Possibly Buying a Cat22...need advice please!

[amykat321]

My husband and I are looking into buying a sailboat. I grew up sailing, but it has been awhile, so we are probably going to take a refresher course! We are highly considering purchasing a C22. We found one in our area for $4500. It is a 1978 or 1979 Catalina 22. The seller bought it from a lady whose husband was in the process of restoring the boat. He was almost done but then passed away. The boat has:

Main w/ New Mack Pack (Sunbrella material one year old)
Integral Sail cover and lazy jacks
I will throw in a small propane grill
Folding table which turns into a berth
New Sunbrella Bimini
Compass
Battery
Depth Sounder
Life Jackets
Mercury 5hp
New Anchor
VHF Radio (water resistant/float able hand held - less than one year old)
New Halyard lines (less than a year old) from Catalina Direct
New rigging lines (less than a year old) from Catalina Direct
New Backstay line still in a sealed bag from Catalina Direct
Trailer - custom made with an extended adjustable tongue
The Keel is just over a year old, so it's almost new and in great shape!

Sounds good...but I am wondering about the "new keel." It is a swing keel, but I haven't heard of keels being replaced...Perhaps he meant swing keel cables, etc? We go to look at it tomorrow. Can anyone give me some ideas of things I should look for/questions to ask? The seller seemed very up front with us. He said there is a soft spot but he would be fixing it. Any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[jrowan]

That sounds like a lot of boat upgrades for the money. I've seen folks buy C 22 in worse shape for that price range. I'm sure you'll get lots of advice from the current C 22 owners. We started out with a C22 & it's a good boat, but U tend to outgrow it if you do any serious cruising. As a trailor sailor it does what its purposed for. Speaking of which have a mechanic or trailer shop look over the trailer for rusted bearings, axle, bad light wiring, check the winch & cable for wear, tires, etc. These trailers are submersed in salt & brackish water regularly & will suffer from massive corrosion. As far as the price, cash money talks. Show up with cash in hand & offer 10% less based on what has yet to be done or installed. There's always something that needs work on this vintage of boat. Good luck.

 

[GorillaToast]

Don't even consider buying any boat without sailing it first!

Open up all the storage areas, and make sure they are dry, then back the boat down the ramp, but don't put it in the water. Pull it back up to level ground, and check all the storage areas again. This will show you if there is water trapped in the boat that will migrate from place to place. If the bilges are still dry after that, sail her. Make sure you get her heeled pretty good to both sides, so you can move any trapped water into the port and starboard cabin lockers. If she comes back dry after a good hard sail, it might be okay.

After the sea trial, close up the boat, and hose down the topsides for awhile to see if you have any deck leaks around the fittings.

How do I know? I spent all last winter rebedding deck hardware, reglassing the inside of the hull that had rotted out from water sitting under the holding tank, and I still didn't find the hull leak that I have to pump out every day, because i didnt follow the advice i just gave. That's gonna cost me at least a grand to get fixed next winter.

I'm sure Bilbo, Chris, Ken, Stu, and the others will chime in about other thing to inspect, but I'd be absolutely sure its completely watertight before going any further.

 

[CaptGregg]

I bought a 1977 Catalina 22 without all those accoutrements for $1000 and I got 2 mainsails, a jib and a trailer. I have been wiring it myself (both AC and DC and re-plumbed the scupper drains. She looks a little rough on the exterior but the PO told me he had re-bedded the stanchions, shroud anchors and ports and they've not leaked so I take him at his word. I want to do a bit of work on the outside. Mine has original cushions I want to do something about but at least I got them.

I agree with GorillaToast, take her out before you write the check. Also check the hose for the keel cable. The fitting is under the water line, if that hose burst, and you're not there to stuff a rag in it, the boat will sink.

If you want to see what shape mine is in, I have several albums you can view on this site.