Swing Keel - sag where winch is bolted?

[Dave]

Does anyone have any sag in the cockpit where the keel winch bolts to that little step just under the companionway threshold? I have a little bit of sag on mine and I'm wondering if this is typical. The previous owner never let the weight off the winch when the boat was trailered or moored. I assume this caused the sag to occur gradually over time. I can't detect any softness or moisture in this area. Fortunately, there are no stress cracks in the gelcoat either. I'm not too concerned since everything seems very solid in this area. I'm kinda curious though.The PO also told me he never sailed with the keel down either. So the keel has been hanging by the winch for a long, long time. Thanks,Dave

 

[Ted]

It flexes

I have noticed that the weight of the keel causes the winch area to flex down a little bit (1/4" - 1/2"), but there is no permanent deformation.You might try to correct this by adding a little bit of structure in the area of the winch. This should distribute the load a little better and retain the boat's shape.Regards,Ted

 

[David Williams]

Keel Support Flex

We have a boat at our Club, where someone added a 1/4 piece of aluminum on top of the support surface...in the cock-pit. It doesn't flex at all. I used a couple of large (fender) ss washers to help distribute the load on my boat. If this doesn't resolve the problem, I am going to cut a piece of stainless and install it, ike the boat with the aluminum support plate. David

 

[Dave]

Re: Flex

Yes, I thought of trying to add some extra support, but I don't see how I can do it from underneath. I don't want to add anything that's visible in the cockpit either. I'll probably leave it alone since it's not a "structural failure" type of thing. I won't ever leave the keel hanging by the winch for extended periods, so that should prevent it from sagging any further anyway. I was kind of interested in finding out if this is a common condition for swing-keel boats.

 

[Matt]

Grabs by crib board

My Cat 22 does the same thing. If the crib boards are in place when I crank up the keel, I cannot remove the bottom one due to the companionway flexing. Thanks for the responses.