Took a while but got another boater to take a pix of my boat under sail, little small but then it is a cat 22 after all, LOL.
Commissioning tasks and ongoing improvements of a 83 Cat 22 from trailer to saltwatercamper
- Thread starter Jacktar
- Start date
Just in case you dont know it., the dollar solar yard lights in Walmart have a base just the right size to insert in a winch handle hole when you remove the long stick in the ground shaft. Cheap always on night light for the cockpit when at anchor. Also lights up lower part of boat to make it visible to boaters not looking 30 feet in air when driving around the anchorage at night. Drunk boater avoidance system for only 2 dollars, what a deal.
Just did the spacer trick on the upper gudgeon of my rudder. Used two threaded 1/4 rods to replace outer machine screws then took out center ones and slipped the gudgeon off. Made a 1/4 thick spacer from Starboard and reversed the procedure using 1 1/4 screws to replace the original 1 inchers before the spacer. Last pix is of retainer rope to avoid sacrifices to Neptune of original equipment items!
Apparently racers of cat 22s have put the spacer in to move the leading edge of the rudder a little more forward, it is supposed to help with the tendency to turn to windward when you let the tiller loose. I single hand and use a tiller tamer but even when sails set right and tied off the boat will go to windward if not watched. Check out the catalina 22 forum for earlier posts by others and it even shows up on national org under their technical references section.
Thanks for the info Jacktar. I've been on this forum for a few years and don't recall this. I'll do my research; my boat's already in the water for the season but this may be a project for next winter.
Let us know if you notice some improvement in handling.
Let us know if you notice some improvement in handling.
I was unaware of the spacer trick, but what you say makes sense. Look at the Ruddercraft blade, how the leading edge (left side, in the pic) is moved forward. The entire "wing" is moved forward, actually, just like the spacer trick is doing for your rudder. And the Ruddercraft blade DOES reduce weather helm, I can attest to that much. So I'm a believer in your spacer trick.
I've read a lot about the Ruddercraft blade and would like to upgrade, but it is a lot of 'boat bucks'.
I'm getting done with many of my other projects on the boat so perhaps I should save up for this upgrade next year, given the great performance improvement reported by Gene and others.
I'm getting done with many of my other projects on the boat so perhaps I should save up for this upgrade next year, given the great performance improvement reported by Gene and others.
Well I took the boat out on Thursday last and tacked back and forth on several reaches and even downwind and the spacer really appears to make a difference. I single-hand so will tighten the Davis tiller tamer and run forward or below to do something and by the time I get back the boat has usually gone to windward no matter how well the sails are set for balancing the helm. This time it stayed pretty much on course even while I went forward to bow pulpit! I am amazed how much that 1/4 inch affected the helm. More trials to come but I am a believer.
Any idea how much the 1/4" spacer moved the leading edge forward? 1.5" maybe? Good trick to know-
Brief hiatus from the gulf coast to the pacific watching gals on the beach and thinking about sailing.
Is that why you were heeling fifteen degrees to starboard?
Well spent 4 weeks out of town away from the boat closing down my Dad's house to put up for sail. But finally got caught up and noticed my motor tiller handle cover was in bad shape. so out with the canvas and sewing machine and Voila (french for so there!) a new cover is done. Monogrammed of course.
We it appears we dodged the second storm of 2019 here in Pensacola. Just in case I had gone out and sailed up the new 3 mile bridge under construction which now sports the white arch you can see in the picture signifying the completion of span one. Traffic to shift over to it, while the old spans are taken apart and replaced with a second new span. More pix to come!
BTW lowering the mast at the dock can be done relatively easy by one person, of course turning it from bow in to stern in and putting up a temporary shears helps a lot. Look at the pix, had to lower to rig up a starboard spreader block for flag halyard. Worked out good.
