about to buy a catalina 22

Q22 · Sep 29, 2013

I sold a Hobie 18 and bought a Catalina 22 this summer.I've only got to sail it once but set it up several times in the yard.As far as set up the 22 is already easier by far once your on the water raising the sails is less dramatic also.It really is a lot different sail set up but easier to use also.I miss the way a catamaran catches the air and slips away but it's real nice to have something under me plus everyone comfortable.

CaptDon01 · Sep 29, 2013

The first few times rigging the boat will seem like it takes forever. It's part of the learning curve, and you'll want to feel comfortable in the steps. I don't worry so much anymore about the ultimate speed, but more on doing it safety. Once we get to the ramp, we can have our boat ready to launch in 30-35 minutes. But, we've done it many times, and have it down to a routine. My wife knows the routine, and is standing by on the ground to take hardware, or hand me an item that's required next. Learn a rigging process that works for you, and do it the same way all the time. The same applies to de-rigging. And when de-rigging, store everything neatly so it's easy the next time you rig the boat. Without knowing specifically what equipment you have, i.e. mast crutch, gin-pole or A-frame, it's hard to give you a step by step instruction. But just keep in mind that the first few times are the hardest, and take the longest. So don't get discouraged.

You'll be hard pressed to find a better boat in the 22' range that is a adaptable as the C-22,(racing, cruising, day sailing, etc). Also, the sheer production numbers have to say something about our boats, along with an unbelievable amount of information available on just about any topic or issue with a C-22. Chances are, there is a C-22 Fleet, or other C-22 owners in your area.

Take the plunge and you'll be hooked.

Don

caguy · Sep 29, 2013

I started with a Hobie 16 and then a Sol Cat 18. My first monohull was a Mac 25. I now have a C27 that is in mast up storage. The C27 is a bit much to rig, though I can do it by myself. Even with the Mac 25 I got spoiled with mast up storage. If I had to do it all over again I would have started out with a C25. The 3 foot difference makes it palatial by comparison. Rigging the 25 no more painful than rigging a 22. Take a look at the C25 before deciding.

agprice22 · Sep 29, 2013

Will you trailer sail? If so, avoid adding a furler for your headsail. It makes raising and lowering the mast more difficult. Otherwise, it is a good addition for a boat in a slip.

Plan on an hour from trailer to water the first time. If you can, set it up on land once or twice. When you lower the mast, wrap up your shrouds, stays, and halyards carefully against the mast after you lower it.

To raise the mast, close the sliding hatch. Connect the backstay, lower rear shrouds, and upper shrouds, loosely. Lift the mast from the stern a little while someone connects it to the step plate. Walk the mast up from the stern. I am 5' 8", 164 lbs, and I can stand that mast right up. Just be serious about it. It will stop moving forward when it reaches the limit of the backstay. Have someone connect the forestay. Tighten your shrouds and stays to 25 lbs.

If your trailer has a tongue extension, line the trailer up to back it into the water. Stop. Block the wheels. Pull the tongue pin. Pull the car forward, extending the tongue, till you can put the pin back in as the rear-most hole lines up. Put the pin in. Unblock your wheels, and back the trailer into the water.

Have your sails ready to raise before you depart the dock. Have your anchor ready to deploy before you depart the dock. Those are your safety measures in case your motor dislikes you after you leave the dock.

Lowering the mast is actually a little harder because it wants to get away from you! Just lower it slowly, or tie a line to the forestay after you undo it. Wrap the line around the trailer winch a few times, and have someone ease the line slowly to back you up as you walk the mast down.

To make things easier, use quick release pins or toggle-pins for your shrouds and stays. Those little split-rings will take longer to screw with than raising the mast! Dear lord, I hate those rings!

That covers the two hardest tasks.

Thanks,

Andrew

agprice22 · Sep 29, 2013

Oh yes, the C22 is a great starter monohull! There is no sailboat brand with better support than a Catalina, thanks to the forum, the sheer numbers of them built and still on the water, Catalina Direct, and the fact they are still made. Sail a Catalina first. Then you will know everything you need to rig and sail other boats that have little support. Or you can just get a bigger Catalina!

Thanks,

Andrew

Q22 · Sep 29, 2013

It takes us a half an hour I use a block and tackle my wife pulls on while I raise the mast up.We used to just have me raise the Hobie mast but I don't like lifting that hard standing on the pop top.I have the right size wrench to tighten the turnbuckles I just get them close don't turn those into all day.It's simpler the mast doesn't twist the sail doesn't fit in a slot getting it to hook at the top of the mast.The traveler is only three feet wide and you need a boom vang to hold good sail shape sometimes.What else is nice you don't have to move the hiking stick to clear the block and tackle.My long winded point is the 22 is a lot different and simpler but expect to spend time learning the differences.

Stu Jackson · Sep 29, 2013

Pat Royce's little book, Sailing Illustrated, has a lot of helpful pages specifically on the C22. We used it as our "bible" when we first got our C22 in 1983, before the internet.

Here are some rigging tips from that book:

watercolors II · Sep 30, 2013

Practice make perfect.

As suggested by others is first set it all up at home a couple times.

The simplest form of raising the mast is with a 100 foot line attached to the forestay. A 100 lb. person pulling at the very end of this 100 foot line can hold and lift the mast into place after you walk and raise it from the cockpit as “aprice22” described. 100 feet is only a couple car length in front of your boat on the trailer.

At the point in raising from the cockpit is where all the problems start and end! At this point is where all the standing rigging or other things WILL hook or become entangled with hardware on the deck or cabin top, so you need someway of holding the mast to check everything.

VERY IMPORTANT; look at the side stay attachments to the deck on each side of the cabin, if the cable ends are not aligned properly they will bend with little effort by lifting the mast any higher.

Lifting the mast with the 100 ft. line, attach the two forward baby stays to hold the mast in the vertical and then attach the forestay.

Dropping the mast; PRIORITY is to get the rigging ready for the next time you raise the mast, and that is; everything on the mast is stretched tight and secured so none of the rigging will become entangled with it during towing or raising again! If you use the forestay for the first attachment after raising then disconnect the two forward baby stays and attach to the mast so they are out of the way for the next lift.

After the mast is down, the first thing I do is go along the mast and tie up all these things before attaching the standing rigging to the mast before towing, it just eliminates 90 percent of your problems during the next lift.

Bilbo · Sep 30, 2013

Good points,Watercolors!
I was contemplating discussing one of your statements about connecting the fwd lowers first but if the backstay and the upper shrouds are connected then connecting either one of the two forward lowers or the forestay first will most likely prevent the mast from falling. I connect the forestay before the fwd lowers.

I would suggest that a block for the jib downhaul be attached at the bow stem fitting and run a the jib downhaul through that block to the shackle of the slightly raised jib halyard cleated at the cabin top makes for a good means of raising the mast without adding 100' of line to the budget. It is possible for a strong person to raise the mast safely and cleat that jib downhaul line to the cleat on the mast for the boom downhaul. But, if one isn't sure of themselves...don't try it.

What I would say as a general comment is that one has a well thought out and organized sequence of tasks as one hauls out and puts the boat in. ....even when setting up the boat for a day's sail. Do it in an organized sequence. A checklist is nice but I just use my old memory. There are good reasons why this is done. The other day, I offered to help a couple and they clearly didn't need or want me interfering in their sequence....understandably.

watercolors II · Sep 30, 2013

I offered the 100 foot line as the simplest because if you try it you’ll find that the angle of the pull out 100 feet makes the weight so light that a child can pull or hold the mast after the first 30 degrees of lift.

I have 100 feet of clothesline or light hardware store line on my boat all the time just in case I need it for something.

I’ve raised my mast and other masts all of the different ways described on this website, halyards, mainsheet purchases, ginpoles, A-frames and muscle and with less than experienced help, this is the easiest and simplest. Many times I get everything set, drop the 100 foot line over the side and ask a fisherman or passerby to give me a pull from ground level, everyone's willing to help just to see that mast go up.

I find that it’s also easier to attach the baby stays first because, here again easier, one will do it and they both have to be attached anyway, then the person holding the mast is free to do something else while I squeeze into the bow pulpit or stand on the front of the trailer to hook up the forestay.

Ken Secor · Oct 1, 2013

As a newbie on C-22's, it took 2.0 hrs. to rig by myself. That's 2 hours to get the mast and all the rigging up - and, 2 hrs. to take it down and prep for trailering back to home.

Now, I can do it alone in 1.25 hrs.

With one other person, it now takes just around an hour. With another person, who has done it a few times and myself now as well - just over half an hour.

philwsailz · Oct 1, 2013

A key thing I found that really makes stepping the mast a lot less stressful is to point the bow of the boat DOWNHILL while stepping the mast. Explanation in words is difficult but let me try:

* For every degree you point the bow down, you lift the mast up...

* With the boat's bow down, the proper mast position at 90 degrees with respect to the waterline is BEYOND 90 degrees with respect to gravity.

* With the bow significantly down in degrees, the mast is going to want to "fall to vertical". Read that through a few times picturing the mast as it goes past "gravity-vertical" and you will get it.

If that last bullet point is confusing after pondering it for a while consider this. Say you have your boat where the bow is pointed exactly straight down and your mast is secured to the mast step. With backstay, uppers and rear lowers attached, if you let the mast fall freely, it will fall into proper position without any lifting... Now granted that uncontrolled fall will likely damage the mast, but it is the extreme example to show what I am recommending.

So, when you are near the ramp ready to step the mast, park your tow vehicle and boat where you are pointing downhill. The more the better. It will make lifting the mast a lot easier, and it will cause the mast to stay in plae without any outside assistance while you are rigging the forestay.

Ken Secor · Oct 1, 2013

Excellent observation and comment!

Unfortunately, most marina's have flat parking areas and little slope until your on the ramp...

philwsailz · Oct 1, 2013

Ken Secor said:
Excellent observation and comment!

Unfortunately, most marina's have flat parking areas and little slope until your on the ramp...

Launch on a thursday; just nose your tow vehicle down the ramp. Nobody will be there to get angry....

You are correct re: parking lots, but I have found it is usually pretty easy to find a slope that will help. Afterall, most of the time the body of water you are trying to enter is in a valley, either natural or man-made. Therefore there must be hills. Just dont put the stick up where there are powerlines between you and the water. The result can be shocking...

agprice22 · Oct 1, 2013

I like that. Good points all. So, how about just drop the trailer off the hitch and put the tongue on the ground. Put a block under the rear trailer frame to keep the bow from lifting while you are working on deck. This way, you create the forward tilt right at the ramp. Re-hitch your trailer when you are done.

Thanks,

Andrew

dave_ren · Oct 2, 2013

agprice22 said:
I like that. Good points all. So, how about just drop the trailer off the hitch and put the tongue on the ground. Put a block under the rear trailer frame to keep the bow from lifting while you are working on deck. This way, you create the forward tilt right at the ramp. Re-hitch your trailer when you are done.

Well, that's a great piece of advice. If you have a tongue extension, you need to chock the wheels and detach the trailer from the tow vehicle anyway. Might as well drop the tongue to the ground to create your own slope. A block or jack stand in the back and you're set. Genius, Andrew, pure genius.

hewebb · Oct 3, 2013

I have a Catalina 25 with a 150 on a furler that I trailer a few times a year to other lakes. I built an A frame and stern crutch to facilitate the mast raising. I use the boat winch to raise the mast with a two to one pulley system. The first time was quite a process and took a long time, even with help. I can do it now my myself and go from trailer to water in about 30 minutes. I always park with the boat level and into the wind to help keep the mast aligned with the boat, especially the first 30 to 45 degrees of lift. As others have said, set a routine and it will become second nature and a lot more efficient. I use the winch so I can hold the mast anywhere to untangle anything if necessary. Watch the turn buckles as they are easy to bend.

about to buy a catalina 22

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