Need Cat 27 Keel

Haybaler · #1 (**permalink**) 06-03-2010

i was looking for a good project boat last summer and found a boat. I rescued a 1971 catalina 27 (with title) off the beach in the florida panhandle in fall 2009. The owner ran aground in the sand and the old problem of aging keel bolts showed their ugly head and snapped off at the keel joint. Now keeless she sets in my driveway in Ohio on my trailer waiting for a keel.

Last week went out in the gulf, waded around in waist deep water 300-400 yrds offshore with a good underwater metal detector for about 3 hrs at low tide on a marker where the keels supposed to be, no keel to be found! Needle in a haystack! Probably buried forever.

I don't even want to start working on it until I find one for it. The hull is in solid shape with no soft spots and no smiles in the stub. I believe I read that Cat made 6600 of these boats and I sure there's a keel out there. The boats not worth getting a new keel, and I really don't set up a lead foundry in the back field to pour my own. The original keel was 2700# and I really want to keep it made of lead.

Anybody have one? Or should I give it upto the craigslist gods?

RhythmDoctor · #2 (**permalink**) 06-04-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haybaler

i was looking for a good project boat last summer and found a boat. I rescued a 1971 catalina 27 (with title) off the beach in the florida panhandle in fall 2009. The owner ran aground in the sand and the old problem of aging keel bolts showed their ugly head and snapped off at the keel joint. Now keeless she sets in my driveway in Ohio on my trailer waiting for a keel.

Last week went out in the gulf, waded around in waist deep water 300-400 yrds offshore with a good underwater metal detector for about 3 hrs at low tide on a marker where the keels supposed to be, no keel to be found! Needle in a haystack! Probably buried forever.

I don't even want to start working on it until I find one for it. The hull is in solid shape with no soft spots and no smiles in the stub. I believe I read that Cat made 6600 of these boats and I sure there's a keel out there. The boats not worth getting a new keel, and I really don't set up a lead foundry in the back field to pour my own. The original keel was 2700# and I really want to keep it made of lead.

Anybody have one? Or should I give it upto the craigslist gods?

First thing on Monday, contact Anchorage Marina in Essington, PA 610-521-0660. They had a long-abandoned C27 sink over the winter and floated it a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately the patch did not hold and it started sinking again, so they towed it onto mud flats where it now sinks twice a day during the 6' tidal swings. Based on the groove I saw in the mud, there is a keel under there.

One of the boat owners told me the marina plans to bring someone in to hack it up and haul it away. If you can arrange shipping, I assume you could get the keel - but you'll have to talk to them because I don't know what their plans are for parting it out. They may have hired a salvage company who may want $$ for the parts, or they may want some money to help defray the substantial disposal costs.

Here's a pic of the boat shortly after it was floated - before it was towed to the mud flats, which are visible in the background. The patch on the bow is the part that seemed to start leaking again. Water pours out of it every low tide:

deniseO30 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-04-2010

Hey dat my boat!! (not) keels are very $$$ Haybaler Hope your close enough to work a deal on that one in essington!

Haybaler · #4 (**permalink**) 06-05-2010

That looks like a good parts boat, I will contact the marina Monday. I'm 8hrs away from there so maybe I'll go scout it out.

You say they towed it to the mud flats, how far away is that from the nearest lift? I have a small barge with a gantry and boom crane I built. I took it to the gulf to lift the keel I didn't find. Maybe I can hook it and get to a lift to put on my trailer. Thats only if my (very little) cash holds out, salvaging is expensive. I've got the tools and a little time and a bad addiction to adventure

Sad to see her in that condition.

Thanks so much for the lead!!

deniseO30 · #5 (**permalink**) 06-05-2010

I'd like to get the boom off that boat RD any chance of that?

RhythmDoctor · #6 (**permalink**) 06-05-2010

Denise -

I have no inside info on this boat - just what I see, and rumors I heard from someone else. It's best to call the marina.

tomandchris · #7 (**permalink**) 06-05-2010

My guess is that someone knew about the keel in the Gulf and salvaged it for the lead. The value of the salvage boat is also in the keel with lead at about 70 cents a pound. Get your keel and then you have the disposal costs of the balance of the boat. Still may be worthwhile.

Good Luck. The 27 is a great boat~!

Haybaler · #8 (**permalink**) 06-05-2010

That seems to be the general thinking about someone salvaged the keel for the lead. I asked around the local marinas where the boat ran aground if they saw anyone bringing in a keel, they sald no. So here I am, caught between treasure hunter, and sailboat addict! It's all in the (empty pockets) journey!

deniseO30 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-05-2010

Hay, if you could find someone to let you make a plaster cast of the keel on their C27 and bury it in the ground. you could start collecting lead and eventually cast it yourself. I remember reading once about using lead shot and resin to cast keels also.

RhythmDoctor · #10 (**permalink**) 06-05-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haybaler

...You say they towed it to the mud flats, how far away is that from the nearest lift? I have a small barge with a gantry and boom crane I built. I took it to the gulf to lift the keel I didn't find. Maybe I can hook it and get to a lift to put on my trailer. Thats only if my (very little) cash holds out, salvaging is expensive. I've got the tools and a little time and a bad addiction to adventure...

The boat is about 100 feet from a lift, but the lift is out of commission and not repairable because the parts are not available (so I am told). The boat is in the mud next to a seawall with asphalt parking lot right adjacent to it, and I imagine that if they hack away the boat piece by piece, at some point they'll end up with nothing but a keel stuck in the mud. At that point I imagine someone could pull up a pickup truck or tow truck with a hoist along the seawall, attach to the keel bolts, and lift the thing up. Or it could be done from a barge as long as the tide is not too low.

But I know nothing about how these things are done. You'll have to talk to the marina.