Exposing the Front Keel Bolt

Some Catalina 36 owners may not know that there's a keel bolt hidden under the forward cabin floor just in front of the mast. The only way to get to this bolt, and a small part of the bilge that it's in, is to remove the cabin floor. That means taking out a lot of screws and manipulating the floor out of the way. Underneath the floor there's a small removable hatch over an opening cut in the pan (the fiberglass liner inside the hull). Lift out the hatch and the bilge and keel bolt are underneath.

This is not the best way to get to that part of the bilge. I decided I needed something better, and after  practicing on scrap plywood I cut a small opening in the floor. You can see a larger picture of the opening and it's cover by clicking on this and the next thumbnail. The front keel bolt is under the lower left edge of the opening and not visible in this view.

Making the cover for the opening requires some patience. You have to cut the floor and you only have one chance. A mistake lives with the boat forever unless you buy a new teak floor. So, the first step, unless you're a skilled cabinet maker, is to carefully draw where the cut will be made. Then get a scrap of plywood that's large enough to produce several training covers. Draw some openings and practice cutting them out. A saber saw works well, but you will want to know and feel how the blade cuts, particularly when it makes the curved corner. After you become skilled with scrap, cut out the real cover. Here's a photo of just the cover. The longest dimensions are 141/2 x 85/8 inches (36.8 x 21.9 cm). Of course, you can take the floor to a real cabinet maker.

Now all you have to do is attach the internal cover that fits in the pan molding to the the piece of the floor you have just cut out. On my boat the internal piece was such a mess I made a new one. You can see it peeking out from under the cover in the first picture. I attached the internal hatch cover using glue and a few screws that barely go into the underside of the floor. When the job is finished you will have a nice opening that looks as though it came with the boat, which it should have. My boat is a 1996 Mk II, and these instructions apply to other C36s that have the same construction.

Ralph Hinegardner, C36 MkII, Lirella