FLEET 20 NEWSLETTER
March 2000

Catalina 22 - Fleet 20, Portland, OR

Cruising News
By Dale Mack

Lemon Island Rendezvous, May 13.  Fleet 20 will be holding its annual Lemon Island Rendezvous on Saturday, May 13th.  If we get rained out, the alternate day is Saturday, May 20th.  (Mother's Day is May 14)

If you and your family would like to include breakfast out as part of the day's activities, consider joining a group of us meeting at Elmer's near West Marine at 9:30am for breakfast.  If breakfast doesn't fit into your plans, please consider joining the raft-up in the afternoon.

We'll informally rendezvous near buoy "14" at 1:30pm, and then head upstream to the north side of Lemon Island where we'll raft-up and share snacks.  If you miss us at buoy "14", just head to Lemon Island at your leisure.

Depending on the water level in the river, we'll try to raft-up in the backwater between Lemon Island and Government Island, in order to stay out of the current.  If that doesn't work out, we'll be anchored just off the beach.

What to bring?  Mostly just fend for yourself, but if you'd like to bring something to share that would be great.  Once rafted up, we'll break out the goodies and  enjoy the afternoon together.

Stagger Those Masts
By Dale Mack

Many of our activities result in rafting up the boats either at anchor or at a dock.  It is important that the boats be staggered so that your boat's mast is either forward or aft of the masts on either side of you.  If the masts aren't staggered, the rolling caused by a passing boat's wake can cause the spreaders of the adjacent boats to become fouled.  The use of spring lines between the boats is an effective method of maintaining mast stagger.

I speak from personal experience on this point.  Insufficient mast stagger cost me a bent antenna and a broken masthead light when a powerboat cruised through our anchorage, causing the masts of Harmony and another Fleet 4 boat to touch.  While the damage was easily repaired, the incident reminded me that each skipper is ultimately responsible for the safety of his boat during fleet-sponsored activities.  If you ever attend an activity where you are uncomfortable with the anchorage or berthing arrangement, please speak up.  If the situation can't be corrected to your satisfaction, you always have the option of acting on your own to achieve peace of mind.

Racing News
By  Dale Mack

Are You Planning to Race?  So far, Terry Annis (Lematike), Dan Higgins (Dalliance), and Dale Mack (Harmony) have expressed an interest in  racing as a one-design fleet during the SYSCO Spring Series (five races spread over five Thursdays, starting 4/20 at 6:30pm).  We are planning to race as a non-spinnaker fleet.  Fleet 20's calendar lists the nights for the races.

Race Committee Duty.  Fleet 20 will be serving as the Race Committee for two of SYSCO's Tuesday night races.  The dates are May 2, and June 27.  I'll publish more details in the April newsletter.

Spinnakers.  We will be picking a couple of the Friday Night Beer Can Races this summer to get some spinnaker racing experience.  Although the spinnakers with range from asymmetrical cruising to symmetrical racing with poles, the intend is to have fun and learn something new.  I'd encourage everyone interested in getting some spinnaker flying experience to come out, even it it's aboard someone else's boat.  The Friday Night races start June 9 and run through August 25, so we have plenty of time to pick which nights we want to go out.

Swing-Keel Fairing
By Dale Mack

Many of us are probably trying to finish up maintenance projects on our boats right about now.  Terry Annis decided he'd tackle his swing-keel this winter.  After dropping the keel out of the boat while still on the trailer, and dragging it into the bed of his pickup using a sheet of plywood and a come-along, Terry had the keel sandblasted down to bare metal.

Since getting the keel back, Terry has been filling the voids and coating the keel with West System #105 Epoxy Resin, #407 Filler, and #205 Fast Hardener.  Terry commented that he has found using a squeegee a little more productive for spreading the mixture over the keel than trying to use a brush.  Terry has been sanding between each coat of epoxy after letting it harden over night.

Terry also had the hole for the one inch keel pin drilled out larger to accommodate a bushing.  The use of a bushing is a common repair method when the keel hole has worn at the edges after years of having the keel rock back and forth on the pin.

Swing-Keel maintenance is just one of the many topics covered in the Catalina 22 Technical Manual available from the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association (www.catalina22.org).  The manual and the bimonthly association magazine is worth the cost of annual membership.  Information on how to join the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association is available on their website.

Keel Cable Advice
By Lowell Richardson
Photos by Dale Mack

Editor's Note:  A great source of Catalina 22 information is the Catalina 22 email discussion group hosted by Catalina Direct.  While most of the questions and answers on the list typically come from C22 owners, every once an awhile, Lowell Richardson, owner of "The Foredeck" responds to a question posted on the list (In addition to being a Catalina Yachts dealer in Northern California, The Foredeck's Catalina Direct mail order division specializes in parts for Catalina Yachts, custom upgrades, and accessories.)

What follows is one of those exchanges from the email discussion group.

Question:  What should I watch for with regards to the condition and care of the swing keel cable?

Lowell:  Check the physical condition periodically.  Replace the cable long before it has a chance of failure.  Potential wear points on the cable include:

1) The upper 3/4 of the cable.

Cause:  Tight wraps of cable stacked on top of loose wraps.  Eventually the tight wraps tear their way through the underlying wraps, damaging the cable.

Solution:  Never leave the winch handle completely slack, thereby preventing the remaining wraps of cable from unwinding.  For example, lower the keel onto the trailer for trailering, then tighten the winch slightly to engage the clutch preventing the winch drum from rotating.

or...

Cause:  Old boats used a keel winch whose center shaft was a tube just large enough for the bolt which supports the drum.  Newer boats were equipped with a center drum with a diameter of about two inches.  The small shaft in the old winch was too small a diameter and caused the keel cable to fray.

Solution:  Replace the old winch with a new model.

2) The middle of the cable.

Cause:  Rough surface of a worn keel turning ball chafing the wire.

Solution: Replace the keel turning ball.

3) Wear or broken strands at the top of the swage fitting (the fitting which attaches the cable to the keel).

Cause:  Keel eyebolt positioned improperly.

Solution:  Rotate the eyebolt so that the axis of the clevis pin is athwartships.  In this position the fork hinges on the pin, preventing the wire from bending each time the keel is raised and lowered.

Editor's Note:  Catalina Direct also sells a Catalina 22 Owner's Handbook and Catalog ($10.95 includes postage) which along with lots of helpful advice also lists parts and upgrades available for your Catalina 22.  With or without the catalog, I've found the staff at Catalina Direct to be very helpful, and their technical support line is great if you're looking for some free professional advice.  I've included below  some of the replacement parts associated with the keel cable.

Catalina Direct
Order Desk: 1-800-959-7245
Fax: 916-635-9126
Technical Support Line: 916-635-1932

Check Your Keel Bolts
By Lowell Richardson
Photo by Dale Mack

Editor's Note:  The following was Lowell Richardson's answer to a question about keel bolt torque that was asked in the email discussion group.

Question:  How tight should the keel bolts be?

Lowell:  The torque that Catalina recommends for a Catalina 22 keel bolt is 30 foot/pounds.  Be sure that a torque wrench is used to check the bolts.  Be cautious to not over tighten. Stainless can be sheared off by a surprisingly small amount of torque.  If you check the keel bolts a couple of times a year by simply tightening them a bit each time, you WILL break them off.  Use a torque wrench and tighten to 30 foot pounds only.  Replace the keel bolts every few years... They're cheap!

Question:  The owner's manual recommends that the boat should not be left in salt water for periods of time.  What should I do?

Lowell:  Haul the boat and check the four keel bolts periodically.  The more motion the boat experiences at its mooring, the more likely the keel bolts are to loosen.  Boats left on a buoy for extended periods are suspect.  A couple of customers left their boats on buoys at Lake Tahoe and lost keels because they didn't know to check the bolts.

Install zincs on the keel to minimize electrolysis.  The zinc, being a "less noble" metal, corrodes first therefore protecting the iron and bronze.  Replace the zincs more often than you think necessary.  The least noble parts of a zinc can corrode away, leaving what appears to be a complete part.  But it is no longer protecting the keel effectively.

Editor's Note:  Check out this 2006 article on the opinions of keel bolt torque values.

Upcoming Events
By Dale Mack

March 29/30.  The Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association (OCSA) will be hosting its Race Management Clinic at the Portland Yacht Club.  This informative two evening seminar is not just for race committees.  The seminar will focus on the planning and coordination involved in putting on a sailboat race.  As a racing novice, I attended the clinic last year and found it helped dispel much of the mystery surrounding racing on the Columbia River.

April 6/7.  The Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO) will be hosting its SYSCO Race Clinic.  A Thursday evening chalkboard session will include topics on basic rules, starting procedures, protests, and local racing conditions.  Experienced skippers will be available to share racing knowledge.  On Friday evening an on the water session will feature several practice starts together with a round-the-buoy practice race to the finish.  Experienced skippers will be available for onboard assistance.

April 15/16.  Opening Day Regatta (SYSCO)

April 20.  Spring Series, Race #1 (SYSCO)

April 27.  Spring Series, Race #2 (SYSCO)

April 29/30.  Spring Regatta (SYSCO)

The Fleet 20 newsletter is published online once a month.    Articles are the opinions of the authors and don't necessarily represent the consensus of Fleet 20.