ADVICE FOR FIRST TIME BUYER: 1984 Catalina 22 — asking $10k w/ trailer. Would you walk away?

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Plopper_n0k

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Jan 9, 2026
2
Catalina 22 PR
Looking for Catalina 22 owner opinions before I buy.
  • Boat: 1984 Catalina 22 (kept on a mooring, PR)
  • Asking: $10,000 incl. trailer and outboard from 2024
  • I’m OK with normal DIY maintenance, but I’m trying to avoid a hidden water/core/keel-trunk project.
  • Bias up front: I feel like $10k is high for the condition/unknowns I’m seeing.
Main red flags (photos attached)
  1. Standing water in the compartment by the keel lock (I expected this area to be enclosed/dry).
  2. Visible water damage/staining around the port aft portlight.
  3. Bilge area has corrosion + messy wiring; bilge pump works but float switch doesn’t (needs replacing).
  4. Pop-top: hardware issue (missing screw) + seal looks aged.
Other notes (less critical, but adds up)
  • Deck tap test: mostly normal, but dull “thunk” near the lines-led-aft hardware (possible wet core vs backing/mod).
  • Main sail hoisted; seller says one batten missing.
  • Trailer looks usable but wiring was done DIY.
Questions
  1. Water in keel-lock compartment: common C22 quirk or walk-away? Most likely leak paths?
  2. Portlight water damage: usually just a reseal, or does this often mean core/rot nearby?
  3. Deck “thunk” near organizers: would you be concerned?
  4. Given these issues, what do we think about the $10k asking?
  5. What would you do — would you walk away? If not, what price would make you comfortable?
(Photos: port aft portlight damage, keel-lock compartment water, bilge corrosion, missing pop-top screw, interior, cockpit, deck, hull/rubrail shot)
 

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Project_Mayhem

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Sep 24, 2018
4,083
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
A new trailer is probably $2000-4500 and the outboard is round $1500-2500. Boat appears to be in good condition but far from perfect. Is the boat itself worth $3000-6500? It's probably somewhere in that range. See where negotiations will take you.
 
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Jackinenc

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Nov 21, 2023
2
ODay 192 New Bern
That seems quite high to me. Here in Eastern NC that is a $3000-5000 boat. I bought a nice ODay 192 last year with new sails, decent Tohatsu 6 hp 4 stroke and trailer for $3500. And it seems like prices have come down since then. It seems to be a buyers market around here.
 
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RussC

RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,689
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
I'd walk away only because I'm too old to run. ;) that's a 3.5 K boat in Oregon as well
where are you located?
 
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danooxnard

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Oct 13, 2020
187
catalina C-22 4980 channel islands CA
I agree with Gene Neill, I would walk away, lots of worries on this one. One of them is the keel and keel pin. Sitting in water for who knows how long and with what maintenance I would run! The price is also high in my opinion.
 
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dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
13,553
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
$10K is a lot for a 40 year old Catalina 22. How many Catalina 22s are there in PR? Are there many small cabin sailboats on the island? A limited supply may drive the prices higher than they are on the Mainland. It may be worth half that price. In the end it is worth what a buyer and seller agree upon.
 
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Plopper_n0k

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Jan 9, 2026
2
Catalina 22 PR
Thank you all for taking the time to reply — I really appreciate the feedback!

To answer a couple questions: yes, the boat is in Puerto Rico. I’ve been shopping for a sailboat for a while and the market here moves pretty slowly. For context, I’ll see 26-footers (Hunters, MacGregors) listed around $10k–$20k, and 19-footers (Mariners, Potters) around $5k–$10k. This is actually the first Catalina 22 listing I’ve come across locally.

What’s been frustrating is that when a listing looks promising, there’s often a catch — things like no trailer registration/plate, missing trailer title, or lapsed boat registration / DRNA fines, etc.

And to Lazy1’s point (half joking, I'm sure): I’m honestly getting close to considering importing a boat to the island rather than dealing with repeated paperwork/registration headaches.
 
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...3TacksontheWater

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Sep 17, 2022
159
Catalina 22 Oolagah
Wow. What price would make me comfortable? I don't live in Puerto Rico so there is really no good way to answer that question. Your descriptions show the worst case scenarios of the boat. The original C-22's electrical system while fully functional, was a bird's nest of a mess. That issue can be easily made neater with a new switch panel and patient attention to detail while rewiring the panel. Issues that you pointed out do not detract from the great sailing characteristics of the C-22 design. I replaced my New Design's switch panel and mistakenly though that the mess I was replacing was the PO's idea of a neat installation and it turned out that I was replacing Catalina's version of a Bristol electrical install. Go figure.

The asking price is way too high based on the current continental USA market but based on your local market conditions, it may not be out of line. You can come stateside and get a reasonably well cared for pre-1986 C-22 for 3 to 5K or, a New Design for 4 to 8+ K ranging from OK to exceptional condition but then you'll need to add the cost of transport to Puerto Rico. In my opinion, the immediate expense will be if the current owner cannot provide providence of the standing rigging's age, to replace that with new rigging. With local winds ranging from 10 to 20 knots on average, I would make that my first upgrade/repair. You can sail on old sails until you need new, but keeping the mast up is pretty high up on the to do list.

Depending on how you will use the boat, based on your location, it may be wise to consider a more "Blue Water" design that a rather fantastic daysailer, which is exactly what a C-22 is. Just a thought.

George
 
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