I just purchased this boat, and this particular portion of the bilge (aft of the mast) was full of about 6" of crud and grime, so I didn't see this until I had cleaned it all out with a vacuum cleaner. There are a few issues that I hope aren't as big as it seems they could be:
1) You can't really tell in the photo, but the keel bolts appear to be vertical, but the fiberglass partition appears to be crooked and next to the top of the bolts so you can't screw a nut on them. The past owner put a concrete-like substance around the bolts to act like a nut...I'm assuming because they couldn't screw a nut on because of the way it is tilted. The mast appears to be in great shape, and the keel looked good on haul-out. Is this something I should really be worried about structurally?
2) Once I scrubbed away the crud, and uncovered the concrete-like 'bolts', I noticed a very small amount of water was trickling through one of them because it had eroded so much. I think a washer, a nut, and 4200/5200 would fix the problem until I haul it out again considering all the other bolts appear to be in great condition. I was considering cutting them to half their height so I could put a washer and bolt on when the tide is low enough that the boat is sitting on the bottom (it's a very shallow slip). Is this a smart idea?
What year and model is your boat? The MKII's have a hole to allow mast water to drain into the bilge. The drain hole is located between the two bolts. Do you have a drain hole that was filled in? I'm guessing your C36 is from the 80's?. From the picture, it appears that you have washers positioned beneath the bilge paint, and possibly some very corroded nuts on top of the washers? If so, I would remove them, and hog out the "partition" enough to add new Stainless nuts. Yes, you can cut some length from the keel bolts. Do this work when the boat is on the hard. You should not see water weeping from around the keel bolt. Check that the bilge has not "softened" from water penetration.
Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B
It's a 1992 Catalina 36. It doesn't appear that I have a drain hole as it's not an MKII. That was the best photo I could take, but in reality, it looks like washers were there, but no longer there as the paint is an intention where they used to be. It is going to be a few months before I'm able to haul it out, so was thinking I could cut the bolts and repair one at a time when the boat is sitting on the bottom of the slip when the tide is really low as I've heard this can be an option if hauling out is not an option at the moment. I was thinking to hog out the partition might decrease a little structural integrity - what are your thoughts on this? Thank you for the warning on the softening of the bilge...if this is the case, would the standard fiberglass fill-in/injection work to solve this problem? Thank you for your help.
It's a bit hard to tell what is at the bottom of each bolt without a flash being used to take the pic, but as the previous commenter mentioned, you could use an angle grinder or Dremel to make a V-shaped channel down the backside of each bolt into the vertical partition just deep enough to turn stainless steel nuts onto the bolts. If those are rusted old nuts at the bottom, you'll need to use a Dremel to remove them. Essentially the rest of the bolts (there are another pair forward of the mast that you need to check -- need to remove the floor board in the V-berth) are able to hold the keel on, but if both of these are now loose you should get them fixed properly with SS washers and nuts. The seepage might be nothing, but check for sponginess in the area around the bolts. Some bleach spray will clean up the black mould.
Kevin Lenard
"Firefly"
'91 C-36 Mk. "1.5" Tall Rig, Fin Keel, Hull #1120, Universal M-35 original (not "A" or "B")
CBYC, Scarborough, Lake Ontario, Canada
Hi Kevin,
That was using a flash, and unfortunately the best photo I could get of the situation. There is nothing at the bottom of the bolts other than an indention where a washer used to be. I can't tell if the old bolts are corroded or if it's some form of concrete-like substance. Do you think cutting the partition behind the bolt would take away any structural integrity? What are your thoughts on cutting the bolts shorter since the partition is crooked and I would be able to fit nuts/washers on if the bolts were shorter? I've checked all the other bolts and they are in great condition. Thank you.
You might want to give Catalina a call regarding the structural risk, but I don't think those partitions are providing a lot of structural strength, especially if only 'cupping out' a bit of the surface to enable a nut to be put on. There should be no issue with cutting down the bolts outside of facing a challenge to ensure that the nut finds its groove in order to screw it on. Usually I need to burnish the top edge with a Dremel cut-off disk to open up the groove. The big challenge in tightening the nut is getting a deep socket on top, which means open up a wider space around the back of the bolts.
Kevin Lenard
"Firefly"
'91 C-36 Mk. "1.5" Tall Rig, Fin Keel, Hull #1120, Universal M-35 original (not "A" or "B")
CBYC, Scarborough, Lake Ontario, Canada
Cutting the length of the bolts will have no impact structural integrity.
Looking at the picture again- it appears that you do have a drain hole between the bolts (a short PVC tube fiber glassed into the partition, or "stringer"). It also continues to look to me that there are some heavily corroded nuts, and, washers are imbedded beneath the bilge paint. Take a nail and hammer to confirm the nuts are not remaining concrete chunks and indeed there are washers beneath the nuts and bilge paint.
The angled partition is called a "stringer". The bilge has numerous stringers. These are made of wood, covered by fiberglass and painted by bilge paint. The stringers are not significantly structural to the completed hull, so yes, you can cut into them, but afterward, seal the cut with fiberglass or epoxy, or water absorption and rot will occur.
Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B
Thank you both!