New Cat 22 owner

[David W]

Hey everyone, been a member here for ages as I used to own a Crown 34. Sold that in 2015 due to a divorce.
Still living on Vancouver Island so the cruising is great. Decided that I wanted to be back on the water but without the horrendous moorage and maintenance costs of a big keelboat. Was going to build an 18 ft Norwalk Island Sharpie but after pricing out marine plywood and looking at a 1000+ hour build decided to go for a production trailer sailor.
Because this is the land of keelboats, trailer sailers are hard to come by. Found a 1976 Cat 22 with a new trailer and decent 7.5 4-stroke Honda outboard. Good sails and rigging.
Decided to take the plunge as it were. Needs some TLC and keel reno so that's priority #1.
It will have to live in the previous owners yard for a bit as I'm finishing up a major garage renovation which involves a shipping container full of all my tools, taking up the boat space in the driveway.

 

[morbidfollower]

Nice find. Should make a great little cruiser when you are done.

 

[pclarksurf]

love it ! was just in Sidney Harbor two weeks ago-- you have some epic cruising grounds to explore-- the C22 will do you very nicely! Good looking boat.

 

[...3TacksontheWater]

David W, congratulations on your new boat.

George

 

[David W]

I picked up the boat last Sunday. Some of you veteran towing peeps might find this amusing but I literally had sleepless nights worrying about towing it home (all of 7 kms) and backing it into my driveway. I decided to put a front hitch on my truck (2008 F150) so I could more easily maneuver into position.

Got her hitched up, towed home no problem. Parked on the street in front of the house, turned the truck around, hooked onto the front hitch and backed her into place on the second try. Success!

I have lots of work to do to get her cleaned up and ready for next year, including dropping the keel, rehabbing the pivot pin hole and epoxy coating the whole thing. Need to get it off the trailer first so I've been pouring over videos on how to do that. I was going to buy boat stands but holy smokes they are expensive here in Canada, like $250 each. Absolutely none for sale used.

 

[ambler]

Stingy Sailor has an excellent series on refinishing the keel. The $tingy Sailor
You can remove the keel with the boat on the trailer, (see photo). The "sled"holding the keel rolls on 1" PVC pipe = like building the pyramids.
It's a big job but speed and performance improved a lot.

 

[David W]

Stingy Sailor has an excellent series on refinishing the keel. The $tingy Sailor
You can remove the keel with the boat on the trailer, (see photo). The "sled"holding the keel rolls on 1" PVC pipe = like building the pyramids.
It's a big job but speed and performance improved a lot.

Thanks. In the fully raised position the keel is sitting on the trailer cross members instead of the keel support board as it should be. So I need to reposition the boat on the trailer.
I will have a look for inspiration though

 

[...3TacksontheWater]

Thanks. In the fully raised position the keel is sitting on the trailer cross members instead of the keel support board as it should be. So I need to reposition the boat on the trailer.
I will have a look for inspiration though

If you’re close to a launch ramp it might be easiest to grab a friend or two and float the boat under the trailer to reposition the keel to its proper resting location. Drive to the ramp “gingerly” as you don’t want to cause any damage to the keel or housing since you know it’s out of place.

George

 

[David W]

If you’re close to a launch ramp it might be easiest to grab a friend or two and float the boat under the trailer to reposition the keel to its proper resting location. Drive to the ramp “gingerly” as you don’t want to cause any damage to the keel or housing since you know it’s out of place.

George

I'm definitely considering refloating it into the proper position.

 

[David W]

After scouring the local classifieds for boat stands everyday, four Brownell stands came up nearby for $400. Score!