Pop top or not?

allen-deckard · Jul 15, 2012

On overnights I love my pop top. How it compares to a non pop top I haven't a clue but I like being able to stand up and with a screen around the pop top gives gobs of fresh air. Again I can't compare to a non poptop simply cause I don't have one.

Sailor boy · Jul 15, 2012

Love mine . I would hold out......

watercolors II · Jul 16, 2012

Helps in putting on your pants!

If you’re going to use this boat on many overnight trips or outings then the pop top is the way to go.

During the middle of the summer when the days are long and you spent most of the day in the cockpit I do not use mine, it’s a lot of work to set up and more to remove, the morning dew has it all wet and if you put it away wet and forget about it, the next time, wow!

In the spring and fall when the sun goes down early and the temperature cools is when I find the most benefit. The area around the cabin top that doen’t lift creates a lot of storage space to place all those personal items that is stacked around the cabin allowing lots of room for visitors to come calling. I’ve had as many as 8 people in the cabin during a late fall trip to northern lakes when the temperature is down around freezing, sitting comfortably for hours drinking beer and enhancing old sailing stories. At 5 foot 8 it’s nice to stand up in the morning to put your pants on!

I do not recommend a pop top if you sail in lots of heavy weather or on large waters where the boat may be compromised in a big storm.

Slow Mo^cean · Jul 16, 2012

Maybe a dumb question, but how do secure the pop top in the up position? The top hits the mast before the legs can go fully vertical, so I end up wrapping the boom vang under the top and back up to the boom.

watercolors II · Jul 16, 2012

Pop Top Mast Lock Assembly

http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=318&ParentCat=373

I have the vinyl top and when it’s cold I lay the top out and snap it all in place except closing the zipper around the mast or the snaps around the company way entrance. I then raise the roof making sure the sliding hatch part is in the closed position. I found that the extra lift weight is far easier and faster than trying to stretch each snap into position.

SEAHAWK56 · Jul 16, 2012

I love mine also, the added head room and breeze is very nice!

jfrench · Jul 16, 2012

<<how do secure the pop top in the up position?>>

There is a bronze fitting (probably missing on your boat) in the sail slot of the mast, that slides up and hooks into the lip of the pop top. Then you tighten a knurled knob to keep it there.

jfrench · Jul 16, 2012

<<I am seriously considering the purchase of a Catalina 22>>

I'm only 5' 8", but I like putting the pop-top up when we anchor for the evening. We even leave it up overnight when the weather and mosquito's permit. I wouldn't want to go back to a Cat 22 without one.

I'd also recommend that you search for a 1986 or later model, called a "New Design." Catalina fixed all the design issues that became apparent over the first 10 or 15 years of its life. They can be had for $3000 in good shape with trailer and motor.

Design changes included in the "New Design" model:

1. Stainless steel cabin mast support (instead of wood).
2. Cockpit slanted to stern with stern-mounted water scuppers.
3. Longer and taller cabin.
4. Dark tinted windows
5. Thicker hull lay-up.
6. Gas tank locker isolated from cabin
7. Galley moved forward
8. Ice chest serves dual role as integrated interior step and cooler
9. Mast shortened 3" to compensate for taller cabin.
10. No wood core below the water line
11. A separate anchor locker in the bow.
12. Reinforced bow eye .

hubbardbilly · Jul 17, 2012

See pics of my pop top with cover. Did an overnight in Newport RI with wife and 3 kids. I wouldn't imagine doing this without the pop top and cover, which allows for more storage without risking weather intrusion.

Ken · Jul 18, 2012

That's because the non pop top models esp the ones without the forward hatch are the ones the racers are looking for..... There is roughly 750 pounds difference between them.

GorillaToast · Jul 18, 2012

Ken said:
That's because the non pop top models esp the ones without the forward hatch are the ones the racers are looking for..... There is roughly 750 pounds difference between them.

Ken, are you seriously saying that the pop-top and forward hatch account for an extra 750 pounds? I took my pop-top off the boat when I had it garaged for the winter, and I was able to lift it off an onto the boat by myself, plus pick it up and move it around the shop at will. It couldn't have weighed more than 70#, because I'm 60 yrs old and can't dead lift more than 80#.

I'd love to be able to use mine, but I have a boom kicker, and it won't let me raise the top all the way.

Slow Mo^cean · Jul 18, 2012

I'm sure there's less structural elements built into a non pop top that account for less weight.

Bilbo · Jul 18, 2012

+ a boat without a pop top also has some weight replacing the pop top weight in the roof/deck area. I'd actually go so far as to say that the section of decking that would be in place of the Fwd. hatch may actually weigh more than the hatch. What makes sense of what Ken is saying is that the very early C22s (First hundred or so) weighed less. They may not have had hatches and pop-tops and this helped but they also had less fiberglass lay-up in the hull and some less weight in the fixtures (Like the mast). Racers are like backpackers and touring cyclists, always interested in any possible angle for reducing weight to gain the advantage.

I rarely use my pop-top while on the lake. I wish that I could camp overnight on board and use it but right now it's not possible. I'd make a mosquito netting cover and add a cockpit tent and it would be great. The new style ~86 era has like 3" more head room without the pop top up. The easiest way to spot a new style is that it doesn't have extruded aluminum window frame moldings but there are plenty of others.

So one suggestion:safety issue -if the pop top isn't secured properly in the up position it could fall on a head or a hand and it's gonna break something. Also, not advisable to sail with the pop top up or the hatches open.

Bilbo · Jul 18, 2012

GorillaToast said:
......
I'd love to be able to use mine, but I have a boom kicker, and it won't let me raise the top all the way.

My boom kicker and vang need to be moved out of the way. Unattach the kicker from the base of the boom and swivel it to the side then loosen the vang about 8 ft of line and the top can be raised and locked.

Chris Patterson · Jul 18, 2012

Well, I'm a non pop topper. Not because I like it that way, it's just because it's an older boat without one. I can not extol the virtues about the lack thereof, but it's not a big deal either. Bearing in mind, this little boat is just a toy to us, beat around on it during the day, or evening hours, so it's not a problem. My last 22' did have the pop top, and I really liked it. I've had some concerns about that dinky looking latch mechanism, due to the fact that if it failed, like said earlier, the results could be painful, or worse. It is heavy. If memory serves me, I can vaguely recollect further securing it with a piece of line. Would I recommend NOT having the pop top? Absolutely not. It certainly opens the cabin up a lot. It depends on what you want the boat for. Do I miss it? Nah, not really. I'm kind of a minimalist anyway, and again, to us, it's just a day boat, for two people. If I were one of those that had the pontoon boat mentality, I'd want it. Most likely though, as Brady said to Quint, "We need a bigger boat".

Chris Patterson · Jul 18, 2012

Yep. They're called stringers, and they help strengthen the hull. An item to check before purchase. Open the cover under the winch, and do the mallet test, like you do for decks to check water intrusion. While this would not be a deal breaker for me, the repair isn't that bad, some folks may not want to tackle it. A soft stringer would be brought up during negotiations though..

Ken · Jul 18, 2012

Pop top

A friend of mine removed his off his race made boat he carefully weighed it all total was exactly 750 pounds... His goal was to get his pop top model more competive to the none poptop boats he is racing against, he wanted to get is boat below 2000 pounds. He did it. More work than any sane person might want to attempt, but that's racing.

Pop top or not?

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