Leaving a swing-keel Catalina 22 in salt water

[gv...@my-dejanews.com]

Are there any problems with leaving a swing-keel Catalina 22 in salt water
long-term other than what you would normally expect with growth and
corrosion? I am looking at one for sale without a trailer that is a 1970
model and was dry-stored until a couple of years ago. I'm wondering whether
not being able to dry-store the boat immediately should be a high-priority
concern, or whether other swing-keel owners get away with it.

The manual warns against the long term effects, and strongly suggests barrier
coating, keeping the paint up on the keel, and installing a zinc.

Thanks in advance - my email address is in the Organization header.

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[CaptWyn]

Before you keep your boat in salt water make sure the bottom job is in good
shape. If your swing keel is properly sealed up and treated with a bottom
paint. Then you will have no problem.

What you need to check, is the part of your keel that rides in the keel well.
If you use the boat regulary then the keel moving up & down should keep the
area free of barnicals. The lower part of your keel is easy to service. Jack
the boat up let down the keel and work on it. But the upper part of the keel
can be overlooked so it needs to be checked.

I bought a 1980 model 23' swing keel. you could tell the boat had spent serious
time in a slip. My summer maintence project was to pull the keel off the boat
and clean it up. The epoxy job on the keel was pretty much gone. The leading
edges of my keel were the worst about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of rust. I am working
a lot this year so this project has taken much longer than planned.

I don't have any knowledge of installing a zinc. I am of the delusion that a
fiberglass boat with a fiberglass keel trunk. The keel is not in an electrical
circut. Although It would be nice to hear from others concerning swing keel
boats and the need for zincs

If nothing else put the boat on a trailer untill you can service the keel.

I would raise & lower the keel a few times to make sure nothing is jamed

Wayne

[RayD]

I had a 1982 25' swing keel Catalina that I kept in the Barnegut Bay in New
Jersey. I replaced the keel cable twice. The first one broke after about
5 years. I installed the second one 2 years later. I also replaced to
keel's hinge pin that wore after about 8 years. Fortunately, I didn't need
to have the it reamed and re-bushed. Catalina's tend to develop "pits" in
the gel coat on the hull. I don't think they qualify as blisters but they
cause an additional day of maintenance each spring to fill with marine-tex
before painting. I left it in the water only once during the winter and
don't recommend it. I regretted that I didn't buy a trailer early on. The
yearly haul-out charges would have paid for the trailer in less than 3
years. It was a great boat that got a lot of use.

Good luck
Ray

[James Ewing]

I just sold my 1986 C-22 swing keel that was kept in salt water for about
eight out of 10 years. It's first two years were in fresh and on a trailer.
Before I launched the boat in S. Florida I had the keel hangers tapped and
put a one zinc on each hanger. I also used a two part epoxy barrier coat
designed for metal. I didn't need to recoat the keel for 6 years. I saw no
degradation of the hanger pin or the hangers and only minor wear in the hole
in the keel. Maintenance was pulling the boat every 18-24 months for new
bottom paint and the occasional in the water scraping. There was some minor
pitting in the sides of the keel due to surface rust but that was it.

je