I just purchased a 1985 catalina 22 and need to do the work associated with buying a used boat that has had a bit of neglect for the last couple of years. I will be doing the wood work soon and want to get a cover to protect the wood and possibly the boat. Anyone have any opinions of going with the cabin cover that covers the main hatch and railings or is it worth just getting a full cover? I would like to leave the boat outside, but am worrying about 100+ degree summer weather. Any ideas and best location to get covers online. I didn't see the cabin cover at Catalina Direct.
Catalina 22 cabin cover or boat cover?
- Thread starter kenai
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Im in the same situation. The covers are very expensive to cover the entire boat at about $650.00. I looked at these http://www.sailorstailor.com/categories.asp
I noticed those as well. Catalina Direct also has full covers as well. What do you think about the cabin cover as opposed to the full cover? Have you seen the cabin cover anywhere? I am wondering if you just have to have them custom made. My boat has all of the snaps. I already have the poptop enclosure.
CD has the companionway covers. Look here:
http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=170
http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=170
I have seen those, but I have seen some covers that go over the railings as well so all of the wood is protected. I haven't seen those anywhere.
Great coat of wax and replace everything wood with plastic. That is what we are doing, cheaper and permanent. In 12 months we had to re-varnish the wood 4 times. 4 coats at a time. Not worth the effort.
Neal, I'm curious. What kinda varnish were you using?
And a boat cover? Put a saw horse in the cockpit, and stretch a tarp across it..
And a boat cover? Put a saw horse in the cockpit, and stretch a tarp across it..
That's cheating Chris! LOL! We were using Helmsman Spar Varnish. I know it wasn't the best, but from what I have seen, NOTHING holds up good in the Florida sunshine. Unless it is covered. We went the cheap route and bought the starboard stuff from CatDirect, the teak replacements and the associated covers were too rich for our blood, and our stuff was so far gone, it was not salvageable.
I would try a product called Insulator Wax. We use it on our airplanes and it lasts years. about 20 bucks a bottle, but a half dollar size dollop will do the ENTIRE boat, hull and deck. Heck, a silver dollar size dollop did an entire Beechcraft King Air! Stuff if fantastic.
Thanks! The Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax 845 gets great reviews on Amazon. I think I'll try some.
I have read reviews of people using Acrylic coatings, and they LOVE them. Turns out, the coatings are the same as acrylic floor coatings: glossy, tough, uv resistant, long lasting, over-coatable, and a little goes a long way. They use it on RVs and other fiberglass toys with the same success as expensive acrylic sealants. I wonder if anyone has experience with them on boats. Also, the floor coating costs a small fraction the cost of other sealants.
Andrew
I have read reviews of people using Acrylic coatings, and they LOVE them. Turns out, the coatings are the same as acrylic floor coatings: glossy, tough, uv resistant, long lasting, over-coatable, and a little goes a long way. They use it on RVs and other fiberglass toys with the same success as expensive acrylic sealants. I wonder if anyone has experience with them on boats. Also, the floor coating costs a small fraction the cost of other sealants.
Andrew
DO NOT put it on any areas that you step! LOL Ask me how I found that out! 
No wax on any non skid areas...which is unfortunately most of the deck surface and will take the brunt of the UV damage.
No wax on any non skid areas...which is unfortunately most of the deck surface and will take the brunt of the UV damage.Our 1980 C22 had the pop top camping cover and the snaps around the cabin top that held it. We had a Sunbrella cover that fit over the area in place of the pop top and down over the companionway that we covered the boat with when not in use. This covered all the wood parts and protected the boat top and companionway from the sun.
Ray
Ray
Cover must be custom
Some kind of protection must be provided if you want the wood to look good for a long time. I started with oil but it was only a month until it had to be reapplied. I used polyurethane and then spar varnish but it only lasted about 2 years even with sitting in a building for 5 months a year.
After conferring with workers of the wooden boat shop at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael, MD on the best marine wood finish, I redid my teak for the 5th time in the last 20 years. Oh, they said Flagship Spar Vanish minimum 13 coats! I painted 10 coats with light sanding between each coat two years ago and the wood looks as good as the day I did it but, after all the work of 10 coats I then covered everything with Sumbrella. This past fall I added an additional 6 coats with sanding between, looks like the wood is embedded in glass, wow!
I used the snaps for the raised cabin top cover to attach this new self made cover, only had to add a couple snaps to go around the mast. I made the hem on the sides 3 layers thick and 3 inches wide to hang down below the snaps to cover the window wood eyebrow trim. The raised cabin top has a companion way extension in the cover that snaps to the companion way exterior wood trim and then a zipper in the center is used to enter the enclosed cabin. I extended this new cover down over the companion way hatch boards and used the snaps already in place to hold it, again I made extra large hem so the cover extended out over the companion way trim to keep it somewhat protected from the sun and rain.
Now, I will tell you that this cover is not on the open market, so you will have to have a shop make it to fit if you do not have a family member with a sewing machine. I will also say if you want your bright work to look like new with a little touch up every couple years then the cost will be worth it because right now my wood looks like the day I varnished it a couple years ago.
The Flagship varnish cost $45 a quart and with 16 coats one quart was not enough so, adding all the time to mask, sand and apply each coat of varnish, maybe the full cost to have a custom cover made might be a major savings in the future.
Some kind of protection must be provided if you want the wood to look good for a long time. I started with oil but it was only a month until it had to be reapplied. I used polyurethane and then spar varnish but it only lasted about 2 years even with sitting in a building for 5 months a year.
After conferring with workers of the wooden boat shop at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael, MD on the best marine wood finish, I redid my teak for the 5th time in the last 20 years. Oh, they said Flagship Spar Vanish minimum 13 coats! I painted 10 coats with light sanding between each coat two years ago and the wood looks as good as the day I did it but, after all the work of 10 coats I then covered everything with Sumbrella. This past fall I added an additional 6 coats with sanding between, looks like the wood is embedded in glass, wow!
I used the snaps for the raised cabin top cover to attach this new self made cover, only had to add a couple snaps to go around the mast. I made the hem on the sides 3 layers thick and 3 inches wide to hang down below the snaps to cover the window wood eyebrow trim. The raised cabin top has a companion way extension in the cover that snaps to the companion way exterior wood trim and then a zipper in the center is used to enter the enclosed cabin. I extended this new cover down over the companion way hatch boards and used the snaps already in place to hold it, again I made extra large hem so the cover extended out over the companion way trim to keep it somewhat protected from the sun and rain.
Now, I will tell you that this cover is not on the open market, so you will have to have a shop make it to fit if you do not have a family member with a sewing machine. I will also say if you want your bright work to look like new with a little touch up every couple years then the cost will be worth it because right now my wood looks like the day I varnished it a couple years ago.
The Flagship varnish cost $45 a quart and with 16 coats one quart was not enough so, adding all the time to mask, sand and apply each coat of varnish, maybe the full cost to have a custom cover made might be a major savings in the future.
LC: If aesthetics aren't real high on your list, its easy to make a cover for the cabin and hatch area. I use an alum.-colored tarp as used to cover haystacks, cut to fit by me. then simply placed small stones wrapped with small lines for ties (or cheap grommets) and tie to lifeline stansions, mast, and winches. Easy to install and protects wood well. In winter I use a larger piece of same over entire trailered boat (w/wood block suppports under spreaders because of our snow load, plus a couple of supports in cockpit area to assure rainwater drains instead of pools. These last well and probably cost together ca. $200. RK of Wyoming
I know it looks redneckish but Wal-Mart tarps are what my dad used to use. It seemed every other year he was having custom made covers made for a 20 ft Wellcraft which were quite expensive. In the end, we said screw it and started using the blue or gray plastic tarps from Wal-Mart and they lasted just about as long, didn't look as professional but saved lots of money. Rubber Bunji cords and twine and 2x4's to reduce sagging which held rainwater.
Re: Cover must be custom
Your cover sounds exactly like what I was thinking of. Do you happen to have any pictures of the your cover on your boat?
Your cover sounds exactly like what I was thinking of. Do you happen to have any pictures of the your cover on your boat?
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