Derek, what year is your boat? I just had my '81 #4795 pulled and no smile, I wonder if it is a function of age or can be caused by running aground or improper blocking.
Joe McCary Aeolus II, West River, MD joe at photoresponse.com www.aeoluswestriver.net From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Derek Atkin Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 6:40 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [IC27A] Source of the Catalina smile. [2 Attachments] [Attachment(s) from Derek Atkin included below] This is by no means gospel. just my thought. Attached is a shot of the front-most keel boat washer. As you can see its now conical in shape. If you take the movement of the bolt due to washer deformation and the collapse of the surface underneath - you can certainly see why a tolerance grows and thus allows the keel to drop a little and generate a crack. I have also attached a shot of my remedy. 3/4" aluminum blocks that are acting to spread the load of the keel on the keel floor. If you look around the bole - you can see the larger flat washer - which is about the same size as the washer on the original fitting. I had plates made for every keel bolt, significantly increasing the surface area that spreads the load for each keel bolt. They are fitted with stainless lock-nuts and washers and were set in epoxy to take up any surface irregularities. Hopefully this increased support will prevent and further separation between the boat and the keel. Derek Atkin #4297 __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4063 (20090508) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com
