I am new to Catalinas, and this confuses me. On one hand it sounds like the problem was caused by low structural support at the aft end of the keel and when the hull's weight was allowed to move on the supported keel the area just aft of the keel cracked. But then I read how you keep the support stands "somewhat relaxed" and I think this is just the reverse of what was mentioned earlier. If the lack of hull support was the root cause of the first mention of this when the boat was transported then the answer seems to me to be to beef up the hull support so the keel is NOT taking the brunt of the weight load, which seems counter to having the stands relaxed.
Joe McCary Aeolus II #4795 [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Harvey Rosenberg And I've seen another C-27 with the same problem caused by a grounding. That area of the keel is very narrow and sometimes will have a void in the fiberglass layup. That makes the area from the aft end of the keel to the aft end of the sump area very susceptible to cracks from flexing pressure. The boat has a natural flexibility. I believe my problem occurred during a winter layup when a friend, thinking my stands were loose, over tightened them, causing hull to over flex. I now use more than 4 stands, never a bow stand and keep them somewhat "relaxed".
