Emery Williams
Boat Name: Second Wind
Model/Year: 1986 C-22
Hull No. 13550
Hailing Port: Lake Chautauqua, New York |
 09/08/2009 6:11 PM Pacific Time
I need to repair/replace my bow eye and backing block on my 1986 C-22. Does anyone have a method to access the backing block that is better than cutting an opening under the V birth, forward teak panel?
I did see an old discussion from 2004 on this problem and that seemed the most sensible. But maybe someone has a better idea today.
Thanks |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
09/09/2009 10:42 AM Pacific Time
Does your boat have an anchor locker. If so, you need to cut a 3" or 4" inspection hole in the front of the locker to get at the eye bolt. This is easily done with a rotary tool or Dremel and a fiberglass cutting bit. Close the hole with any circular access port cover. Caulk well and screw in place. I had no trouble with mine. Take care not to let debris clog the drain tube. If you don't have a locker, you should be able to remove the teak panel and access the eyebolt directly. |
Emery Williams
Boat Name: Second Wind
Model/Year: 1986 C-22
Hull No. 13550
Hailing Port: Lake Chautauqua, New York |
09/09/2009 3:26 PM Pacific Time
Howard,
I do have an anchor well. It does have a small round port w/inspection hole, that allows access to the bow light wiring. It is too small to even feel the hex nuts on the bow eye. There is a teak panel at the fore end of the V-birth. When that is removed, there is a plastic panel behind it. It seems as though this would be the best place to make a large enough opening with a dremel tool, to have access to the back of the bow eye. It seems as the original wooden backing block has collapsed (to some extent). Possibly that is from some water getting at it over the last 23 years. They just don't make things to last these days!
Emery |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
09/09/2009 7:58 PM Pacific Time
Emery-On my boat, the plastic behind the teak panel is the rear of the anchor locker. If yours is like mine, opening a hole will just give you access to the locker. I had to open a hole in the front of the locker to access the eyebolt. The access port you have may be small but if it leads to the boweye area then thats what you need to open up. If that's the case,enlarge the hole and put in a bigger inspection port. |
Emery Williams
Boat Name: Second Wind
Model/Year: 1986 C-22
Hull No. 13550
Hailing Port: Lake Chautauqua, New York |
09/10/2009 3:22 PM Pacific Time
Have you any idea what the material is that surrounds the backing block and covers the back side of the bow eye? It almost seems like it may have been injected into the area. |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
09/11/2009 3:47 PM Pacific Time
I don't remember but I used SS washers on mine. |
Emery Williams
Boat Name: Second Wind
Model/Year: 1986 C-22
Hull No. 13550
Hailing Port: Lake Chautauqua, New York |
09/11/2009 8:06 PM Pacific Time
There is some type of material, seems like a rock hard injected foam, or plaster, type substance, all around the backing block. Therefore, I can't even feel the back of the bow eye or the hex nuts on it. I am just curious as to what it is so I can figure out how to try to remove it, or even how much to try to remove. It seems like the same stuff is all around the drain port for the anchor locker. |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
09/12/2009 9:19 AM Pacific Time
I have no idea. My hardware was visible. Maybe it was something put on by the PO. |
Aaron M Benham
33a Loomis Hights
Boat Name: Tidely-Idley: The never ending project
Model/Year: 1978 C22
Hull No. 8070
Hailing Port: |
09/12/2009 9:48 AM Pacific Time
That sounds like hardened polyester resin. If that is what it is and it was applyed properly, you may have grind it out which is a messy, dusty job. When I removed the bow eye/front bumper it had a large clump of glass re-enforced resin covering the bolts and no backing block ( I guess the mass of fiberglass was supposed to be the backing block). I ended up to cutting the eye off on the outside with a hack saw. The stainless steel cut easily with a hack saw. I then used a hammer and punch to pound the clump and bolts in from the outside. The clump came off in a neat chunk with the bolts contained inside only because who ever did this did not grind or properly prepare the area before applying the mess. The bow did not seem to sustain any additional damage over what it already had from this brute force method. |
Emery Williams
Boat Name: Second Wind
Model/Year: 1986 C-22
Hull No. 13550
Hailing Port: Lake Chautauqua, New York |
09/19/2009 6:35 AM Pacific Time
Aaron,
That sounds like it is probably the case with my C22. There is an awful lot of the resin in that area. It looks (from inspection) from under/and aft of, the anchor well, to have surrounded the anchor well drain port also.
I had to wrap the boat for winter and leave her, without getting any further into the project, and won't get back to it till spring. There really is no way to get a grinder into the small inspection port of the anchor well, to grind or cut away any of the material. It appears, at this point, that your solution of driving the eye inward, may be the only way.
I am still very interested in gathering as many opinions, from experience, on the subject as possible.
Thank you,
Emery |
Robert Donehoo
Duluth Ga
Boat Name: Shady Deal
Model/Year: Catalina 22 1979
Hull No. 8940
Hailing Port: Lake Lanier Ga |
10/02/2009 11:00 AM Pacific Time
I had a loose bow eye on my 86 model with an anchor locker. Last weekend I cut an elongated oval from 1" above the drain hole to 6" above the hole. This allowed access to the bow eye and block. The bow eye was removed and a new oak block was shaped to fit the bow (closer fit than the original). The eye was re-installed using large stainless fender washers and 4200. The cut oval was epoxied to a 1/4 " piece of plywood. The plywood was shapped to fit about 1/2" larger than the cut piece and sealed. The cover is now s/s screwed in place with a silicon seal. I used a small air powered autobody saw to get in to cut the hole (about $20.00) and a right angle drill with !/4" drive bit attachment ($20.00)
I find these items very useful for tight places on the boat. Anyway I can now access the area any time (which might be useful in 25 years when the new piece needs replacement. HA |
Aaron M Benham
33a Loomis Hights
Boat Name: Tidely-Idley: The never ending project
Model/Year: 1978 C22
Hull No. 8070
Hailing Port: |
10/02/2009 12:19 PM Pacific Time
The good news is that if you can't grind it, whoever put the resin in there couldn't either. It should pop out fairly easily if that is the case with a few good hard whacks direclty on the stainless. |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
10/03/2009 8:49 AM Pacific Time
After looking at mine, I see that I also have the resin backing block. I know that my eye bolt nuts were exposed and I knocked out the old bolts with a drift punch. I guess that Catalina used this as a formed in place backing block laid it in before installing the anchor locker. They may have over sprayed it in some cases like yours. I think that cutting the bolt from the outside and punching it through is a great idea. I would leave the existing block but add the SS washers as extra backing. Make sure the new eye bolts are long enough to leave a healthy amount of end showing behind the resin block. I did mine in 2004 and have had no problems since. I was able to use a standard 4" inspection port with screw on/off cover. Makes it very handy to check. |
