First time Sailboat owner (soon to be)

[snccoulter]

I am about to purchases a new to me 1976 Catalina 22 footer. Well If it all works out I will be.

I do have a few questions I need answers to before I plunk offer 2200 for it.

If you could please help me out I would be grateful since I am 100% new to this hobby.

1. Is 2200 a fair price for an old boat that seems to be in good condition. It includes a newish 6 horse motor and

Both sails look nice and the lines seem to be in good condition and has new wiring

The interior is old but OK. It does need new cushions ( I am OK at sewing)

My big concern is towing.

 

[snccoulter]

Tried to post pics but I cannot them to upload

 

[$tingy Sailor]

That price sounds fair considering you live in the Pacific NW like I do and the prices are higher up here than in CA, TX, or FL. The boats also seem to be in better condition on average.

But a '76 (almost 40 years old) is going to be pretty worn unless the owner was a racer or took exceptionally good care of it. My advise would be to not let yourself get drawn into a purchase from the excitement. There have been lots of examples on this forum over the years. Buyers remorse sucks. Don't be afraid to walk away and find a better boat. They are out there but it takes patience.

Take someone with you to inspect the boat who is familiar with C-22s and restoring them. Be conservative, pessimistic, and objective. Don't kid yourself, it will be expensive to restore and/or maintain one in good condition. It is what it is. Be sure you know what your end goal for the condition of the boat is. When I got my boat, I thought it was in good condition too but my expectations increased the more I learned. I didn't know what I didn't know. But I happen to really enjoy working on my boat so it's worked out well for me. Your mileage may vary. If you'd really rather be sailing, find a turn-key boat that you won't have to do anything to for years.

For some examples of common C-22 restoration and improvement projects and the minimum you can expect to pay if you do it yourself, you can visit my blog. If you're not a DIYer, multiply the cost of parts 2X-4X and then start adding labor at $65-$80/hr.

For example, you're concerned about trailering. The trailer under my boat was marginal when I bought it but I didn't realize how bad it really was until later and I wound up having to replace the whole trailer.

Trailer replacement

You'll find a lot of help on this forum, particularly the C-22 forum, if you haven't discovered that already. Ask lots of questions, proceed cautiously, and you'll do fine.