Listing problem

[Terrel]

My Catalina 320 has a permanent list of almost 5 degrees with no external load. It did not list when I bought it ten years old, and I have not shifted any of its load. The keel bolts are tight and the bilge is dry. Almost all its weight has been put on its keel during haulouts. Could that have caused the list? If not, what could be the cause, and how do I get it fixed?

[Thomas1985]

Boat should sit on her keel. The stands are just there to stop her from falling over.

Unfortunately that’s all I know so I’m not much help…

[Lee Jerry]

A lot of info missing.

But I'll ask: when was the last time you emptied the holding tank?

[MicHughV]

I presume you mean 5% while in the water.
You havn't "shifted" any loads, but have you added any ?
Anchors, generators, spare parts, food, water, tanks, outboard motors, the list is long, etc, you'd be surprised what a sailor can pack aboard.

[Terrel]

I empty the holding tank every month, and its on the high side of the list. I have an inflatable dinghy in the lazarette on the low side of the boat, but when I first put it in there, the boat did not list afterwards. That is all I have added since I bought the boat. Could the mast be non-vertical? I have never adjusted the standing rigging.

[MicHughV]

That is a possibility that the mast is not plumb, but if it was ok some time back, that doesn't explain the 5% now, unless some shrouds are lose, but you'd certainly notice that.
Really hard to say without actually being there.
You say the mast alignment is out of whack, but how about the waterline. Can you see any difference in your bootstripe from either or port or starboard side, I'd start there, though a mast out of whack could also cause the water line to be out of whack.
Were it me, I'd try to give it a careful eyeball from the front and back of the boat to see.

Here's another thing you can do. Take a halyard from the top of the mast and move it to either side of the boat and measure it to the top of the rail on both sides. See if there is a difference in length. Just place a tick mark on the halyard where it touches the rail. If there is a difference, the mast is likely out of plumb. If there is no difference, the problem lies elsewhere.
You may have to do this with two halyards if they lay side by side at the top of the mast and get an average.
Be careful not to pull on the halyard as it could stretch, just lay alongside.

[Don C L]

You can also check the turnbuckles on the shrouds to see if the mast may be out of plumb. I doubt it but it's possible. If the turnbuckles are turned in tight on one sided and wide open on the other, they should be corrected.

Or maybe it's your "Lev-o-gauge" is no longer level? Maybe someone kicked it or dropped something on it?

And Thomas is right, the boat will rest on its keel when on the hard.