I am thinking of moving up from a Cat 22 to a 25 with a swing keel. Being close to the gulf and the Atlantic a trailerable sloop makes lots of sense. Please relate any experience you may have with this model (1977) both pro and com. Thanks, Alex
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Swing or Wing
A number of years ago I saw a swing keel Cat 25 sitting right next to a wing keel Cat 25 on trailers in a dry storage marina at Channel Islands CA. I don't know whether it was the boats or the trailers, but the wink keel boat sat noticably lower. Back when I used to own a swing keel boat, I was always concenred about the potential for damage from the great big chunk of iron clunking around down there. You have a whole lot more leverage with a lot less holding it in place. If the drafts were even close and I had the cash, I would opt for a wing.
A number of years ago I saw a swing keel Cat 25 sitting right next to a wing keel Cat 25 on trailers in a dry storage marina at Channel Islands CA. I don't know whether it was the boats or the trailers, but the wink keel boat sat noticably lower. Back when I used to own a swing keel boat, I was always concenred about the potential for damage from the great big chunk of iron clunking around down there. You have a whole lot more leverage with a lot less holding it in place. If the drafts were even close and I had the cash, I would opt for a wing.
Swing Keel
I read the first reply concerning the differences between the wing and the swing keels. I have to say that I had freinds of mine who bought a brand new 1988 Cat 25 with a swing keel and were pleased as punch and never gave them any worry. After sailing bothe the wing and swing keel, I would prefer the swing. Beleive it or not they are far more stable than a wing keel. Wings are fine for racing but for cruising I would want a fixed first then a swing. For my use here in California where we have mountain lakes as well as the ocean the swing keel is the ONLY way to go. What the swing keel is designed to do varies greatly from either the wing or fixed keel. Beleive me the pin that holds that 500-800 lbs of either lead or cast iron, if properly seated with the lock down bolt is not going to damage anything!!!! If the clunking that sometimes does occur with used boats bothers you, then Catalina Direct has a retrofit kit for both the hanging pin and spacers and bolts to make it just as secure as the fixed or wing. In all the years that I have sailed with swing keel boats and this includes makers other than Catalina, I have never had a problem with swing keels. This experience that I am refering to is over 35 years of sailing. Everything from Daggerboards, to retracable centerboards, fixed, a few wing and mostly swing keels. So you there on the Atlantic Coast, take a tip from a sailor on the Pacific Coast, buy the swing keel and you can take her sailing anywhere, and beach her as well if you need to or want to!!! Happy Sailing,
Dave LaPere PS and send us some pic's ok?
I read the first reply concerning the differences between the wing and the swing keels. I have to say that I had freinds of mine who bought a brand new 1988 Cat 25 with a swing keel and were pleased as punch and never gave them any worry. After sailing bothe the wing and swing keel, I would prefer the swing. Beleive it or not they are far more stable than a wing keel. Wings are fine for racing but for cruising I would want a fixed first then a swing. For my use here in California where we have mountain lakes as well as the ocean the swing keel is the ONLY way to go. What the swing keel is designed to do varies greatly from either the wing or fixed keel. Beleive me the pin that holds that 500-800 lbs of either lead or cast iron, if properly seated with the lock down bolt is not going to damage anything!!!! If the clunking that sometimes does occur with used boats bothers you, then Catalina Direct has a retrofit kit for both the hanging pin and spacers and bolts to make it just as secure as the fixed or wing. In all the years that I have sailed with swing keel boats and this includes makers other than Catalina, I have never had a problem with swing keels. This experience that I am refering to is over 35 years of sailing. Everything from Daggerboards, to retracable centerboards, fixed, a few wing and mostly swing keels. So you there on the Atlantic Coast, take a tip from a sailor on the Pacific Coast, buy the swing keel and you can take her sailing anywhere, and beach her as well if you need to or want to!!! Happy Sailing,
Dave LaPere PS and send us some pic's ok?Thanks!
Thank you so much for your insights guys, it's so great to be able to so easily find folks willing to help.
Thank you so much for your insights guys, it's so great to be able to so easily find folks willing to help.
About that C-25 swing keel...
Alex, The Catalina 25's swing keel weighs about 1,500 pounds, and there is no lock down pin. Some of the older ones may have developed excess pivot clearance leading to keel clunk. This can be remedied by installing a pivot bushing, new pivot pin, and maybe some shims. The C-25 wing keels are not known for their windward pointing ability; the swing keels are. The wing keel itself (not counting the rudder!) draws a couple more inches than a raised swing keel, so trailering and launching should be similar. If you run aground with a lowered swing keel, just crank it up a bit and go. If you run aground with a wing keel there's no crank, and heeling it over further isn't going to help like it would with a fin -- the wing just digs in deeper. I like swing keels!
Alex, The Catalina 25's swing keel weighs about 1,500 pounds, and there is no lock down pin. Some of the older ones may have developed excess pivot clearance leading to keel clunk. This can be remedied by installing a pivot bushing, new pivot pin, and maybe some shims. The C-25 wing keels are not known for their windward pointing ability; the swing keels are. The wing keel itself (not counting the rudder!) draws a couple more inches than a raised swing keel, so trailering and launching should be similar. If you run aground with a lowered swing keel, just crank it up a bit and go. If you run aground with a wing keel there's no crank, and heeling it over further isn't going to help like it would with a fin -- the wing just digs in deeper. I like swing keels!
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