I just bought a 1982 model Catalina 22 swing keel in what appears to be good condition from a legacy member at our sail club. The boat comes with lots of stories about repairs done over the years, and of the beloved previous owner who sailed the boat for most of that time. However, it does not come with a trailer. In shopping for trailers I find a Wesco Catalina 22 trailer fixed keel, no brakes, galvanized, preloaded with a '88 fixed keel "parts boat" (according to ad) that's been stripped of most of her running rigging, rudder, and anything inside that wasn't bolted down. I have two people in my family who weld. I've access to an unhurried loaner trailer to get the boat in the water. I've collected the data on boat disposal options, and I think I could handle that. How hard/wise would it be to refit this trailer for a swing keel?
I ended up going with the Wesco trailer mentioned above. It turned out that the stanchions on the trailer are all adjustable, so with any luck I will not need to have it welded. It is much heavier gauge. I have work to do now to 1) give away or dispose the boat sitting on the trailer, and 2) adjusting the trailer to safely carry a swing keel Catalina 22.
I talked to a few welders and did a bit of reading along the way, and I learned the following:
- The trailer should be rated for sufficient weight. In this case, one of the trailers was rated for 2,800, which was low enough to make me worry. It was also lighter gauge, in general. In addition to the trailer, the tires need to be rated for the weight, for a Catalina 22 Swing keel with an approximate estimated weight of 2,500 lbs. I want Class C tires for a single axle combined weight capacity of 3,640 lbs. (include trailer, motor, all your stuff in the weight calculation).
- Welding galvanized steel can be done, but the coating needs to be ground off first and the welding needs to be done in a well-ventilated space. The fumes are toxic and dangerous to the welder.
- Rusted galvanized steel cannot take a weld. The metal will crumble.
- Welding metal makes it more brittle. Re-welding the same spot makes it more brittle still.
- The new boat will need to be balanced on the trailer. There are articles and tech manuals to help get this right (catalina22.org, sailboatowners.com, etc.). The axle plays into this balance, and may need to be moved to better balance the boat and trailer.
- Most welders will want to see the trailer prior to giving a firm agreement that they will help you. The price of welding in my area was in the hundreds of dollar range instead of the thousands of dollars a new trailer would cost. The best dimensions I found were in the 2006 update to the Technical manual available for purchase (less than $20) and download at Catalina22.org.
I talked to a few welders and did a bit of reading along the way, and I learned the following:
- The trailer should be rated for sufficient weight. In this case, one of the trailers was rated for 2,800, which was low enough to make me worry. It was also lighter gauge, in general. In addition to the trailer, the tires need to be rated for the weight, for a Catalina 22 Swing keel with an approximate estimated weight of 2,500 lbs. I want Class C tires for a single axle combined weight capacity of 3,640 lbs. (include trailer, motor, all your stuff in the weight calculation).
- Welding galvanized steel can be done, but the coating needs to be ground off first and the welding needs to be done in a well-ventilated space. The fumes are toxic and dangerous to the welder.
- Rusted galvanized steel cannot take a weld. The metal will crumble.
- Welding metal makes it more brittle. Re-welding the same spot makes it more brittle still.
- The new boat will need to be balanced on the trailer. There are articles and tech manuals to help get this right (catalina22.org, sailboatowners.com, etc.). The axle plays into this balance, and may need to be moved to better balance the boat and trailer.
- Most welders will want to see the trailer prior to giving a firm agreement that they will help you. The price of welding in my area was in the hundreds of dollar range instead of the thousands of dollars a new trailer would cost. The best dimensions I found were in the 2006 update to the Technical manual available for purchase (less than $20) and download at Catalina22.org.
Last edited:
Pictures are good for better perspectives and advice. Consider adding a second axle. It will improve the trailer's load limit, give it better balance and offer some extra protection from blowout and bearing friction.
Great project and very thoughtfully planned out. Impressive.
-Will (Dragonfly)
Great project and very thoughtfully planned out. Impressive.
-Will (Dragonfly)
Thanks, Will! I will consider the second axle. I'm posting a few photos of the trailer. I'm excited to get to work... as soon as the weekend comes!
Attachments
+1...same boat obviously, adjust (lower the bunks) to accommodate...seems simple enough...I've hauled both versions with their respective trailers, don't see a big difference in the two, other than bunk height and keel support(s)....jmho
(looks like you have the tongue extension a plus, which you may not even need depending on the ramp....never have used mine on our swing keel, neighbor always needs his on the same ramp due to bunk height)...2 cents...
Last edited:
Man I hate to see a wing keel model scraped. An 88 was one of the first years and they are a highly desired model because there is almost no maintenance when leaving it in the water. Post something on the C22 facebook group and I am sure you will find it a good home. For cruising I would go wing any day over swing. There more stable and just the peace of mind of having a fully self righting rig is nice. Racing I hear Swing is faster but I am hoping to prove that wrong with my wing soon!
As for your trailer I got this from the forum some time ago and it is a good starting point for your bunks and boat placement.
As for your trailer I got this from the forum some time ago and it is a good starting point for your bunks and boat placement.
The previous owner took care of the fixed keel boat, and I'm not entirely sure of the outcome. I did post it on a few online forums, including the local FreeCycle, but no takers. I did notice some pretty sketchy cracking on the bow, but I do not know how severe a problem that presents, although it was enough to make my stomach turn ever so slightly.
I'm working now to tune the trailer to my new old swing keel. I'm enjoying the $tingy Sailor blogs, and plan to go with his suggestion to use lag bolts and staples instead of the countersunk carriage bolts and plastic strapping/screws I was thinking yesterday. I found a pretty good deal on 11"x144" bunk carpet on amazon. Right now I have two 12'x2"x6" treated boards with as many tree rings as I could find at the local home improvement store. The Tech manual gives the measurements from the frame up (front, 7"; middle 11", rear 14"), and down to the keel guide (-11"). I've tried to adjust all of these to have the keel measurement at zero to give me front bunk height of 18", middle 22" and rear 25", but I'm not sure I've interpreted the tech manual correctly. So, I'm going to put the boat on the water and measure the loaner trailer for comparison, measuring up from keel guide/resting board. Once we have the boat on the new trailer, we will make adjustments based on how the boat sits on the new bunks and make any needed adjustments. I'm grateful to have my husband and some boat club friends helping with advice and labor. If all goes well, we'll have the trailer and boat married today, and can move on to hubs and bottom paint next weekend.
I'm working now to tune the trailer to my new old swing keel. I'm enjoying the $tingy Sailor blogs, and plan to go with his suggestion to use lag bolts and staples instead of the countersunk carriage bolts and plastic strapping/screws I was thinking yesterday. I found a pretty good deal on 11"x144" bunk carpet on amazon. Right now I have two 12'x2"x6" treated boards with as many tree rings as I could find at the local home improvement store. The Tech manual gives the measurements from the frame up (front, 7"; middle 11", rear 14"), and down to the keel guide (-11"). I've tried to adjust all of these to have the keel measurement at zero to give me front bunk height of 18", middle 22" and rear 25", but I'm not sure I've interpreted the tech manual correctly. So, I'm going to put the boat on the water and measure the loaner trailer for comparison, measuring up from keel guide/resting board. Once we have the boat on the new trailer, we will make adjustments based on how the boat sits on the new bunks and make any needed adjustments. I'm grateful to have my husband and some boat club friends helping with advice and labor. If all goes well, we'll have the trailer and boat married today, and can move on to hubs and bottom paint next weekend.