1976 Catalina 22 in Alaska

[George in AK]

Last night my wife and I closed the deal on a 1976 Catalina 22 with a swing-keel. We stewed over the idea of a few days, but eventually decided it was too good of a deal to pass up. The hull is in great shape and the hardware seems brand new; the previous owner threw in the trailer and 8' Avon inflatable -- all for $1,500. He was in the process of replacing the swing-keel cable and zincs, so we need to finish that (all materials included). We also need to purchase an outboard, which will surely cost more than the boat did! I'd be curious to know if folks think we got a good deal?

Anyway, we're eager to get her cleaned up and are thrilled to find this website, along with others. I'll post photos as our project moves along. Thanks in advance for any help and advice. We do have a few questions to start:

• Any suggestions on how best to clean and shine the hull?
• What size outboard do you recommend? We live in Southeast Alaska, and while these are inside waters they can get pretty big. I know a 5hp would get us to hull speed, but we're considering a 9.8 Tohatsu in order to get a 25" shaft, alternator, external fuel tank, and electric start. The PO upgraded the motor mount so it can definitely handle a larger engine.
• The cabin cushions are original and very musty. We don't really know how to sew, and can't afford to buy new. Any solutions in between?
• I think I understand how the keel mechanism works, but would really appreciate any advice on how to reconnect the zincs, cable, hose, and winch.
• Anyone have suggestions about how to route the running rigging so everything can be managed from the cockpit?

 

[CaptDon01]

Congratulations and welcome to the family. Just about any question you might have concerning a C-22, i.e. rigging, tuning, maintaining, repairing, modifications, upgrades and more can be found in the C-22 Tech Manual. Over 400 pages collected from over 40 years from fellow C-22 owners. It's available to members of the C-22 Association to purchase in a downloadable PDF file, or a CD.

As for cleaning the hull, I like the Poly-Glow system on the hull. Get the kit to really get the hull back in shape. The prep is the most difficult part. Cushions.......no easy or cheap way out. Sets come up on eBay from time to time, but shipping would be horrible, and you'll be buying someone else's 40 year old cushions. A 9.8 is a lot of outboard for a C-22, but electric start is nice I guess. My opinion, you don't need a 25" shaft outboard. Lot's of opinions on why you'll need a 25" shaft. You can get an alternator on smaller outboards, and they work surprisingly well. I've had 5 HP a Honda, and the 6 HP Tohatsu Sail-Pro, and both had plenty of power, both were 20" models, and had charging coils installed.

Keep us posted, and we LOVE photos.

Don

 

[LakeMurraySailor]

Hi George, looks like you got a good deal to me! I have hull#5254(a 1976 model also) and she's a great little boat! I use mine for racing and she has no extras(for weight considerations), but you've found a great place to find out all you ever need to know about fixing or repairing a Catalina 22!

Congratulations on your find, she will provide you and your wife with many hours/days/years of fun!

 

[rpludwig]

George...congrats...I'm new(er) here as well, read 5+ years of this forum's threads, buy a few books, you'll be up to speed in a hurry and your many questions/concerns will be answered (worked for me)!

Follow the excellent threads by Cloud Diver, CaptDon01, Leeward Rail & others here of their refits...read $tingy Sailor's blogs...I posted this recently which may help...

http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/newbie-recommended-reading-study.180848/

This is a GREAT, very comprehensive forum!

Ron

 

[Leeward Rail]

George,
Looks like a great deal. Especially so with the inflatable included.
Was she normally sitting on a trailer when not in actual use or did she sit in salt water at a dock all season ?

rpludwig, and captdon have it about covered.
Between the great technical manual that you can get from the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association, and this forum, you should find every question you have, answered.

sailboatowners.com and CatalinaDirect are great sources of parts you may need.

For example... In some cases you can buy "kits" for running lines back to the cockpit, or outhauls, etc. Some people go that route, others choose their own way of doing it.
Best option IMO is to get the technical manual, and search the forums, that will give options on various ways to tackle your initial tasks. Unfortunately, that will likely give you a whole bunch of other ideas for other improvements

 

[CloudDiver]

I echo all that was said above, and yes, thats a good deal at $1500 and especially because you got an Avon inflatable. Avon boats are made of Hypalon fabric, not PVC. Hypalon will not fade and break down in UV the way PVC does and Avon boats have a high resale value (also hard to find). If you have to do any patches or repairs to the inflatable keep in mind that Hypalon uses a much different adhesive than PVC. A good place buy repair patches and adhesive, also with good how to videos, is NRS.com
Defender.com is good too for those supplies.

 

[George in AK]

Awesome -- thanks for the replies and support everyone!

I just joined the National Catalina 22 Association and bought the Technical Manual. Was hoping that I would get instant access to the download, but I can't find it anywhere. Maybe it takes a few days?

Spent a good bit of the Labor Day weekend cleaning her up. It's amazing what a little On & Off will do for the waterline! The interior responded well to bleach and Simple Green. The PO couldn't figure out why the cabin was filled with water ... turns out the scupper tubes were disconnected! That was an easy first fix.

Cleaning the boat let me give everything a close look, and I'm still impressed with the condition of this 40-year-old Catalina. There is a small ding in the mast above the spreaders, which I hope hasn't compromised its strength. Here's the fix-up list so far:

• Replace keel winch
  • The old one is totally rusted and missing the handle.
  • I'll also replace the cable, ball, and hose.
  • Make a panel to cover the winch mechanism.
  • I'm still not clear on how best to access the keel with the boat on the trailer. Hopefully the Tech Manual will help with that?
• New electrical panel and wiring
  • Original panel is totally useless. Wiring is a mess ... looks like the PO just wired everything directly to the battery.
• New lights
  • Steaming light is original, and dead. Planning to add a combination LED steaming / halogen deck light, and LED masthead anchor light from CD.
  • New LED navigation lights
  • New LED interior light fixtures (what were they thinking with those original Winnebago things?!)
• New battery box
  • Thinking I should spring for the CD fiberglass box, and epoxy it to the hull.
• Sand and oil all the wood.
• Reattach spreader bars
  • Somehow the spreader bar brackets were removed from the mast. They look original so I'm just going to replace them.

Here are some progress pics:

Applying On & Off

On & Off worked wonders on the brown waterline.

Interior before

Interior after initial cleaning.

Interior after initial cleaning

Before

After

 

[George in AK]

George,
Looks like a great deal. Especially so with the inflatable included.
Was she normally sitting on a trailer when not in actual use or did she sit in salt water at a dock all season ?

Looks like a bit of both. There is some evidence of barnacles on the hull, but nothing recent. I've dealt with boats kept in the water just one summer in SE Alaska, and they become a mess. This looks like it was trailered for the most part, and definitely recently.

 

[ShotgunSlim]

Great boat find, nice work and good pictures!! Keep 'em all coming, I absolutely love to see a vintage anything come back to life and make people happy once again.

 

[CloudDiver]

Those dingy stains left on the gelcoat after you cleaned the interior; acetone and a white terry rag should get that out. Splash it on the gelcoat liberally, but ventilate the cabin well while working.

 

[Leeward Rail]

I just joined the National Catalina 22 Association and bought the Technical Manual. Was hoping that I would get instant access to the download, but I can't find it anywhere. Maybe it takes a few days?

It can. When we first joined and got the manual, the treasurer was out of town for a bit, so she hadn't enabled access for me. (I assumed it was automatic, but it's manually enabled)

You can contact the treasurer at the link below: (or via the general contact page on their website)
I had her phone number but can't find it.

https://catalina22.org/index.php/officers


Boat is looking good so far, and that to do list is pretty typical.

The original wiring was lacking in the first place, and the panel location was downright goofy. Most people move it and re-wire it.

Spreaders brackets on the early boats were also a problem, so it's good to replace them anyhow.

When our boat is on the trailer I can "just" get at keel cable where attaches to the keel. Looks like yours is sitting nice and low, which is great for launching, but forces you to lift the boat to get at the keel cable. I've wondered about using scuba gear to swap it out in the water.
If your winch and cable are in bad shape, I'd want to inspect the keel mounting, and pivot pin. Both the tech manual, and various threads have info on dropping the keel. Personally, if you a DIY boat yard close by, that will lift it for a cheap price, I'd do that, even if just to swap out the cable and do a quick inspection.
Keep in mind that the keel weighs 550 lbs.

FWIW: That towing mast support system that your boat has, with the "X" planks, looks like it's a pain in the butt. It's simple to make some mast supports that lay across the bow and stern pulpits, when trailering. Probably much easier to use than what you have.
I believe I saw a post recently showing them made with plastic plumbing pipe.

Edit: If you post more photos, especially any future sailing images... out of respect for the rest of the forum members, please remove any pleasing Alaska scenery from the background, it's makes us jealous.

 

[Justin Werth]

I just bought a 76 also. Your to do list is much like mine. Welcome to this site. The people here are great.

 

[George in AK]

Thanks! Only have a minute, but wanted to confirm that this is the kind of photo you don't want to see, right? ;-)

 

[Gene Neill]

Works for me!

 

[AaronD]

You mentioned lighting in your TODO list. If you haven't already bought navigation lights, I'd recommend you look at MarineBeam. They make sealed LED units for about $100 each. Units with replaceable bulbs sound nice, except that the connections inevitably get wet and corrode, so I think you'll find the sealed units to be more reliable. And the expected lifetime of a good LED is long enough that you shouldn't actually ever have to replace bulbs anyway. I've been happy with their anchor light and nav lights, and I'm going to add their steaming / deck light soon.

For interior lighting, you might check out Stingy Sailor's strip light article at https://stingysailor.com/2014/07/19/led-strip-lighting/. The price was good, and they really light up the cabin. I don't think I'd trust cheap eBay sources for navigation lights or other safety equipment, but scrimping a little in the cabin seems reasonable. If you try that method, see my comment on his post for a couple more little tips.

And stock up on electrical wire, connectors, shrink tubing, etc. from GenuineDealz. Good stuff at great prices. Also, be sure to read through @Maine Sail's electrical articles for lots of useful info.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Only have a minute, but wanted to confirm that this is the kind of photo you don't want to see, right? ;-)

Yup. That's the damn things... Mountains, sky, clean air, vicious attack wildlife, places without large numbers of drunk humans on bareboats.... yuck.

 

[LakeMurraySailor]

Beautiful photo! Where's the idiot on the jet ski? Must be around the bend!

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

I think we should start a great deals for 76 C22's club. I traded a four wheeler for mine. It was really a dirty mess but has cleaned up nice. See my post:
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/in...-22-cleaning-and-refurbishing-to-sail.179638/
Looks like you got a great deal. Mine didn't have a motor either. And yes I paid more for the motor than the boat. I recommend looking at a Tohatsu sail pro they seem to give the most bang for your buck.

 

[George in AK]

Thanks for the replies and tips, everyone!

Update from this weekend: I towed the boat to a friend's lot where it will spend the winter. Our SE Alaska summer doesn't want to quit, so I took advantage of the sunny weather to check off a few items from my to-do list.

First, I replaced the keel cable, ball, and keel winch. I basically used the methods described by the owner of the Mia Noi, and his superbly helpful videos. I inspected the keel hinge, bolts, and brackets. They seem okay, which is what the PO told me. Since I don't have the time or equipment to drop the entire keel right now, I am going to let it be and plan on checking it out next fall.

New winch next to the old winch (the old one was missing the handle, so I really had no choice but to replace the whole thing).

In retrospect, I could have ordered the Fulton winch from Amazon and paid $67 instead of the $159 I paid to a certain Catalina supply company. Still, they were helpful and I'm sure I'll be glad to support them in the future!

Exact same winch is available on Amazon for less than half the price of the other guys:

Fulton K1051 0101 Brake Winch - 1000 Lbs. Load Capacity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AX5D2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_X9B1xb6VMDD8D

I also replaced the zincs on the keel. The screw was totally rusted so it involved some serious hammering and prying, but I was victorious. Forgot to take photos of the keel, but it's in good shape.

Before I forget, here's a pic of the now-reconnected scupper drain tubes. The other tube is the sink drain. We're still debating whether to keep the slide-in galley or not, and I didn't have time to hook it into the scupper drain.

Now comes the part where I seek more advice!

First, after throughly dewatering the boat Labor Day weekend and leaving it on the trailer with a new tarp over the crib boards, I was dismayed to find quite a bit of water in the bilge and cabin after a couple days of storms (5" of rain total). I looked in some of the storage compartments that I had painted with Bilge Kote and found streaks on the hull where leaking water washed away the fresh paint:

This streak appears to be directly under one of the pillars for the port-side lifeline. Is this a common area for leaks? I'm worried that almost every deck fitting might be leaking now. I would welcome any advice on how to keep the rain out -- we get over 200" of it a year here!

Last, I would love to hear your thoughts on the condition of our standing rigging. I am going to replace the spreader brackets next, and that would be a good time to replace some of the stays and shrouds, if needed. Here's a pic of the masthead that shows some questionable wrapping.

Haven't quite figured out what's going on here:

Oh, and I did get access to the Tech Manual! The folks at the Association are awesome. I have been in full geek mode for days now.

As always, thank you!!!

 

[pclarksurf]

I'm worried that almost every deck fitting might be leaking now. I would welcome any advice on how to keep the rain out -- we get over 200" of it a year here!

As I've been slaving away on my '73 I can pretty much assure you that any and all deck penetrations are suspect for a good leak. I have just recently pulled/ over drilled/ epoxied everything aft of the mast, and while I have been fairly lucky thus far-- nothing I have pulled up has had anything close to proper bedding material never mind a water tight seal.

Search the forum for @mainesail -- he has published in finite detail everything you need to put your deck penetrations in better than new condition.