Hi, has anyone ever sunk a catalina22 by accident? If they did how did it happen? It seems like there very seaworthy but I'm sure things could still go wrong at times. Thanks.
That sinking feeling
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C22 do sink. There is a photo attachment of a C22 on her side with the mast in the water on the cover of the recent C22 Assoc magazine. That boat didn't sink though. Other's have sank like that.
I think that some have sunk from having the cable hose leak at the dock. Keel falling off.
I think that some have sunk from having the cable hose leak at the dock. Keel falling off.
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Very few keel boats are 'unsinkable' - i.e., have enough foam or other floatation to (probably) keep them afloat if holed or flipped. Flipped might stay afloat a long time, depending upon how much air the hull could trap and, on a swing keel, if it stayed in place and did not make another hole.
If this is a big concern, and you sail where waves and wind might cause you worry, I think that you could add floatation (styrofoam packing peanuts?) to help things out. Interestingly, the brochure for my 2005 Sport mentions built in foam floatation - but I don't know how much buoyancy is provided by it.
When conditions are 'bad', I keep the boat closed up - to at least slow the ingress of water if something went wrong. BTW, I messed up and tried real hard to knock my boat over one day
, it just broached nicely to a hove too position. If a wave doesn't get you at the wrong time, you should generally be OK.
Seeing that picture of a boat on its side is a reminder to take care, and have distress signals and a waterproof VHF. I doubt the C22 is much different than many other coastal/trailerable 22 foot boats in terms of stability. Unless you want to get spendy on a Pacific Snailcraft or something.
OC
If this is a big concern, and you sail where waves and wind might cause you worry, I think that you could add floatation (styrofoam packing peanuts?) to help things out. Interestingly, the brochure for my 2005 Sport mentions built in foam floatation - but I don't know how much buoyancy is provided by it.
When conditions are 'bad', I keep the boat closed up - to at least slow the ingress of water if something went wrong. BTW, I messed up and tried real hard to knock my boat over one day
, it just broached nicely to a hove too position. If a wave doesn't get you at the wrong time, you should generally be OK.Seeing that picture of a boat on its side is a reminder to take care, and have distress signals and a waterproof VHF. I doubt the C22 is much different than many other coastal/trailerable 22 foot boats in terms of stability. Unless you want to get spendy on a Pacific Snailcraft or something.
OC
I have heard reports of the bench hatches opening when the C22 takes a knockdown, then sinking. I keep mine latched with a carabiner. That guy in Bilbo's photo is crazy for leaving the cabin hatch open and boards out in conditions that lead to a knockdown. That's one big hole to take on water.
But an issue, The S/K has a hole in the bottom...some more than one. The keel cable and sink drain are two that come to mind. With the lockdown bolt on the 550lb swing keel, many feel that it won't lock down the keel if the boat capsizes so they don't lock it because if they forget to unlick it, the winch can bend the bolt or cause it to dig a circular slot in the keel.
I'm not sure how much of this spray-in foam was used. Whether it was ample but many owners have had to dig it out because it collects moisture in a place where it is slow to evaporate....in time.
This is the right attitude...and wear a life jacket. The self-inflatable ones are nice and not bulky.When conditions are 'bad', I keep the boat closed up - to at least slow the ingress of water if something went wrong. BTW, I messed up and tried real hard to knock my boat over one day
Another issue....These trailer boats aren't designed with a deepwater hull. It is a design issue like the hull speed which is based upon hull length. I forget the exact recommended height limit of a wave but from what I understand, they are good for about a 6-7' wave situation. Anything above that and she has an increased chance of having a wave crest over the side rails or of a capsize. This wave height / capsize issue is related to boat length. As the wave gets higher and steeper, there comes a point where the rudder can't get bite on the crests and the boat will turn sideways to the waves.
Read this for some suggestions:
http://www.catalina22fleet58.org/Learning_Center/lc990302.html
Also here is an official story of a sinking:
http://www.ussailing.org/safety/Rescues/1992/7_12_92_morf_lake_michigan.asp
and one more recent sinking:
http://towndock.net/news/sailboat-sinks-off-oriental
"Afternoon thunderstorms created strong gusts, and this combined with a reported jammed mainsheet led to the boat getting knocked down, with water then flowing in the companionway."
A C22 will most definitely sink, if you try hard enough any boat will. I have helped raise two over the past few years. One sank at dock through negligence of the aforementioned "holes" in the bottom that everyone forgets about, the other during a race on a hot day when a Grand National wannabe tossed up a spinnaker in a 25 knot breeze, and down she went.
This is very true but I think that from looking at the photo, the boat floats higher in the water (on it's side) than I would have thought. Where the water would come over the side and into the companionway hatch may be if there are appreciable waves.
The the bench hatches vary on C22s. On the "new style" the starboard hatch opens into the battery area that connects to the insides via a bulkhead wall. This minimizes water intrusion. On the port side bench hatch is the fuel locker and it's isolated from the insides completely.
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