Hull / Keel / Rudder / Tiller

Catalina Direct Discussion Topics / Catalina 22 Discussion Area / Hull / Keel / Rudder / Tiller / Keel Cable Findings
 
 
Author Keel Cable Findings
Garrett
Phoenix, AZ

Boat Name: "Sting"

Model/Year: C22 1974

Hull No. 3627

Hailing Port: Lake Pleasant, AZ
09/14/2004 6:30 PM Pacific Time

Hey Gang,

The previous owner installed sometime in the past a cable on the winch and to secure it to the drum, he used regular screws and nuts, with taper head that didn't fit in the square holes (for tiny carriage bolts/smooth heads), and thus they stuck into the path of the cable by about 1/16th....enough that when I got it, and lowered the keel the first time I could hear all the crunching,, looked and saw many broken strands....

So, with new cable, I removed the old. It was frayed all along its working length. The turning ball and pin were fine, rolling freely.

Now the issues.....

The clevis end of the cable is bent, as in the 3" shaft is bent about 25 degrees between the clevis and the cable. Further, the cable is kinked and has broken strands where it meets the swage.

Any ideas how this can happen? It was not binding in the volcano...all secure/clean there...

Also....

Ordered the clevis pin and cotter from CD, and the clevis is about 1/2 the diameter of the fitting on the new cable. The old clevis pin fits nicely....with minimal slop. The new one is loose....should I get a new one locally that fits better, or just use the old?

Garrett
Lowell Richardson, Owner, Catalina Direct
Sacramento CA

Boat Name: Steamboat Willie

Model/Year: 1984

Hull No.

Hailing Port: Folsom Lake
09/14/2004 11:36 PM Pacific Time

Garrett,

One possibility is the keel eyebolt may not be in the correct position. It may have rotated at some time, which caused the clevis pin to be in the wrong orientation.

The axis of the clevis pin must be athwartships. It must act as a hinge to allow for the change in angle that occurs when the keel is raised or lowered. If the keel eyebolt is rotated from that position, when tension is applied to the cable, the fork on the end of the wire will be bent and the cable kinked where it enters the swage end of the fork.

If my guess is correct, if you apply tension to the keel cable even once, your new cable will be damaged. The keel eyebolt must be rotated into the correct position again.

But be careful! The stainless steel eyebolt can be sheared off surprisingly easily with even an average size wrench. Penetrating oil and/or the application of some heat from a small propane torch may be necessary to break the corrosion.

Give me a call on our tech support line tomorrow and we can discuss it more in depth.

Re: the clevis pin: It should be the same diameter as the fork on the cable. I see from your invoices the parts didn’t ship at the same time, so apparently staff didn’t catch the incompatibility. I’m at home and it is 11:30 PM here so I can’t access our computer system real time, but I can put another in the mail tomorrow if you like.

Tech support is 916/843-1971
Lowell
Garrett
Phoenix, AZ

Boat Name: "Sting"

Model/Year: C22 1974

Hull No. 3627

Hailing Port: Lake Pleasant, AZ
09/15/2004 7:02 AM Pacific Time

THX Lowell,

The eyebolt on the keel itself is straight aligned with the keel, no problem there....

Yes, pls send the correct clevis pin...I would appreciate it!

THX again.

Garrett
 
 
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