products youve added that your glad you added

[allen-deckard]

Thought id start a thread about things from companies that had good or bad products that youd like to share with others.

Ill start

Autopilot. Raymarine love it makes long trips just alot more enjoyable bei g to take my hands off the tiller.

Roller furling cdi flex furler wouldnt sail without it being able to furl in a matter of seconds

150 genoa on the new furler from national sail supply love the 150 genoa but im now not so sure just how great the qualty is. Damn its loud and wont brag about the stiching and all no i havent had any issues with it but again wont brag about it either.

New full batton mainsail from mack sails. WOW the quality is just amazing dont know how to express it any better than to just say WOW!!!

Quick release winch crank i bought at a boat show? While its nice it looks like new still probably cause i never use it simply unneeded on a catalina 22 in my opinion.

Cam cleats to replace all horn cleats for halard, furler, and sheets. Hate to over use an expression but WOW!! Talk about making sailing easier,safer, more enjoyable. Safer you say? Nothing like being able to release a sheet in a gust or a quick tack with the flick of the wrist.

Bimi i got mine off of ebay from a company named soft topper fit perfectly. Price was right but for that price the tubbing is aluminum (sp) and the mounting brackets are nylon but the fabric is a high quality sunbrella and i havent had any issues with it and again the price was right. Would i have bought from them again answer is yes.

Solar panel 40 watt no sailboat should be without nuff said....got mine off ebay wayyyyyy cheeper than other sources.

New plow anchor got that off ebay as well beautiful polished stainless 13lb only used it once but love it first anchor ive had here that actually held in our bottom.

Netting around lifelines well we have a little dog we take with us works great dogs happy im happy and it looks good and was way cheep at 50cents a foot.

Cockpit chairs...got them from west marine there like a ratchet type lawn chair with the legs works great on a catalina 22 incase anyone is wondering comfy as well

Memory foam matress topper that we custome cut for the v birth. Makes sleeping in vbirth actually enjoyable. We also made fitted sheets and a fitted bed spread all of it makes sleeping there much nicer.

Made a screen to fit over the pop top used a heavy 3/4" rope around its edge to hold it down instead of alot of snaps or whatever works great after a bit of trial and error keeps the buggies out. Also made a screen to cover the hatch

New radio this year mounted the radio under the electrical pannel seemed li,e a good spot no worries about water. I put the speakers on both sides of the entry hatch where the depth and knot gages were sounds great.

A canvas shoe holder has like 9 pockets mounted it behind the settie great for all the little things you want handy. I used those hooks you see on the tv all the time that are the pull release ones like them on the boat they stick really wel, to the walls but they also come off easy.

Well if i think of more and anyone cares ill post it.

Would love to hear others in things they have done that works or doesnt.

 

[hubbardbilly]

I would love to see pics of each of your upgrades. I like the mesh idea for the hatch. Also, did your v berth come with a board that covers the toilet and a cushion for it? Mine doesn't have one but I wasn't sure if it's stock or not. I have an 82.

As for the solar, what make/model and type of charge controller? Where/how did you mount?

 

[CaptDon01]

Rudder Craft Rudder....WOW! Hugh difference! Having a wing keel, I installed the solid rudder, we don't beach our boat. Can't believe they haven't made it class legal to race with, but who cares, we're cruisers, not racers.

Ditto on everything else except the CDI furler. For trailering, too much of a pain in the butt for us, and I like the ability to trim my headsail more, and with a down-haul, I can douse my genoa quicker than I could furl the old sail.

Don

 

[allen-deckard]

I wont be able to get pics of my screen over the pop top till i go camping again but next time i do ill get better pics but if you zoom in this one might give an idea.

Yes the boat came with that piece on the vbirth.

Ill try to take some detailed pics this week when i go down with the digital camera.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=160783196969&view=all&tid=759248483006 thats the solar panel. I felt i had the choice of either on the front hatch, on the slider part of the pop top or on my bimi i choose the bimi kept it out of the way i made it removable by buying a cheep outdoor extension cord cutting it using the end with the male end on the solar panel and using the female side attached in the boats electrical system then i just plug in the solar panel and can just unplug it if i need to take it down. I also added another battery to give me extra run time on my the system even though the only time i think ive ised it is when ive been out over 10 hr using the radio and auto-pilot most of the time.

 

[Milton.Audas]

G'day Allen - great pics and notes. Will update with a couple of our notes as well in just a bit. I am very interested in what appears to be an inspection cubby in the cockpit floor. I gather this has access to/around the keel trunk, or maybe just to pump the bilges. Can you explain, and/or elaborate with additional photos ? we have the old style but I don't believe what you have there is standard on the later models.

 

[allen-deckard]

I can understand not wanting a roller furling if your trailering back and forth. Being ive had 7 back surgeries i cant get my mast up and down without alot of help so a slip is my only choice its a slip or no boat.

I would like to comment on the time thing though. I can furl my genoa in under 5 seconds thats sailing to furled and put away ready to go home. And thats from the cockpit. I dont doubt that you might be even faster but i cant imagine i ever would be or that id ever want to be.

Also the lake i live on is a moutain lake with sheer clift sides winds can change from 5kts to 45kts or more by just rounding a corner. Being able to furl the sail quickly was a must do upgrade for me that and adding the cam cleats for the sheets made my boat feel so much more in my control being able to make small adjustments.

If your sailing on either the ocean or a large body of water i can see the advantages of a hank on sail like i used to have.

BTW i have a 110 and a 150 genoa id love to sell although this is the wrong thread for it

 

[allen-deckard]

Yah its an inspection but would be dismal for a pump out to shallow and sloped wrong way.

Ill take a ton of detailed pics of everything and post them maybe tommarrow.


Another thing ive done is replace all seals around hatches never had a leak since my boat sits in a slip year round besides an anual haulout for inspection and currently i dont even have a pump nor feel the need for it. My boat currently seals up like a mason jar floating on the water and i wouldnt stop till i felt it was. Kinda anal that way i dont like to worry.

 

[jfrench]

Of all the improvements I've made, I think the one with the most value was a newly made set of cushions for the boat. The old, smelly and dry-rotted cushions prevented me from making the interior of the boat like new. Almost everything else was as good as the day it came from the factory, or could be cleaned to be that way. By replacing the cushions, I have an interior that both looks and smells like new and is pleasant to use when aboard.

 

[Milton.Audas]

Concur on the furler, CDI or Harken. As a former blue water sailor we scoffed at lesser show-offs with too much money. Outside class rules on the boats we sailed too. However, on a trip back to New Zealand several years ago my wife and I bareboat chartered (yes, actually paying to sail my old waters !) a beautiful Beneteau 32 with a furler. Blew a major summer storm and glad we could downsize the jib in a heartbeat. After that I was sold and now the only way to cruise. No more hanking on new storm sails in 40 ba*ta*ds of breeze, fighting wind, waves and a heaving deck. The soft life now for this old salt. However, I do draw the line on furling mains. Way too much $$$ anyway.

 

[Stu Jackson]

On our C22, running the halyards aft and adding a jib downhaul. Best safety improvement we ever made. BRF - before roller furling - 1983.

 

[Milton.Audas]

Our humble votes...
1. Any tech upgrade, esp. the GPS plotter which gives accurate speed, depth and location in one gadget. Fish finder below too !
2. Electric start on the motor, with separate battery. 1st time, every time.
3. McGregor Mast Raising system. Out of the box, works a treat, one handed raising or lowering when we need to (winter bailout and storage only nowadays). Slight mod for the C22 but I can just rave on and on...
4. LED lighting upgrade. Draw less amps and brighter. Also installed USB plugs on each aide to run/charge 'critical' devices.

 

[Diamondjet]

Great thread! Good idea.

 

[CaptDon01]

As far a upgrades we've done, probably converting the V-berth area on our MK-II version into the head/luggage storeage modification tops our list. The Admiral really likes a comfy head with privacy. Of course, she'll only sleep two now........YES!!!!!

Don

 

[Chris Patterson]

Don, I believe I would have elevated that pot about 6 inches, and turned it around 180 degrees.
A sharp lookout might be important in these situations..

 

[CaptGregg]

I would love to see pics of each of your upgrades. I like the mesh idea for the hatch. Also, did your v berth come with a board that covers the toilet and a cushion for it? Mine doesn't have one but I wasn't sure if it's stock or not. I have an 82.

As for the solar, what make/model and type of charge controller? Where/how did you mount?

Mine came with two boards that sit side by side that cover the porta-pottie hole. These boards are stamped "C22" on the underside of both boards so i think these came with the 1977 Cataliina 22 I have.

 

[CaptGregg]

New plow anchor got that off ebay as well beautiful polished stainless 13lb only used it once but love it first anchor ive had here that actually held in our bottom.

Netting around lifelines well we have a little dog we take with us works great dogs happy im happy and it looks good and was way cheep at 50cents a foot.

Cockpit chairs...got them from west marine there like a ratchet type lawn chair with the legs works great on a catalina 22 incase anyone is wondering comfy as well

Memory foam matress topper that we custome cut for the v birth. Makes sleeping in vbirth actually enjoyable. We also made fitted sheets and a fitted bed spread all of it makes sleeping there much nicer.

Everywhere I've anchored lately has had a muddy bottom and my danforth has held steadfast.

I'd love to see pics of the cockpit chairs... I went to West Marine site but didn't see what you described.

I have a small dog and would love to know where you got your netting around the life lines.

What did you use to cut the memory foam mattress to fit the vee berth. Been thinking about doing the same thing.

 

[CaptGregg]

Water tight TOTES!!!!!! About 4 of them. 1 for paper products, 1 for clothes, 1 for linens, 1 for food stuffs and cookware/eating ware (it's the longest and takes the place of the sliding galley). There's enough air trapped in these totes to keep a Catalina 22 afloat (in my theory but hope I never have to practice it).

 

[allen-deckard]

Im not ignoring anyones questions me and the wife took a spur of the moment vacation to pensacola florida and along the coast to look at sailboats. Ill look up links to everything then kinda tough on this tablet unless i get bored tonight.

 

[jrowan]

We don't have a C 22 anymore, but moved up to a C30 after earning it through buying & selling several boats. The best simple improvements I think are not just for sailing, but quality of life while at anchor or dock. New cushions in the cabin are a must, to get the old smells & stains out. It will make U feel like U have a new boat. A bimini top really make hot summer sun in the Chesapeake tolerable, when having a place to hide in the shade. It doubles your living space when U install a cockpit table, & keeps the kids crumbs out of the cabin. Installing cockpit speakers is great for winding down at the end of the day with a glass of wine. Our P.O. got rid of the alcohol stove that most people never use anyway, & put in a fridge which is great for keeping food & drinks cold. A stern grill keeps the heat & cooking fumes out of the cabin, & reduce risks of fire/ gas leak hazards down below. Also installing a small flat screen TV is not that expensive, doesn't take up any room on the bulkhead, and when the kids are quiet & happy falling asleep to their movie time, we're happy too in the cockpit under the stars. Our boat is kinda loaded down for cruising, but I'm not out to break any speed recoreds, just having a great time sailing. Heading out to Mobjack bay & the Eastern shore at Cape Charles this weekend. Cheers & happy sailing.

 

[Joetech]

My upgrades

I would say my CDI furler is the best overall. I single hand on occasion and its much safer than going forward. I have also added a main downhaul and two tracks of bungy cords and hooks on each side of the boom so my sail ties are always at hand.
I also place a raised block under the clam cleats for the jibsheets. Before they were flush to the desk by the winches and hard to set in. Now much easier. I have also added traveler adjustments and adjustable backstay. I have reinforced the eyes for the lower shrouds. I have also added pads to the keel so I no longer get the 'clunk'.
Last winter I made a new tiller that is a bit longer and has a higher rise so I'm not ramming into the Admiral's knees when coming about. The tiller also has a hole to accept an extension. I also made a 'tiller lock' that is deactivated with the pull on a handle (think bicycle brake in reverse) I made my own design and I am using a prototyping now. So far so good. Much better than the Davis unit I had before.
I have also redone all of the bright work and used butyl tape as the bedding. So far so good. Next I plan to redo the windows and make new hatch boards and make a companionway cover. New hatch boards still won't keep out a driving rain. I am also looking at some kind of boom tent. My boat docks bow to the North so the sun beats down on the cockpit and is not a pleasant place to be in the afternoon let alone trying to get any work done.