thing that's slowing me down on the search is this:
* How much do I need to be concerned about the condition of the swing keel?
* If it needs maintenance, how big of an ordeal is it to replace the pivot pin and/or cable?
Any input & advice would be greatly appreciated!

As Aaron just indicated it's not that difficult if you have basic skills. Like most everything it's in the prep. The PO had made wood blocks shaped to the hull to raise the boat off the trailer
It really depends on how and where the boat was used. If the boat was left in the water with the keel down, or if it was kept mainly on the trailer.
There is an incredible amount of information about the keel maintenance and lifting hardware at Catalina direct in the technical articles

 

[captcoho]

Technical Articles

Catalina Direct, publishers of the Catalina 22 and Catalina 25 Owner's Handbooks and the largest supplier of parts and Lewmar winches for Catalina Yachts in the country

www.catalinadirect.com

 

[pclarksurf]

Think I estimated at one point that if you tackle the full Monty yourself... it would probably come in at around 100 hours. How you spread the effort across the calendar... a very personal approach. I did it slow and easy when I felt like it-- one full year on the hard doing a lot of things-- keel included.