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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

New owner and new sailor.

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JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/12/2010 : 06:56:43

Well, it's another newvie thread! (I hate being a forum newbie!)

Just bought a 1983 Cat 25 swing keel. Love it so far. Initially we were looking for a cat 22 and this 25 popped up within our budget. Previous owner took pretty good care of it when he was using it, but it had sat unused for about a year so it was dirty and neglected. We had it hauled from the (fresh) water and my sailing instructors gave it a thorough going over for/with me. Aside from needing a bottom job, the boat was in great shape for the money. So, it is now ours!

We've mostly been cleaning so far. Got the 9.9 horse 1984 Evinrude up and running (just needed new plugs and some TLC). Pulled all the cushions and threw the nasty covers. Bought a sewing machine and we are now making new slip covers for the foam, which was still in good shape. Take my first sailing lesson next weekend!

Have some pictures I can post, but it'll have to wait for later. Can't access picture hosting/sharing sites at the moment due to internet filtering.

Matt W.
1983 C25 SR/SK
Monroe Harbor Marina
Sanford, FL.

Edited by - on

Unsinkable2
Captain

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USA
273 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 08:08:06

Congrats on your purchase - and welcome to the best owners' association on the web!

One piece of advice I got when I bought my boat (a 77 swinger): Order a new keel cable, cable hose, and hose clamps from www.catalinadirect.com . As long as you replace those every couple of years, that swing keel will perform beautifully.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 08:17:12

Welcome aboard! That is good advice from Unsinkable2, but order the kit that includes the roller ball too. We'll try to be your first tier of new friends, but CD will be you second.

Edited by - on

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 08:27:26

Sounds like Good advice, guys. Losing the keel would be the bigest disaster I can think of short of sinking. A bottom job is first on the docket, but when I have it out of the water for that, I already planned on having them check the pivot pin/assembly again. When we inspected the boat before buying, the cable and everything looked good. But I still plan on replacing all that as I'm able to, anyway.

I'm somewhat handy and a quick learner, but how feasable is it to do that work oneself? And I'm not a trailer sailor, we're keeping the boat at a marina. So, I'd have to pay to have it hauled and for dry storage even if I did the work myself. Still worth the savings to DIY?

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 09:27:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JudOWNED
 Sounds like Good advice, guys. Losing the keel would be the bigest disaster I can think of short of sinking. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

If the keel is up and the system fails you will sink and sink very fast! 1500 pounds of iron dropping suddenly will drop the bottom of your boat right along with it.

Welcome to the forum. Drop $22 and join the Association. Then you can take advantage of some of the discounts, etc. offered to members. Plus, you'll have the added benefit of a cool new sticker for your boat!

Oh, yeah, it keeps the forum alive as well.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 09:29:02

The system is simple and easy to replace. If you have an eyebolt attachment on the keel, you will want to replace it with the CD part, then it is just a matter of threading the cable up the through=hull and over a new roller ball and attach it to the winch. The pivot is silicon bronze and pretty bulletproof. To look at its' innards, replace the 4 bolts with threaded rod one at a time with nuts screwed up against the assembly. With locknuts on the bottom and a wrench so you don't unscrew the rod, progressively back off the nuts to lower keel to inspect. Removing the pin and housing requires a support assembly for the keel. If you have a trailer, the pivot assembly can be removed with the keel lowered to the trailer frame with the rods and wood wedges in the trunk to stabilize the keel. My keel clunked a lot and I discovered that the hole for the pivot pin had worn. CD had a SS sleeve that I put in and resolved the issue after a couple of years of clunking I described the process on a pivot assembly thread. The only things you need to do right away are replacing the lifting components and inspecting the pivot for obvious problems. I certainly didn't drop Pearl's keel as an initial inspection.

Edited by - on

Tom Gauntt
Navigator

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204 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 09:38:49

Jud,

If you are doing the bottom anyway, might as well do the keel cable, turning ball, and keel hose at the same time. The whole keel lifting replacement kit is available from CD for $125. Depending on the last time the cable, ball, hose, were replaced, $125 could be very cheap insurance. When I got my boat, I mentally put the lifting mechanism on my to-do list, but I really thought it was fine. While the boat was on the hard, I got around to replacing the parts and was stunned to see that the hose had dry-rotted almost all the way through! It literally broke in half when I pulled it from the "volcano" fitting.

Then I removed the turning ball and discovered that it had seized and subsequently flat-spotted almost completely through the brass to the stainless steel pin.

It is very, very easy to accomplish this replacement with the boat on the hard and very, very difficult to do with the boat in the water. If it were me (and this is what I did with mine), I'd pull the boat and have the bottom power washed by the guys at the yard. Put the boat on stands and let the bottom dry out for a week or so. Inspect the bottom for cracks in the gelcoat, blisters, hard growth, etc. While the bottom is drying out, go ahead and replace the cable, turning ball, and hose (and hose clamps). I have most every hand tool known in the free world, but I think replacing all the lifting hardware took only a flathead screwdriver, and a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Very simple operation and superb piece of mind!

This forum (and tech tips) is a treasure trove of information. Exploit it freely and post your own experiences so that we all may learn. And if you need any help spending "boat units", you can get some great ideas here!

Edited by - Tom Gauntt on 04/12/2010 09:40:02

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 12:17:22

You guys have convinced me. When I haul it for the bottom later this summer, I'll replace the cable assembly. I had thought the pivot pin was the much more important of the two (and would be the more prone to wear/failure), so I learned something today.

Edited by - on

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 04/12/2010 : 12:20:43

FYI, for those wondering, "JudOWNED" is my handle from some martial arts forums I frequent. It is because I train Judo. And if you've ever been thrown hard by a Judo Player (judoka) then you know the feeling of being JudOWNED!

I'm sure that sounds really weird to people who have no idea what I'm talking about. lol

Edited by - on

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 04:04:07

As promised, here's some pics. This was from our first cleaning day. All the cushions are out (and being recovered). And everything is kinda messy. But I still think she lookes good. The last is us enjoying the fruits of the day's labor.

Let me know if you can see these. I don't know if my internet-fu is good here or not.

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 04:41:42

Sweet.. the picks work fine, and I'll bet that is the cleanest boat on the dock..

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 05:43:48

Watch that screw that holds up the retainer for the pop top, mine works its way loose so easily that I've added a line to secure the pop top to the mast.

Edited by - on

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 05:58:03

Watch the who in the what, now?

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 06:00:15

To follow up on what Ray said, it may be a good idea to add a wing nut over the knurled nut that holds the "pop-top mast lock" in place. With the wing nut hand tightened my pop-top has never come loose.

Enjoy your new boat!

Edited by - on

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 13:27:41

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redeye
 Watch that screw that holds up the retainer for the pop top, mine works its way loose so easily that I've added a line to secure the pop top to the mast.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ready for your first lulz at my expense? I didn't even know it had one of those. Just checked it today and it does, and seems to hold okay. But I've just been propping that thing up, figuring its weight held it in place. lol Coulda lost a hand for sure, if that thing had come crashing down!

Edited by - on

Tom Gauntt
Navigator

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204 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 14:30:03

Matt,

Although I have never been JudOWNED, I have been "pop-topped". I imagine the sensations are eerily similar: the split-second helpless realization of what is about to occur and the accompanying moment where the time/space continuum slows to a crawl; the unmistakable and spectacular moment where the laws of physics collide with the limits of human physiology; the throbbing aftermath as one's faculties and involuntary functions are slowly regained.

I love my pop-top, but I treat it like a guillotine. Especially with my kids aboard. The other "sutures waiting to happen" is the fold-up table in the saloon. Don't ask me how I know this.

Great pictures and looks like a great boat! Thanks for posting.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 14:52:52

Matt, in addition to the screw, you may want to invest in the more expensive, but also more reassuring pop-top struts. They are like the struts that hold the liftgate up on a hatchback or minivan. You can buy them from CD and put them on the poptop. It will make it easier to open the top (your wife will thank you) and act as extra insurance against the top coming down hard, although they still don't guarantee it staying up. The screw is all that does that.

Teach your kids to never reach through, or rest their hands on the line formed by the poptop gasket. Just for kicks put a hotdog on there and drop the hatch. They'll get the message real quick. Also never leave the dock with the top in the up position. One good wave is all it takes.

Edited by - Prospector on 04/13/2010 14:54:43

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 14:53:41

I am not saying to not add a wingnut as a locknut over the knurled knob, but I don't and have never had the retainer come loose.

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4018 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 16:10:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The other "sutures waiting to happen" is the fold-up table in the saloon<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Come on Tom, Don't give away all the fun stuff.

Edited by - islander on 04/13/2010 16:11:57

Tom Gauntt
Navigator

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204 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 16:37:32

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by islander
Come on Tom, Don't give away all the fun stuff.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Scott, you notice I didn't mention reaching into the dumpster with the lid propped open or the little metal doo-dad used to dog down the forward hatch.

I will mention my "General Self-Preservation Rule for Children": "Do NOT put anything in the head that you haven't eaten first." Although now that I think about it, he could have eaten that matchbox car.

Ahhhhh, so many memories...

Edited by - on

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2010 : 18:00:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Tom Gauntt
 The other "sutures waiting to happen" is the fold-up table in the saloon. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

In fact, the table has already claimed my wife's ankle as a victim. Though, in the table's defense, she took it down to clean and left it leaning against the bulkhead unsecured.

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