1972 Catalina 22 Pop top

Jul 6, 2018
7
Catalina 22 launched
HELLO EVERYONE!
just picked up a 1972 Catalina 22 pop top for $400 dollars on June 23rd here is the progress so far.... I will have the maiden voyage on this boat next weekend or the following weekend so I have lots of work to get accomplished this week! I will also be heading down to Lake Shelbyville in southern Illinois to sail and anchor out for a long weekend I only have a few problems with the boat which are listed below.

1. did a float test of the boat no water is leaking in but there is a crack in the starboard Aft Gunnel once I got it in the water the crack came back together pretty much so it should not be a hard fix but I will have repaired professionally on Thursday July 12th

2. During the float test I was unable to get the Swing Keel to go down I believe the lock might be stuck - I checked under the boat the keel is in great shape no rust or corrosion the cable looks brand new as well as the winch. If I am unable to get it to release I will most likely will swim under the boat and try to get it to free up we will see fingers crossed.

3.Crack in the Starboard Lazerette needs a patch
4. broken mast at the very bottom where bolt goes through already cut and fixed

Upgrades this weekend / next week -
Running all new Led 2 nautical mile Red/green navigation lights, LED stern light, LED Mast head light with LED deck illumination, LED anchor light, new 12 V multi color Led light strips, running all new Marine Romex throughout the boat, new marine 6 switch breaker panel, will be wiring up shore power, custom mast carrier off of rudder mount / bow pulpit made out of Plastic wood,
 

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Jul 6, 2018
7
Catalina 22 launched
So in the Cockpit area if you see where those speakers are I am looking to see if I can find something that is shaped just like the port windows but can be water sight storage for wallet/ phone / paperwork for boat anything that I might need quickly. let me know if anyone has any idea's!
 
Jul 13, 2015
893
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
2. During the float test I was unable to get the Swing Keel to go down I believe the lock might be stuck - I checked under the boat the keel is in great shape no rust or corrosion the cable looks brand new as well as the winch. If I am unable to get it to release I will most likely will swim under the boat and try to get it to free up we will see fingers crossed.
dude-- careful, seriously that puppy weighs in around 500+ pounds. If and when she comes down it could be violent and the damage can be catastrophic. Don't let it free fall, and if there's any question-- raise the boat off the trailer enough to confirm you have control over it.
 
Jul 6, 2018
7
Catalina 22 launched
the keel looks to be in great shape no pitting, no cracks, no chips out of it, it is not swollen in there I can see where the cable is attached to the keel it looks like there is no corrosion I crawled under there. the cable looks brand new. would it be possible that the keel lock is engaged and I need to disengage that and then it will drop. I notice on the winch handle there is no nut holding it on? is this correct? I can take a picture of it when I get home to show you.
 
Jul 13, 2015
893
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
Picture of legacy keel winch next to a new one attached (credit to @CloudDiver whom I stole it from :) )

It is possible ( and it has been done on this forum) that someone had a keel that had come back against the fully threaded bolt and got wedged.... that seems dramatic and a bit unlikely, but eyeball your keel bolt: if its fully threaded in and your keel is up... maybe.
CDs keelwinch.jpg
 
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ambler

.
Dec 7, 2013
60
catalina 22 11619 Watauga Lake, TN
I assume when you say "lock" you mean the keel locking bolt in the compartment under the seat forward of the dining table. With the keel in the down position this bolt wedges against the keel head and locks it in place. (There has been debate in this forum as to how effective this bolt is for preventing keel movement) With the keel in the up position the head of the keel should be below this bolt and it should thread in easily without touching the keel. If it were threaded all the way in with the keel up it would prevent the keel head from swinging up into the pocket when you tried to lower it. Try removing the bolt altogether and see what happens.

Another thought. Has the keel been refinished and faired? I wonder since the 1972 keel has no rust, new cable and new winch. After I refinished my 1983 keel it did not lower smoothly. I had used fairing epoxy to fill the low spots on the head of the keel but I think that left the keel head too thick to slide easily up into the keel slot when I lowered it. I would check to see if there is clearance between the keel head and the slot it swings up into.

Your wood looks beautiful. Any tips on sanding the inside curves of the grab rains?
 
Jul 6, 2018
7
Catalina 22 launched
Hey Ambler!

so after some investigation this weekend I checked the keel lock and it was in the locked position replaced at one time I only say this because it was really shiny! LOL.... the keel lock on the boat basically was threaded all the way down and it took some muscle to loosen it up I felt it break free from the keel so that is 100% probably the reason why it would not go down. I oiled the winch along with the cable so fingers crossed when I go on my testing trip everything works :D.

Thanks!!! was my first time every working with Teak..... First Step remove them from the boat should be 4 screws coming from inside the cabin out to the grab rails. then I used a square electric hand sander with 150 grit sand paper and just went to town you can use the edge of the sander and just keep working around the circle might have to make multiple passes just wake sure you keep moving it so you don't have flat spots if that makes sense. :D I used Teak Oil instead of staining and varnishing only reason is because I don't mind having to re do it every couple of years.
 

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Jul 13, 2015
893
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
Well done— glad the lock bolt wasn’t a permanent fixture. Now go throw the stupid thing away ( or at least hide it from yourself) — much debate will ensue, but if you can get the keel motivated to come home on its own you have bigger problems
 

ambler

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Dec 7, 2013
60
catalina 22 11619 Watauga Lake, TN
The wood looks really nice. So does the interior. I'm impressed for a boat a decade older than mine.
Let us know what happens when you try to lower the keel.