Need Cat22 Trailer Advice

[Laurie]

I have been looking for a decent trailer for my 73 Cat22 swing keel, and came upon a good one formerly used for a Compac-23 shoal fixed keel. However, I'm not sure if it can be used for my boat. It is a Shore Rite tandem axle, appears to be highly modifiable (rollers to bunks, lots of adjustable supports), and has a line of rubber supports designed for setting upon his his shoal keel. Where should all the support be for the Cat22? The hull? The keel? Does this trailer sound do-able? Any input would be appreciated!

 

[Roger Cunningham]

trailer modification

Hi there. We have a Cat 22 here in Mexico. We bought a 2 axle ski boat trailer and did extensive modification so the Cat 22 would fit on it properly.The weight load should NEVER go on the keel. Get rid of the rollers and have bunks built from hardwood, then carpet.We used a large rubber bow chock near the back of the trailer for the keel to rest in. The boats weight should end upliterally being independent of the keel's weight. The boat should rest on the bunks and the keel should be lowered just enought to take it's weight off the winch. Hope this helps.Let me know if you need any more advice.We got thru it here (not even speaking great Spanish) so you;ve already got an advantage.

 

[Roger Cunningham]

Trailer modification

Hi again. That shore rite trailer should be adaptable for you. It's also a plus since it is dual axle. The boat will ride better. Let me know if you need some photos of what we did...I can take some polaroids and scan them to you.Roger

 

[Scott]

Keep the weight off the Keel!!!!

THe most inportant thing to remember about a swing keel is never let the keel support ANY weight of the boat. Idealy the keel should not touch any part of the trailer when it is fully raised. Once the boat is properly on the trailer the keel should be lowered into the trailer and supported to keep the weight of it off the winch. The previouse reply had a great idea of using a large V-type bow rubber. Also no rollers. Fabricate a set of bunker boards out of 2X6 lumber. They should support the boat from about 1 foot in front and behind the keel. A great resourse for trailers is the Catalina 22 home page. Look under Tech Tips and you'll see a list for trailer resources. That should just about do it and also one roller located just below the bow to support the weight of the front of the boat. Hope this helps!!!Scott