Swing Keel 26S

[GregB26s]

Hi,

I have replaced the cable and rope on the swingkeel on my 26S and have put it all back together.

Now when I try to pull the swing keel up there is a lot of resistance on the rope and it doesn't move real easy.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if they did how they fixed it.

Thanks.

[tkeithlu]

I don't know how you attached the rope, but based on previous posts the combination of the swing keels thickness and the two sides of the rope coming up is wider than the keel trunk. One way to solve that, also previously discussed, is to make a narrow shackle out of some stainless steel strap, so you can tie the rope above the keel rather than through it.

Did that make sense or do I need to try again?

[GregB26s]

Thank you for the response. Unfortunately you reply doesn't make much sense. My rope does not go into the swing keel, only the cable does, and then under the sink the cable runs through one pulley, and then cable attaches to a rope, and then rope goes through a pulley where it comes out of sink area.
Keep in mind I have the Macgregor 26S, not the 26D.


The swing keel moved freely by hand from underneath the boat when I had the boat lifted off the trailer.
I have two pulleys under the sink. I believe they are both factory.
1 pulley is directly above keel vertically, and the other is near starboard side where the rope comes out from in front of the stove and ties off on the horn cleat.
It should work fine. But when I try and pull the swing keel rope when the boat is sitting on the trailer I can not seem to make it pull up enough that would allow the swing keel to not get stuck in the trailer cross-members while take boat off trailer at boat ramp. I have not had the boat in the water yet so I have no idea how it will work there. Is this normal? Do I need to brace with my feet and pull with two hands, this seems to be incorrect? Maybe I need to add more pulleys than factory underneath the sink?
Thanks

[tkeithlu]

I don't have a picture in mind from your description. Let's try again.

A past post on a similar boat revolved around the connection to the swing keel being too wide to fit freely inside the trunk. The answer then was making it narrower.

You've got a source of friction, but perhaps not the same source. Force is not likely to be the best answer. Let's not go there until other options are explored.

That you can lift the keel from below but not lift it from above suggests that the friction may be in the pulley linkage, as in a stuck sheave, or that the rope is under size and has gotten between a sheave and the block itself.

Can you inspect the entire route of the rope? Is everything moving easily?

Or, perhaps, when the boat is on the trailer the keel binds on the side of the trunk when you lift it with the tackle.

My bet is the first, that the hoisting tackle is fouled. If it is clear, and you can lift the keel from below, then I'd put it in the water to test the second hypothesis, long before exerting force or adding tackle.

Best wishes for some fun sailing.