New to me 1985 c-22 #13068

[dbhyslop]

We brought home our new boat this weekend. We're still beginners, this boat will replace a Highlander 20 that we bought this summer and learned on. My wife and I really like the Highlander but it isn't the best boat for young kids who can only spend so long out in the sun. Having some shelter, a potty, and not having to climb over the centerboard trunk every time we tack is good for them.

Anyway, this is one of the last of the classic designs and it's in great shape. The gelcoat needs a little cleaning but only needs a few touch-ups. It has some extras like a CDI furler, depth sounder, extending trailer tongue, CD mast support, custom cushions and curtains with matching pillows. It has an original OMC Seahorse 8 hp outboard. It's a nice enough engine, honestly I'd prefer to have a four-stroke but the boat is so perfect I can't really complain.

The only problems are a bit of mildew smell in the cabin and the aluminum rudder casting is broken at the pintles. We cleaned up the vinyl backs of the cushions and they smell fine now, so next we'll wipe down the wood covers and the bilge with some mild bleach and that should do it. Not sure what the best course of action is for the rudder. I don't want to buy a new one and it doesn't look like I can get just a casting. Maybe I can grind off the aluminum protrusion that the pintles mount to and bolt a traditional pintle bracket to the rudder. My kickup rudder plate is 1 3/8" thick at the pintles, but I don't know how wide the brackets at Catalina Direct are.

 

[piedpiperIII]

Great pictures and really glad to see the family enjoying it also. We all love our cat 22's and I know you will also. Congrats

 

[CaptDon01]

Someone spent a lot of money on new interior cushions, those are not the same vintage as the boat. As for a rudder, keep looking on Craigslist from 100 miles or so around your location. Place a want ad on the national C-22 web site, and check with the local C-22 Fleet in your area. There are plenty used rudders out there, and don't pass up a fixed rudder either. Check with the local C-22 Fleet in your area. They might know someone who has an old rudder. I recently picked up a stock fixed rudder from a Craigslist ad for $20! So they are out there, you just have to look, and let folks know you're looking. Hopefully someone knows more about aluminum welding than I do, and could advise you if your rudder is fixable.
Nice looking boat, and your kids remind me of our first C-22 when our girls were about the same age as your children. It's just the beginning of a long family affair!

Don

 

[CloudDiver]

Don said 'welding'.... and the Lord shall answer (that would be me, LOL). Kidding, I'm only a demi-god when it comes to welding. Anyway, cast aluminum is a bear to weld for various reason, foremost because it is porous. Next, you really can't be too sure what alloy it is, but there is welding rods for aluminum that are a particular mix that use when you don't really know for sure what the substrate is. Thirdly, aluminum needs to be really, really clean when you weld it.... and from the pic it is obvious that piece is pretty cruddy with a stainless bolt stuck in it via galvanic corrosion.

Never fear... It CAN be done. The piece would have to be soaked for a bit a metal cleaning solution that dissolves scale. I use phosphoric acid (a very diluted mild solution), and there are others specifically designed for aluminum (since phosphoric acid actually EATS aluminum. Anyway, after that piece is cleaned really well a skilled TIG welder would use a pretty hefty thickess of filer rod and begin building up the area where the break is and fill in the bolt hole completely. You could get to a point where you could weld on a solid chunk of aluminum, but it appears you could get that piece back to form just building up nice big beads over one another. Once you do that aluminum is really easy to shape with flap disc on a grinder and some files since its a very soft metal. Most welders charge anywhere between $60 to $80 per hour, so its only really worth it if you do it yourself or have a friend that will do it for beer (like me, LOL).

Otherwise, great find on that C22, it looks great for its vintage! I had a good deal of mold in my boat too, I just used Soft Scrub with bleach and also ZEP professional mold and mildew bleach spray (use in well ventilated area, it will burn your eyes!).

 

[Leeward Rail]

Congrats on the new boat and welcome to the board.
Great photos. I think sailing is one of the best family activities you can do.

Looks like it's had some updates. Cockpit storage pocket trim replaced. I assume those are LED lights ?

If you haven't already done so, check out the various refit threads in the forum.
CloudDiver has one of the more serious projects happening, but there are others with various amounts of work involved. Both modifcations and required repairs. You may not need any real repairs , but they should get you up to speed quickly on what's what with the C22 and help give you some modification ideas for later.


Ditto for what Don said about being able to find a replacement for the rudder.
FWIW: I have one I'm not using but I'm up in Canada and shipping would be ugly.
It's missing the rudder lock since "jmczzz" that now.

Cheers,
Roy

BTW: Check out the Catalina 22 Sailing Association. They have a great Tech manual, and hold rally's in various parts of the USA run by local C22 fleets. They do both racing, and cruising. http://catalina22.org/

 

[spartacus99]

Great boat bud, you and your family are gonna have a great time with her.

 

[dbhyslop]

Thanks for the all the advice!

I'm hoping to avoid welding the rudder aluminum. It's extremely unlikely the boat will see the water again this fall, so I have some time to find a new rudder or find another way to fix this one. I'm thinking about grinding off the existing pins and putting these on, but I'm not sure if they're wide enough to fit over the casting.

My other project, which isn't quite as urgent, is adjusting the weight balance on the trailer. The tongue comes up if a light adult climbs up the stern ladder. I'm not an expert on trailers yet but as far as I can tell I can move the axle aft just by removing the U-bolts. I'd also like to add brakes. Trailer projects aren't urgent to get back and forth to the boat ramp, but we're likely moving cross country next year and I don't want to be fishtailing down I-80 for 20 hours.

Also, the class association and Catalina Direct both sell their own tech manuals for about the same price. In the long run I'll probably get both, but is one of them better or more informative than the other and worthwhile to get first?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[Leeward Rail]

Catalina Direct's "Catalina 22 Owner's Handbook" is basically a fancy catalog. It has more details than you find on their website.

The Catalina 22 National Sailing Association "Tech Manual" is a compilation of decades of projects and ideas from C22 owners.
If I chose one over the other, it would be the the C22 NSA Tech Manual.
(Catalina Direct also sells this, I assume on behalf of the the owners assocation.)

FWIW, I got a membership directly from the C22 NSA. The membership gives you access to a bunch of docs, including factory owner manuals. For an additional charge I also bought their tech manual in download PDF format.

 

[CloudDiver]

Dan,
Yes, moving your axle back just an inch or two will help greatly. The axle needs to be behind the center of weight distribution. Just take a look at where it is positioned now and you can realistically move it back as far as it will go before the feeders or anything else interferes with something. If you get an inch that will make a difference, two inches would be ideal, 3 might be as far as you can go but that maximizes the effect; you want as much weight on the tongue as possible.

When you go to get brakes just make sure your current axle has a flange to bolt brakes to. If not you'll need a new axle. Marine Supply Inc in Gulfport Mississippi has the best prices on galvanized trailer axles and UPS shipping is only $20. They have an eBay store or you can call them directly. It would be ideal to add a second axle for a cross country trip, but its expensive. Don't be afraid to trailer long distance with a single axle though. As long as your axle is placed right you won't fishtail. Along with that make sure your hubs are in good shape and greased and you have the right load rated tires.

Your plan for the rudder is a good idea. I have a set of the 3/8" pintles (actually I have two sets, one is on my spare rudder). I upgraded to the 1/2" pintles and gudgeons so I don't need them. Measure how thick that casting is and I'll let you know if it will work. I'll send you a set of the pintles for Free-Hundred dollars. However, if you are willing to spend the money I would highly suggest upgrading to the 1/2" pintles and gudgeons, they are so worth it.

Thanks for the all the advice!

I'm hoping to avoid welding the rudder aluminum. It's extremely unlikely the boat will see the water again this fall, so I have some time to find a new rudder or find another way to fix this one. I'm thinking about grinding off the existing pins and putting these on, but I'm not sure if they're wide enough to fit over the casting.

My other project, which isn't quite as urgent, is adjusting the weight balance on the trailer. The tongue comes up if a light adult climbs up the stern ladder. I'm not an expert on trailers yet but as far as I can tell I can move the axle aft just by removing the U-bolts. I'd also like to add brakes. Trailer projects aren't urgent to get back and forth to the boat ramp, but we're likely moving cross country next year and I don't want to be fishtailing down I-80 for 20 hours.

Also, the class association and Catalina Direct both sell their own tech manuals for about the same price. In the long run I'll probably get both, but is one of them better or more informative than the other and worthwhile to get first?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[dbhyslop]

The axle right now is directly in front of the crossmember that the keel rests on so I'll need to move the axle some six or seven inches or none at all. If I move it too far back I might have too much hitch weight for my little Jeep, but I can sort that out later. In the meantime I'm going to join the NSA and download that tech guide.

 

[CaptDon01]

Catalina Direct's "Catalina 22 Owner's Handbook" is basically a fancy catalog. It has more details than you find on their website.

The Catalina 22 National Sailing Association "Tech Manual" is a compilation of decades of projects and ideas from C22 owners.
If I chose one over the other, it would be the the C22 NSA Tech Manual.
(Catalina Direct also sells this, I assume on behalf of the the owners assocation.)

FWIW, I got a membership directly from the C22 NSA. The membership gives you access to a bunch of docs, including factory owner manuals. For an additional charge I also bought their tech manual in download PDF format.

Membership in the C-22 National Association now includes access to download your own PDF files on the Tech Manual.

Don

 

[$tingy Sailor]

Your trailer is very similar to mine and it looks like you could try moving the boat forward 2-3" by moving the bow post. That might be all you need to get the weight under control and it'll be easier than moving your axle back.

 

[piedpiperIII]

Dan, I can't tell with your picture but I had the same problem with my trailer weight. I moved my axle just behind the cross member and that gave me about 250lbs on the hitch which works great. I also had the trailer lift if someone tried to climb on the ladder when not attached to the Tahoe. Plus it was just a little snaky towing it that way now all is well. I moved it about 6" in order to clear the cross member.

 

[dbhyslop]

Follow up:

I haven't gotten a chance to address the rudder yet, but Cloud was kind enough to send me an extra pair of pintles so at some point this winter I'll attempt to graft them onto the aluminum rudder head.

This weekend I did clean out the bilge with Zep mold and mildew in a garden sprayer, which worked extremely well. One thing I found though is there are a few spots in the bilge where water gets trapped and slowly seeps out through cracks in the fiberglass. The main spot is the space underneath the head which is open to the bilge at the sides, but not by enough for me to get a towel or hose in, so it seeps forward through a crack into the space under the v-berth. I mop up the space with a towel then repeat every few hours. Should I drill a hole here to allow the water to flow freely, and would there be any benefit to tabbing the liner to the hull here to reinforce the area over the crack?