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Sailing Texas Article Index
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Tools and parts you need
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Drill, jig saw, cover plate to cover hole, small hand saw for when the jig saw won't fit, phillips screw driver, stainless steel screws.
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Because of the way the Catalina 25 is manufactured, the nuts holding the upper gudgeon in place are not accessible! The Capri 22 is the same, you just can't get to them. Eventually a repair or replacement is needed. On ours one of the bolts fell out. The bolts screw into a plate that is threaded to fit the bolts, and then nuts are screwed down on top of the plate. We might have been able to thread a new bolt into the plate and omit the nut, but the gudgeon will need replacing soon as it's getting worn so we went ahead and cut an access hole to replace the bolt properly. |
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Measure the gudgeon location on the back of the transom carefully so you cut the hole in the right location. Here Mike uses the cover plate to mark the location, and draws a smaller circle in it for the actual cut.
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Drill a hole to insert the jig saw blade. |
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It's best to cover the glass around the hole with masking tape to avoid scratching the gel coat with the base of the saw. You may have to cut part of it by hand if the jig saw hits on the seats. |
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The nuts and backing plate are now easy to reach! Lock nuts are recommended. Always take your time with stainless steel lock nuts, if they get hot they can lock on the bolt permanently becoming impossible to remove. |
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Four screws fasten the new cover plate to cover the hole, much faster and easier than trying to repair the fiberglass and the next repair will be simple!
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