How to Make a Keel Cable for a Catalina 22

The center keel on a Catalina 22 sailboat raises and lowers with a cable and mechanical winch. Keel cables wear and fray in time, often resulting in a broken cable at an inopportune moment. You can avoid the cost of a factory replacement by making a keel cable with parts you obtain at Catalina service centers or marine supply stores. The do-it-yourself project starts with the boat in dry dock or on a trailer near a workshop that has a bench vise. Compile the necessary tools and equipment to make the keel cable for a Catalina 22 sailboat.

Things You'll Need

  • 1/4-inch stranded steel cable
  • Swage fitting
  • 1/4-inch cable ball stop
  • Pliers
  • Work gloves
  • Hacksaw
  • Felt-tip marker
  • Soldering tool
  • Soldering flux
  • Silver solder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate the cotter bolt and cotter pin where the swage fitting at the lower end of the cable connects to the eyebolt at the top of the keel. Remove the pin and bolt with pliers.

    • 2

      Put on work gloves. Pull the broken section of cable out of the winch-tube from below. Save the section of cable.

    • 3

      Move to the deck of the boat near the cable winch. Release the catch on the side of the winch. Pull the remaining cable off the winch until the ball stop at the end of the cable is accessible.

    • 4

      Grip the cable firmly with one hand as you cut it at the ball stop with a hacksaw. Discard the ball stop.

    • 5

      Take both sections of cable to the workshop. Lay the sections flat with the broken ends touching.

    • 6

      Place a length of 1/4-inch stranded steel cable alongside the original cable. Align one end with the base of the swage fitting on the broken cable. Mark the opposite end of the new cable at the point where the ball stop was removed with a felt-tip marker.

    • 7

      Secure the cable in a bench vise with your mark even with one side of the jaws. Cut the cable with the hacksaw.

    • 8

      Reposition the cable so the end extends 2 inches from the side of the vise. Tighten the vise. Stage the new swage fitting nearby. Heat up a soldering tool.

    • 9

      Apply solder flux around the end of the cable. Heat silver solder onto the end of the cable. Immediately push the open end of the swage fitting onto the end of the cable. Allow the solder to harden.

    • 10

      Stage the cable at the underside of the sailboat. Stage the soldering materials, soldering tool and new ball stop on the deck near the winch.

    • 11

      Ask an assistant to take a position on the deck at the winch. Feed the raw end of the cable up, through the winch-tube. Ask the assistant to hold the end of the cable as you move to the deck.

    • 12

      Insert the end of the cable through the ball-stop port in the winch. Heat up the soldering tool. Apply flux and solder on the end of the cable and immediately push the ball stop onto the cable. Allow the solder to harden.

    • 13

      Connect the new swage fitting to the eyebolt on the keel with the saved cotter bolt and pin. Hold tension on the cable as the assistant operates the winch. Release the cable when it begins to raise the keel.