Add-on Stern Pulpit

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Zach Grammon

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Sep 8, 2015
40
Catalina 22 Upper Columbia River
Recently I gave an old car to a friend of my brother. The young guy is a stainless steel welder, and as we were talking, I mentioned that I've always wanted to start welding. He asked what I would weld, and I told him about wanting a stern pulpit for my 1973 C-22. He said he would be interested in tackling that this winter, once worked slowed down, as a sort of trade for the car.

So...if you could design a stern pulpit, what would you change to the original design?

Or would you save the poor soul from trying to tackle the project in the first place. Also, I have young kids, so while the boat doesn't "need" them, they would be for my peace of mind.

I've included a link to the Catalina Direct design for reference. https://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm/product/677_20/stern-pulpit-c-22--85.cfm
 
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CaptDon01

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Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
Our original C-22,(1980 version), came with the stations, but no stern pulpit. The safety lines led down and were terminated along the cockpit combing. I ended up buying a stern pulpit from a dealer who ordered one for a customer that never returned to buy it. We really liked the way it looked on the boat, and after many years, I wouldn't changed a thing from the original design.

Don
 
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C22-Daydreamer

C22-Daydreamer

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Jun 15, 2016
212
Catalina 22 Lake Thunderbird
CD had the separated stern pulpits on clearance the ones design for the Capri that could be installed on the C22's. So I snapped them up. They had some scratcheson the railing. I didn't have any front or back. Found a bow pulpit on ebay for under $300.00. Both are winter projects. My boat isn't perfect so I thought having a few scratches would fit the bill and save me some money. If I could afford it I would've have liked the old design that reached all the way around the stern. Maybe I'll try to find a stainless steel welder around here and have him add a cross member to tie the two separate pieces together.
 
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CloudDiver

CloudDiver

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Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Look at stern pulpits on most newer boats, they are almost always 2 piece designs. This is much easier to set up and fabricate. You have to be careful, to get everything set up right it needs to be set up on the boat, otherwise it won't fit correctly after finish welding (welding heat causes metal to move... A LOT). If I had a tube bender I would have made new ones rather than modify my old one.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
CloudDiver said:
Look at stern pulpits on most newer boats, they are almost always 2 piece designs.
Click to expand
Yep. This is an artifact from the old days when the transom of a sailboat was almost as pinched as the bow. As transoms got wider, it became more and more common to connect two corner rails with lifelines across the back. As cloud notes now one-piece aft pulpits are gone.
 
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CaptDon01

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Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
Jackdaw said:
Yep. This is an artifact from the old days when the transom of a sailboat was almost as pinched as the bow. As transoms got wider, it became more and more common to connect two corner rails with lifelines across the back. As cloud notes now one-piece aft pulpits are gone.
Click to expand
SPORT 409.JPG


For what it's worth, the 2016 C-22 still uses a one piece stern pulpit.

Don
 
CloudDiver

CloudDiver

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Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Don, I would call that one a Hybrid. Each half is probably made in a Jig independently, then set up to add the single cross tube for the traveler bar as a last step. This is a good example to use as a guide, a fabricator could make the two halves first and mount them up, tacking on the traveler tube last. From a fabrication point of view this method would greatly eliminate various opportunities for 'play' (misalignment, movement of tube as it is heated from the welds).

CaptDon01 said:
View attachment 130486

For what it's worth, the 2016 C-22 still uses a one piece stern pulpit.

Don
Click to expand
 
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CaptDon01

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Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
CloudDiver said:
Don, I would call that one a Hybrid. Each half is probably made in a Jig independently, then set up to add the single cross tube for the traveler bar as a last step. This is a good example to use as a guide, a fabricator could make the two halves first and mount them up, tacking on the traveler tube last. From a fabrication point of view this method would greatly eliminate various opportunities for 'play' (misalignment, movement of tube as it is heated from the welds).
Click to expand
Nope, I doubt it's welded in place on a boat while being assembled, fabricated in a jig, for sure, but installed as shown I'm sure. Touring the Catalina factory, I saw no welding fabrication shop, at least none were shown on the tour. With all the boats being assembled in a common building, I doubt they would risk welding with millions of dollars worth of new boats being assembled, including assembling boats for other manufactures.

Don
CATALINA LARGO 018.jpg
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,114
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Never liked that C22 traveler design. It's an accommodation for the transom hung rudder and to provide a six foot bench. It makes much more sense to install the traveler on a bridge near mid cockpit, for a vertical run to boom's end. That location, however, would not sell boats to "family in the cockpit" sailors. So I get it..
Another alternative is to move traveler to a separate bridge and remove the pushpit. This would allow a much larger range of motion and still provide vertical room for tiller, when raised.
Way too much trouble though... when the simple answer is to employ the vang more aggressively when going up wind.
 
CloudDiver

CloudDiver

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Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Joe said:
Never liked that C22 traveler design. It's an accommodation for the transom hung rudder and to provide a six foot bench. It makes much more sense to install the traveler on a bridge near mid cockpit, for a vertical run to boom's end. That location, however, would not sell boats to "family in the cockpit" sailors. So I get it..
Another alternative is to move traveler to a separate bridge and remove the pushpit. This would allow a much larger range of motion and still provide vertical room for tiller, when raised.
Way too much trouble though... when the simple answer is to employ the vang more aggressively when going up wind.
Click to expand
I've been sailing a Capri 22 with a (roughly) mid-cockpit traveler track. Not sure how am I going to used to reaching behind me to adjust the mainsheet on my C22. I have the stuff to set up for mid-boom sheeting, but that won't work with a Bimini. Bah... Who needs protection from the sun anyway?
 
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CaptDon01

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Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
Joe,

The factory traveler on a C-22 is pretty much useless in my opinion. I always say the best thing it's good for is pulling the mainsheet to the side to get at the BBQ grill on the stern pulpit. You'll see more and more of the racers abandoning them in the future I believe. The 3rd place boat in the C-22 Nationals this year didn't even use a traveler, (class rules don't say you have to use it). The boom is too weak in my opinion to hold up to sheeting in over the companionway, plus like you mention, the trip hazard.

The new Selden spars are much stronger in my opinion, and could handle the loads, (think Capri-22).

Don
 
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