1976 Catalina 22 Cleaning and Refurbishing to Sail

[pclarksurf]

I had the same issue on my '73-- replaced the entire step and the winch and discovered my handle would not clear the bulkhead either. I decided to tweak the handle .... and even found a ratcheting handle online from DL as an interesting second option. Like your interesting take on the hybrid model....

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

I had the same issue on my '73-- replaced the entire step and the winch and discovered my handle would not clear the bulkhead either. I decided to tweak the handle .... and even found a ratcheting handle online from DL as an interesting second option. Like your interesting take on the hybrid model....

I liked the way the older model worked. Plus it was much cheaper than buying the Catalina Direct winch. I swapped everything new from the new one that would fit on the old housing. Cleaned and painted the old parts. Works justlike new.

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

We did it. We went sailing today. It was quite the experience. I'm too tired to post pictures tonight but they will be forthcoming in the next day or two. Have an interesting story to tell.

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

This is a tale of some castaways...
We're here for a long long time. We'll have to make the best of things, it's an up hill climb. My first mate and I arrived at the boat ramp around 2:30 pm. Took us about an hour and a half to get set up to put in. I was concerned about how we would unload the boat never having done this with my first mate. She wasn't capable of backing the trailer down the ramp so my only choice was to have her operating the outboard to maneuver over to the dock and pick me up after I parked the truck and trailer. Simple enough. I instructed her in operating the controls on the motor. I then proceeded to back the boat into the water, released the boat, pulled the trailer out and parked. I then looked to see if my first mate had brought the boat over to the dock. Much to my chagrin, the boat was slowly spinning in circles on the opposite side of the ramp from the dock getting closer to the fishing pier on that side. I ran over hollering at my first mate asking what the hell is she doing. Her response was classic. "I don't know". I calmly explained to her how to steer the handle on the outboard. She was in a panic and was having nothing to do with my instructions. Through perseverance we managed to maneuver the boat close enough to shore so I was able to jump aboard. I then took over the helm and proceeded to maneuver out to a distance that we could safely raise the sails. But wait there's more...

This is the first time I / we have ever raised a sail on a mast of this size and complexity. I'm totally experienced in sailing a single handed boat. Theoretically, I completely understand how to maneuver, adjust and control the sails. However, understanding and execution are two different things. The main went up without much of a hitch. I began raising the jib when it suddenly wouldn't raise any higher than about 4 feet. Then I could see that the jib was upside-down. Duh, how did I do that. Getting us pointed into the wind I had the first mate attempt to maintain a steady course while I went forward and righted the jib. Finally, after a few tense moments we were able to get underway. We picked a perfect day for this shakedown. Had it been at all windy we would have either got knocked over or run aground. Here's some pics.

The hardest part here was battling the heat.

Just a slight breeze. Didn't move very fast through the water.

Need to clean the mainsail. This winter.

Was just a beautiful day for sailing. Would have been nice to have a little more wind.

The reason for the shakedown. I think the volcano needs replacing. There were no visible signs of cracks but the lower third section was damp as if it was seeping through the rubber itself.

We stayed out until sunset. They are just the best on the water.

Time to head back.

Docked, ready to see if we can get it back on the trailer. Trailering the boat was probably the easiest thing we did all day. I backed the trailer down the ramp then went back to the dock to bring the boat up to the trailer. The first mate didn't want to attempt this maneuver. One thing I paid attention to was where I needed to back the truck down to so the boat could easily float off the trailer. Made it simple when backing the trailer down the second time to retrieve the boat. Took us another hour to strap everything down and make ready for the trip home. Next time should go a little smoother.

 

[RJD]

Great story. Congrats on getting your feet wet.

 

[Jacktar]

Sounds good, clue on jib is smaller pointy end goes up to masthead., ha ha Would certainly swap out volcano tube if sweating , sounds like dry rot working on a catastrophic failure.

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

Sounds good, clue on jib is smaller pointy end goes up to masthead., ha ha Would certainly swap out volcano tube if sweating , sounds like dry rot working on a catastrophic failure.

Funny, I new which way the clew hooked up just didn't realize that's what I was connecting to the halyard. I thought I had the head. I think I was just a little distracted. Ordered a new volcano kit. Will put it in before next trip.

 

[Gene Neill]

I labeled all my sails' tack, clew and head with a sharpie. I know I (or the Admiral) could make the same mistake at any time ... most likely the WORST POSSIBLE time.

That water in the bilge looks really brown, for having just leaked right in at the v tube. Is the lake water that dark?

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

I labeled all my sails' tack, clew and head with a sharpie. I know I (or the Admiral) could make the same mistake at any time ... most likely the WORST POSSIBLE time.

That water in the bilge looks really brown, for having just leaked right in at the v tube. Is the lake water that dark?

Yeah, there's more going on here than the volcano. I need to get under the hull and really check out the keel pocket thoroughly. Plus the indentation on the aft port side where it sits on the bunker had cracking just below the waterline. Even though it appears to be just the gel coat I think it goes deeper. This may be the culprit. That would explain the brown water. This boat has the squishy floor in the cabin when water gets in the cabin and when cleaning it out I noticed an area in the bilge where the fiberglass had delaminated from the wood core underneath. I think other than gutting the complete interior the best thing to do is to make sure all possible entry points under the waterline are sealed.

 

[ShotgunSlim]

Congratulations on finally getting her out on the lake. I think everyone of us will always remember that first sail no matter what happens. I started a PDF format boat log about a year after I started sailing so I can remember the good times in the future, even if the first entry went: "tried to go sailing today, blew up trailer bearings, trip cancelled. Good thing my neighbor's retired."

 

[bushav]

Easier to launch by tying line to bow. Let wife hold line from shore as you back down ramp. Slide boat off trailer, park truck, then calmly climb aboard and launch. Much less drama!

Lane

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

Easier to launch by tying line to bow. Let wife hold line from shore as you back down ramp. Slide boat off trailer, park truck, then calmly climb aboard and launch. Much less drama!
Lane

It wasn't so much drama as it was comedy. As I directed my wife to bring up the boat I was trying to contain myself from bursting out in laughter.

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

Finally got my cup holders.

They fit in the old brackets but I'm going to replace the old ones anyway they are rusted and worn out.

 

[Leeward Rail]

It wasn't so much drama as it was comedy. As I directed my wife to bring up the boat I was trying to contain myself from bursting out in laughter.

That's the spirit !

Fortunately it all happened in light winds so it didn't turn ugly.
It's the little things that catch up to you. One minor thing leads to another, and soon enough it gets ugly.
Strong winds, big seas, fast current make it all go bad so much faster.

The trick is staying as calm as possible during it all.

Avoiding laughing at the significant other is somewhat important.
My wife still glares at me when I tell people about the time I came on deck early one morning, and our borrowed boat was doing circles, under sail, in very light winds.
She hadn't used wheel steering before that cruise, and due to lack of solid response from the rudder she got temporarily confused as to which way to steer.
I didn't see a risk, so I simply broke out laughing.
She's extremely smart, grew up on a farm etc., so she shouldn't have had a problem.
That type of mistake has only happened a few times to her, and she gets really annoyed with herself.
My laughing allowed her to put that anger towards me.

I told her to just laugh at me in revenge. Lord knows I've made more than a few mistakes over the years.

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

I sort of crashed into the trailer when was loading the boat back onto the trailer. Any tips on how to get lined up with the trailer when maneuvering the boat up to the trailer? Anyone?

Before.

After.
Do I even need these boards? They don't support anything. I'm not sure what their purpose is.

 

[RJD]

Perhaps the P.O. installed those as guides. My trailer doesn't have them. The bunks on my trailer guide the boat into position.

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

Here is an idea I came up with for the aft port panel that some C22's have no access lid built-in to the panels. Instead of cutting out a lid similar to the ones I've seen in pictures and blogs. I thought, why not put the bottom of the panel on a hinge then just lay it down. Well, I did have to make a cut, but only one straight cut on the outer edge of the panel. I also added a latch that serves as a handle to lift and pull down the panel. Seems to work well for me. Pics.

Upright position.

Latch handle.

Opened with full access to hold.

Upright latched with cushion snapped in place. Latch hidden by cushion.

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

Perhaps the P.O. installed those as guides. My trailer doesn't have them. The bunks on my trailer guide the boat into position.

I thought so. I'll be removing those tomorrow. Any pointers on how to line up with the trailer when motoring up to it.

 

[Sailm8]

When I had a C22 I added those white plastic poles the powerboat guys use to line up. They helped a lot when the wind piped up. All you needed to do was get about the first third of the boat between them and you could "pinball" the rest of the way in.

 

[Gene Neill]

Perhaps the P.O. installed those as guides.

Yep, they're keel guides. I hear they're very helpful if they're set up right. My trailer came with them, but they're a little too low to guide the keel effectively on some ramps. I need to raise them some, particularly at the forward end, until they almost touch the hull:

On my previous trailer, I installed those "goal posts" @Sailm8 mentioned. They worked pretty well also. Maybe in a perfect world, I'll have well engineered keel guides AND goal posts. You probably could ramp the boat staggering drunk in a Cat 2 hurricane.

Love what you did with the port side "cavern door", Daydreamer!