Starter Boat advice?

[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!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Good luck, sounds like a nice price if it includes a trailer in GOOD to best shape.

Try this:

www.catalina22.org

 

[Bilbo]

...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!

It would be a point that I'd question as well. I'd take a good look at the keel, the keel hangers and the lifting hardware. If a keel was replaced, it may be that the old one had the hole where it swings out of shape, it had become very rusty, or it was lost while the boat was on the water. If it's the last one, then the fiberglass on the boat could have been damaged. I'd also ask about this soft spot. This probably refers to the fiberglass/wood core of the deck.

 

[Joe Diver]

For a '78 or '79 C22....that is a premium price. Boat, motor, trailer, rigging, sails....all need to be in extremely good condition....very clean and ready to sail. If the whole kit is in good nick though....the price is fair.

 

[CaptGregg]

I bought my 77 Catalina 22 and trailer for $1000.00. The trailer was good enough to bring the boat home and go back and forth 2 hours each to the coast 4 times. Little rust to fix and some work to do on the boat, but mine didn't have an outboard, bimini, grill, VHF, battery, depth sounder, life jackets and I had to replace some of the wiring and the cockpit drain hose and valve. I guess with all those extras, the one you're looking at is worth it.

 

[astegall11]

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!

There are fixed keel C22s but certainly you would know the difference by while looking. while I obviously have not seen it unless it is very clean and has some recent sails this is not a bargain. I agree with the comment about the "new keel"- find out more.
The deck is a sandwich of glass with balsa in between - very strong for its weight until water seeps in through fittings and the wood gets wet and begins to rot. This creates the soft spots and iif there is one there are likely others. The only way to tell is to hire a surveyor who will sound the deck with a little hammer and can tell you if there are more.. A moisture meter can also determine if there is water in the core.

A fix can be very expensive and should be done professionally.

Catalina sold thousands of these, very roomy for a 22 footer and easy to trailer and a "good value" meaning build quality is not the best. The swing keel and conservative rig also equate to rather dismal performance.

Catalina also made a Capri 22 which I always thought was a far better boat and sails very well. Santana made a 2023 also a better boat and the Merit 22 which is also a swing keel is a nice boat.