Survey swing keel in trailer

[davidpm]

Many swing keel boats are offered for sale on the trailer. Has anyone come up with any tricks to tell if the swing keel mechanism, keel itself and trunk are OK or likely to be damaged?

[sailingdog]

Visual inspection is a good start, if you can get under the boat well enough to look up into the centerboard trunk. Looking for staining will often give you a good clue about conditions, as a damaged trunk or rusting pivot pin will often have some external signs of the damage or corrosion.

Unfortunately, to really see what is going on, requires lifting the boat and lowering the swing keel or centerboard.

[MikeAR]

I was going to ask the same thing... thanks for the thread and the response!

Going to try to see a boat that will likely need some repairs this weekend - early model Catalina 22 on its trailer.

[danr620]

David/Mike,

I play with a Cipper Marine in my spare time, so I can tell you to at least look at the winch mech and see as much of the cable travel as possible. It may take a light and mirror to see this stuff and maybe remove a cover where the cable goes thru the hull to Keel. If the Keel has fell the front of the Keel trunk could be damaged. These are things to look for.

good luck

Dan

[sailingdog]

Of course, the problems will vary by boat model...so asking about a specific model will generally get a better response. Don't know the Catalina 22, but I'm sure someone else will chime in about it.

[MikeAR]

Thanks guys!
Many of you may recall, I've been looking for quite a while, and even put it on hold for a bit. The mirror is a great idea!
I've been told of a Catalina Mk I (unknown exact year till I see the transom), on what appears to be a factory trailer from the pictures. Dirt aside, it's difficult to tell much from pictures. I've got a firm first right of refusal, so I'm getting a bit excited about the possibilities.