Typical smile?

[kurt]

Hello C34 Group,

Getting ready for next weeks bottom job on my '88 #796 C34. 

Pic post paint from January 2020 haulout.   I had expected the yard to do some minimal smile prep at this haulout but they did not - just clean sand and paint.  I made the decision to just put the boat in the water.   

Today, bilge is dry and my inclination is to do minimal smile prep work at this haulout.  Not a huge fan of the cosmetics but not concerned.   Anything suggest otherwise?   Pretty standard stuff? 

We will see what things look like post hoist / cleaning and make final decisions then.

Thanks,

Kurt

[mark_53]

Looks like some leakage around the crack.  I'd let it dry out and fill with epoxy.

[KWKloeber]

You don't know what, if anything is hiding underneath until you get into grinding out the joint.  It could be more cosmetic than anything, or could be extensive (less likely.)

I'm my case I had water leaking out as she does, but further toward the center.  There wasn't a forward smile but an aft end smile.  Getting into it I found about 1/3 the length of the keel/stub mating (fiberglass mung) had turned to near mush or punky (think damp gypsum drywall.)

Interestingly, the aft keel bolt nut was finger-tight.  I can't say whether that was a contributing cause or a symptom.

Off came the keel, ground away all the mung, rebed and refaired it.  During/after that did a complete bottom job, sanded down to glass, 8 coats sprayed thinned VC Tar barrier coat, and VC-17 icing.

[Ron Hill]

Kurt : I don't like to see any weeping from the Catalina Smile!  I'd gouge out the crack and fix it before going in to the water.  When was the last time you checked the torque on your keel bolts??

A few thoughts

[waughoo]

Putting in another vote for keel bolt torque.  I had a smile at the front of my keel when I bought it and torqued the bolts while it was on the hard from the delivery date.  I re-torqued them after it was in the water and all the dive photos show the keel "smile" to have stayed closed.  My front bolt was QUITE loose when I went to torque it.

I also share Ron's concern for weeping.  My first concern would be that there is a LOT of water in the joint or that the seal is compromised and the water is weeping out of the bilge now the boat is out of the water.

[Porchhound]

I'm very interested in this process, Kurt, in that I'm having a 1986 C34 surveyed tomorrow. Any ideas/WAGS on how costly this problem might be if the keel had to be removed and the wood replaced with glass? Trying to line up costs associated with potential issues. This looks like it could become really expensive if a yard does it.

[Noah]

Porch-
Don't get ahead of yourself. To answer to your question: YES, dropping the keel and rebedding it is a big and potentially expensive job. Also, it is one that most C34 owners won't need to do. Wait and see what the haulout and survey shows before you worry about it.

[KWKloeber]

Trying to line up costs associated with potential issues. This looks like it could become really expensive if a yard does it.

That's what I call classic "preworry."  Why put the energy into that until you see for yourself what the surveyor points out - you can drive yourself nuts.

Unless you are allowed to or able to or want to do most the work yourself, rebedding a keel will START out REALLY expensive and then climb upwards from there.  I did mine totally without the yard (except for pulling the mast) and 90% of it alone with an occasional extra hand from my dad or buddy.  The cost was peanuts cuz it was 95% labor and 5% materials (a gal of 'poxy and some glass and a handful of tubes of 5200 to bed it. 

https://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,9537.msg71726.html#msg71726

Replacing the wood in the keel.stub is exponentially easier in a way (from a physical doing-it sense) but is IMO a nastier though much smaller project.  It ain't fun.

Given the situation would I rebed the keel now?  No way, not at this age but back then I was young and dumb, had her for only a couple of yrs and was gung ho to do everything 110%.

[Stu Jackson]

Don't know if you've seen this 101 Topic thread link:

Rebedding a Keel Stub 101  The Catalina Smile with Pictures

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6842.0.html

[LogoFreak]

Kurt, rust streaks from the Catalina smile is never a good sign.
https://jeunesse27.wordpress.com/projects/

[kurt]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for the helpful comments.

Just hauled the boat and a miracle occurred - the smile is gone!  Not quite - but there is zero visible change over the 3 years and bilge is bone dry.   Hopefully, this time lapse view is interesting.

Will add more photos once on the hard if anything changes.

Thanks again,

Kurt

[kurt]

Hello everyone,

To conclude, this is the boat bottom now painted after sitting for a day.   One weep drip no worse (actually less/better) than 3 years ago.  Note the yard only sanded bottom and painted - did not do anything on smile.

Keel bolts were tight and bilge dry.

Thanks,

Kurt

[Ron Hill]

Kurt : My original post still stands!!

A thought

[KWKloeber]

Kurt : My original post still stands!!

A thought

Yep, thick bottom paint can certainly cover up a problem but it can't make it disappear!

[BJeansson]

Hello, any recommendation as to where to buy a socket that is long enough for the keel bolts?
Thank you