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 Catalina 25 Specific Forum
 Catalina Swing Keel		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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F16cla1
Deckhand

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8 Posts
Initially Posted - 05/16/2018 :  20:18:06  Show Profile
I have a 1983 Catalina 25 with a swing keel. She is currently out of the water and we were inspecting the keel pivot point and was hoping to get advice from the group. Below is a picture (hopefully) of our keel and I was wondering if I am looking at wear from the keel being loose. And if anyone could point me in the right direction to fix this issue.

link to pic: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jWpBzzG0us3w5EyogNHyYvH6TW_FbZMW/view?usp=sharing

WesAllen
Navigator

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USA
222 Posts
Response Posted - 05/16/2018 :  20:46:31  Show Profile
looks pretty loose to me. I have mine out right now and don't see a gap like that. Mine was replaced a few years ago and still looks good but changing cable and turning ball this year as it is 5 years old. I am also putting new discs (from CD) to stop side to side movement. Had them in but lost one side last year.
Wesley Allen
"Breaking Wind"
1982 C-25 SR/TR/SK #2773
Hemlock, MI
Edited by - WesAllen on 05/16/2018 20:49:38
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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1889 Posts
Response Posted - 05/17/2018 :  16:45:58  Show Profile  Visit Leon Sisson's Homepage
That pivot hole in the keel looks loose to me. It appears the keel has been wobbling around enough for the pivot support castings to wear into the cast iron.

Some folks favor controlling the side-to-side movement with shims which bear against the sides of the head of the keel trunk. I prefer a snug pivot. My swing keel and pivot shaft were worn even worse than your photo when I got the boat.

I ordered a new pivot pin and matching 1-1/2" outside diameter bronze bushing long enough to span between the hangers. I then had the keel bored out to 1-1/2" , new hangers milled to clear the thickness of the keel even after fiberglass encapsulation, and the bushings shortened on a lathe to just fit between the bronze hangers after milling, while extending a bit wider than the keel. (New hangers are manufactured oversize, and then machined to fit the boat and keel they're being installed on.) I had the machinist bore the bushing to 0.015" radial clearance (0.030" total) as I recall, which kept the keel from banging around, without being too tight to assemble easily.

After thoroughly sandblasting the keel, and grinding inside the bored hole to expose fresh iron, I bonded the bushing in the keel using WEST epoxy reinforced with metal powder. I made a temporary alignment jig to keep the bushing perpendicular to the surrounding flat parallel section of the keel head while the epoxy cured. I've hauled out twice since then, and that fix seems to be holding up perfectly. I always replace the four stainless steel bolts every hauled out. they're not over engineered, and new ones are cheap insurance against crevice corrosion. I also bond all that dissimilar metal to a sacrificial zinc installed nearby.

-- Leon Sisson
— Leon Sisson
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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3754 Posts
Response Posted - 05/17/2018 :  18:05:33  Show Profile
Leon always does it best. I just drilled mine out to accept the CD sleeve, loaded the hole with very high compression strength epoxy to seat the sleeve and polished the stainless. I used nylon washers next to the keel and polished stainless fender washers on the hanger sides. It took a couple of trial fits and sanding some thickness off the nylon washers, but I ended up with a very snug fit and no wobble for years.

edit: I would search for my original, detailed swing keel repair post, but the search function hasn't worked for me for several years. I eventually gave up on fixing it.

Dave B. aboard Pearl
1982 TR/SK/Trad. #3399
Lake Erie/Florida Panhandle
Edited by - Dave5041 on 05/17/2018 18:11:36
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.