Here's my personal take on it: If the smile reappears or is larger than 1/16 or 1/8" inch, I'd try removing all the old caulk and replacing it with epoxy putty covered with fiberglass. I'd sister or window-in some new bolts. I'd sail for a while and rehaul to check the repair. If the crack reappears, then I'd worry about the keel bolt corroding. It's time to drop the keel, fair the keel surface to the stub, and reinstall it properly
The problem is not unique to Catalinas. I've seen it 20-30 year old Eriksons, Cals, Pearsons, Rangers, and others. There are more catalinas than any other boat ever mass produced (I think) so they'er the most common boats with smile problems. It's more common with fin keels, but I 've seen it on full keels and cut-aways too. Improper blocking of the keel might be a contributing factor, but it's not the only cause. Some of those boats have flat bottomed keels. And I do think a smile may be a symptom of a significant structural problem. Here's why: If you have to repair a "smile" repeatly, water is getting to the keel bolts which do indeed hold the keel on. The bolts corrode where you can't see it, at the hull to keel joint. Stainless steel bolts do indeed corrode when exposed to stagnant water (lacking oxygen). And keel bolts do hold keels onto the hull. Keels do indeed "pop off" without bolts to hold them. I've seen it done in the boatyard a couple of times. After the hull is lowered onto a special cradle that catches the keel, you just put a wooden wedge into the smile at the front and start wacking it with a small sledge hammer. The keel will "pop" off. It's surprisingly easy to do on most boats. I've seen it done several times,with my own eyes, at both Svendsen's yard in Alameda and Berkeley Marine's yard on San Francsico Bay. I'm sure it's a fairly common job at the other major boat yards too, but those are the only two I've worked at. One of the MOST important steps in a keel reattachement is to ensure that the bottom of the keel stub mates perfectly with the top surface of the keel. When a keel is removed and replaced, the yards always do a careful job of prepareing the mating surfaces. They slather stufcturally reinforced epoxy putty on top of the keel, coat the keel bolts with mould release, coat the hull's keel stub with mould release, and then assemble everything and torque down the bolts. After the epoxy cures hard, they drop the keel again, and put everything together with 5200 adhesive or similar. All the gaps are less than 1/16" of an inch in a properly fitted keel. There is no way for the keel to wobble on the hull and cause a smile. A good yard will give you warranty on that work. They will give you a warranty that the crack won't re-appear only if they know the keel surface and the stubby surface are properly and perfectly mated. Here's my guess at the mechanical design issues: Hulls deflect and bend more than lead keels. High spots between the keel and the hull concentrate forces. When you lift a hull to put it back in the water, it deflects. When you crash a hull over a wave, it deflects. If the keel isn't perfectly mated to the hull, and bolts torqued properly, there are high spots that act like pivot points and forces are concentrated there. The "smile" may reappear immedately. Sitting at rest in the slip, your diver may not see the smile, but the salt water is getting to your keel bolts (and wooden core if there is one). Anyhow, that's my best guess..... Fair winds, Judy B 1977 C27 TR #3459 ________________________________ From: creeklocks <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 6:32:35 AM Subject: [IC27A] Re: Source of the Catalina smile. The problem, if that is what it is, is far too widespread and singular to Catalinas to be improper blocking. I have not een the problem with O'Days, or Hunters for example, yet Catalina owners seem to have been talking about this for years now. I still do not know if it is a real problem or not, the company, in the past has seemed to shrug it off. Is it particular to the 27's? Gene Tozzi #3431 "Gypsy Star" Kingston, NY --- In ic...@yahoogroups. com, Brandon Snider <richardbrandonsnid e...@...> wrote: > > I agree > > On Sun, May 10, 2009 at 3:06 AM, Bob <kniggit713@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > > Hi all, > > > > This is like de ja vu all over again.... > > > > ....and the more times I think about the smile, the more I am convinced > > that the "improper blocking theory" was a fabrication by the legal > > department, to shift all the blame to the boat yards, rather than admit any > > possibility of a design/construction /materials issue. > > > > Bob Stockley > > Sundance #2436 > > > > --- In ic...@yahoogroups. com <IC27A%40yahoogroup s.com>, "Joe McCary" > > <joe@> > > wrote: > > > > > > 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: ic...@yahoogroups. com <IC27A%40yahoogroup s.com> [mailto: > > ic...@yahoogroups. com <IC27A%40yahoogroup s.com>] On Behalf Of > > > Derek Atkin > > > Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 6:40 PM > > > To: ic...@yahoogroups. com <IC27A%40yahoogroup s.com> > > > 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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Richard "Brandon" Snider > 843-616-3124 >
