stuck keel

Yep my keel is stuck and I knew better.

I raised my keel to high due to trailer difficulties and it became stuck in the up position. Lets say that I had a difficult time loading my boat on the trailer and the stress at that time made me raise the keel a bit too much. Dam Memorial day stress attacks again.

Is there a diagram of the keel and rigging system out there?

What can I do to get that keel working again?

Is the keel stuck in the trunk or is your winch not able to release because it is too tight?

If your winch is not releasing then you are just going to have to muscle it until it allows you to flip the lever and let it down.

If you are stuck in your trunk then you need to carefully crawl under the boat and see what is jamming it. I once got a branch wedged in between the trunk and my keel when I raised it. I must have hit it on the water sucking it into the trunk. If that is in fact the case then try drilling whatever is wedged with as many holes as you can to weaken it and pry it out.

If it is in your winch and you cannot muscle it then get a picture of your winch and post it please so we can get an idea of what we are working with.

Well I went out to the boat tonight and began fighting with her. Come to find out that I am still stuck in the up position.

Here is what I know...

1. Wench will only loosen for about 1 or .5 turns then its froze.
2. I can raise the wench about 1 or .5 turns then stuck again wench wont budge.

Any ideas or opinions would be greatly appreciated and thoroughly digested mentally I might add.

I am shooting in the dark as my only expirence with a swing keel is on a Mac 25.

First off, think through everything you do before you do it. Ten fingers at the start of a project and ten fingers all working when it is over.

I would like to see pics of the wench that is stuck. These pics will help us see what you see.

Keel still above the trailer? Look for a tree limb stuck between the keel and the sailboat.

Pics and look for tree limb.

Well I took pictures but forgot to upload them on my server. Ill edit this post tonight for future references.

It looks like the keel is stuck by being wedged into the keel housing. I see where the keel has rubbed up against the boats own hull (keel housing) as I attempted to tie a line around the keel then pulling downward. It quickly became obvious that I need a come along or some other mechanical device that is stronger than human muscle.

Here is the business end of the stuck keel. It appears to be wedged against the keel housing. Oh and while you are taking a peek at my keel what condition would you rate it as? Can it last another year or so?



The plan is to attach a come along around up there and pull the keel down using the trailer as an anchor.

It is not on the keel rest on the trailer? Silly question I know as you would see that.



Did it get jammed up there by the trailer when you loaded it?



If all is OK on the trailer, getting it out is the next step. Remember this chunk of steel is hundreds of pounds. Be careful.

A heavy tie down strap from one side of the trailer, up and over the keel, and across to the other side of the trailer will (should) pop it out of there, without harming the boat or the keel. As you ratchet the strap tighter and tighter, it will pull down evenly on the keel, bringing it down. The keel wench needs to be a little loose so not to fight with the process.

No the keel is not resting on the trailer. I know, i know - don't yell at me just yet

If you could have only watch me and my wife load this boat on the trailer during memorial weekend. I swear it had to be some funny sh*t, I was not laughing though. Its amazing we got things home in one piece but learned a heck of a lot in a few hours. Next time Ill have it down (fingers crossed).

So I tied a strap to the keel and pulled her in the downward direction with the keel crank slightly relieved of some pressure. No luck! I am mostly scared to crawl under the boat because its not setting on the trailer correctly and is ass heavy so If I don't weigh the trailer tong down shell flip over backwards. Not to mention its raining a good bit at the moment. Perhaps tomorrow ill tie her up to my truck and then give her hell. I sure hope it works cause we got to sail real soon.

Local fire station might be the ticket. Most houses have about 8 guys standing around board, with some pretty fancy tools, and the combined expirence of these guys, will get that keel unstuck, if you can make friends with them.

Back to the tie down strap. Heavy one, like a trucker would use. While the strap is as stout as you can make it (like a piano string) start smacking on the end of the keel that goes down in the water, with a heavy 4 x 4 or old baceball bat. A sledge hammer , something to vibrate it loose. The hammer will put dents in the keel to some small degree.

Remember all this stuff is not worth getting hurt over.

I'm concerned about the winch. Are you getting slack in the cable when you turn it. If not, it's a winch problem not a stuck keel. Seems to me. You may want to -place some lumber under the keel so if it comes loose it can't drop far. Good luck

Kelly CM26 wrote:

I'm concerned about the winch. Are you getting slack in the cable when you turn it. If not, it's a winch problem not a stuck keel. Seems to me. You may want to -place some lumber under the keel so if it comes loose it can't drop far. Good luck

Great advice!

There is some slack in the cable, but it only allows me to turn it about "half a turn" worth. Then the wench wont allow me to crank it anymore.

I think that is a good idea to place some lumber under there for added protection just in case.

Ill try to dive into this again tonight, perhaps even take a few pictures.

If the cable will not release fully, that may well be the problem. Chances of two problems at the same time not likely. The weight of the keel should be enough to let it release on its own if the wench is not holding it up.

Unless the keel is stuck right? The keel might be stuck and so the wench only releases a few inches then it stops, or should the wench keep letting loose?

wench would loosen the cable if the keel were stuck.

Hum now this might be the issue.

Why would I be able to crank it a turn either direction but the keel wont budge. I will investigate the wench now. Is there a diagram out there of this system?

A photograph of your wench may be a next step.

Ill do this evening.

Mr. Floody Do a search on Greg's Cm26 Keel Stuff. Lots of information, though most is on his retrofit, not original. But would give you a sense of what you dealing with. My winch would unspool if the keel was stuck, but I know there are lots of different winches out there.

Here are a few pictures.

I went out tonight and tried again to move it up or down using the crank and it did not move much. This may be a more difficult task than I initially though.

Kelly - I will defiantly read up on it. Thanks

Front side


Back side

Your cable looks tight in that second photograph. .

The cable is always tight no matter what I try to do.

I would place a car jack under the keel to take off the presure and work at unsticking the wench. Remember ten fingers before, and after projects. Careful!

I'm with Gary on the car jack. If you can take the weight off the cable you may be able to release the winch. Your winch looks very clean , I suspect it's been replaced. Maybe check online for info on that winch.

Yea Ill try doing this tonight. Its been a stressful week at my office and a lot of rain so I am slow going on this.

Soon Ill need pointers on how to repair fiberglass and Ill be making a new switch panel for my clipper.

My wife and I still have to name her. Any name ideas?