WHY the Capri 22 for you?

K

Kunzig

.
Jul 3, 2013
88
1013
Good Morning,

When looking for an "Upgrade to" boat, I wanted to stay with Catalina - the company that has parts for every boat they have ever made. Also, in as much as I wanted to go bigger with a near standup cabin, I didn't want to get into too much hardware, standing rigging etc. I didn't like the centerboard Capri, didn't want to hear the cable "sing" or have all those holes in the boat. I wanted a boat that could sit at a mooring or dock and wouldn't have me worried or thinking about it much of the time.

The CP22 gives me a bigger boat feel with out the bigger boat expenses, and I feel I can handle much of what needs to be done by myself or with a little help - like it or not....

How about you ?
 
H

HERSH

.
Nov 21, 2012
520
Catalina Capri 22 http://www.chelseayacht.org
"When looking for an "Upgrade to" boat, I wanted to stay with Catalina - the company that has parts for every boat they have ever made."

Not quite true .... a Friends Catalina 30 got hit pretty hard on the side. His C-30 had a very long Genoa track.
No -- they did not have a replacement for it, I forgot what he eventually did. ( 2 pieces ?) . ... And again -- another broke his boom on his C-30. Had a tough time getting a replacement.

I tried getting the replacement power on light on my Power panel. No Luck -- Luckily I found a LED assembly at Radio Shack that fit in perfectly.

but --- overall they are pretty good.


Hershey
 
C

Curt

.
Jun 6, 2010
92
Catalina Capri 22 518 Buffalo
Fits my needs and budget. Although a 22 can be a bit small (light) for the gales of Lake Erie it offers me the best bang for my buck. Catalina has a longs tanding tradition of quality price point boats and there are plenty on the water. For me the CP22 fits comfortably in the marina at a reasonable cost, is trailerable if I wish to move her or sell her and has a huge cockpit for the size.

I needed a boat that my young adult kids could learn on and handle easily. A boat that has some race capability although I don't currently race Chigaletta. A boat that has cockpit space for long day sails and a cabin for an occasional night or two on the water. The Capri 22 meets these needs very well.

Given the short ( 135 day) season here cost was a consideration, but not a big factor. I have no problem spending money if it is well spent. I could have my choice of a great many boats that have been on the hard for a while in Buffalo, even substantially larger boats for a similar cost. The Capri 22 still worked out best.

I lucked into the Capri line a few years ago while searching for a boat to get back into sailing after a 20 year absence (read; new babies) I was actually searching for an Oday Mariner to replicate our first boat but happened upon a Capri 18 in the area at a great price. Not knowing if we would get back into the sailing lifestyle I did some internet research about the Carpi line and grabbed it. After a season on the water I knew I liked the Carpi but the 18 was a bit of a plug in the water. So when I found a 22 for sale I purchased it and sold the 18 within two days.

My wife keeps wondering when I will start looking for the next best thing but I am very happy with the boat we now have and plan on keeping her for the forseeable future. That is unless I win a lottery and order up a new Catalina 275 but that is a different subject.

Happy Holidays,

Curt ~~~_/)~~~
 
H

HERSH

.
Nov 21, 2012
520
Catalina Capri 22 http://www.chelseayacht.org
The Capri 22 is my second boat ( San Juan 21 MkII was my first -- and lasted over 25 years -- It is now in Canada).. I got the Capri because I wanted a bigger cockpit, fixed keel, good performance, easy to maintain and to where I could trailer it back home from my club at the end of the season. Keep cost to a minimum. Fun to a maximum.

A fellow club member* has one and another person recommended it to me. For the type of sailing I do, it is perfect. Around the buoys once in a while , and maybe take the "wifey" to a restaurant no the Hudson now and then. * It is on the "for sale page" here --- please recommend this to a friend. Price is flexible.

Merry Christmas and seasons greetings to all.



A friends C-25 "on the hard" for the winter. Hudson river to the left -- looking north.

Hershey
 

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sinnettc

sinnettc

.
May 23, 2007
1,306
Catalina Capri 22 Albany, Oregon
It was mostly serendipity on our part. We had the Capri 16.5 and wanted something that we could sleep on. Went for a sail on an acquaintance's Olson 25 and mentioned that we (eventually) wanted to upgrade. He told us the Capri 22 3 slips down from him was going up for sale since the owner had just bought a Wavelength 24. We looked, drooled a bit, and I promptly put it out of my mind. The admiral didn't.

A month later we had a retired racer 2001 Capri 22 and the Capri 16.5 was sold. I've never regretted purchasing the Capri 22, though this year I wished we still had the Capri 16.5 so I could at least get some sailing in. If we ever decide to upgrade to something else, Catalina will be at the top of our list, followed by the Left Coast Dart (26' go fast).
 
shnool

shnool

.
Aug 10, 2012
556
WD Schock Wavelength 24 Wallenpaupack
The Capri 22 was my first keelboat... Sure I crewed on keelboats before but for years I dreamed of owning one of my own.

I purchased a Capri 14.2 in 2001, I owned that boat until 2008... when marital problems and circumstance threatened it's sale. I negotiated for my first keelboat, a BRAND NEW Capri 22 (circa 2007). It was a beauty, regular rig, race package, trailer, new merc 6hp, wing keel. I signed the paperwork in May 2008, and got approved. I did this after my brother in law had just given my 14.2 boat back to me, and neglected to tell me he stored the boat with the drain plug out (something I never did, I'd drain it, and put it back)... I had scuttled the boat in 50 degree water in VERY early May. Luckily it had positive floatation... the final part of it was I wanted something less "work" and after draining the boat, I took it to the ONLY catalina dealer in 100 miles from us, that just happened to be on our lake. They offered me a decent trade in value, and commented how "clean" it was below. My deadpan response was "I just cleaned it out."

That's not the end of the story... because while I was approved and ready to go, with a very "light" payment for the new 22... I cancelled the purchase (by the way I rolled into the purchase a boat slip for the boat, because the biggest car I had at the time was a Subaru Outback, so no tow vehicle)... I had settled on the Capri 18 much like Curt, and I LOVE that boat, but it's a slug. I COULD have towed the Capri 18 with my Outback, but finding on new or used is difficult at best.

Anyway, marital problems continued, and by November 2008 I was out of the house, with my Capri 14.2 still.

A year later I had landed on my feet, and met a wonderful woman who allowed me to store my Capri 14.2 at her house. She happened to live on a small lake. Sadly my divorce cost me so much money I had to sell the boat for a sin of a price... $800, boat and trailer. THAT was a crime as my 14.2 was in excellent shape.

A couple months later, my financial craziness started to settle and I found a Zuma for $300 (yep I was figuring the guy was money crazy)... anyway, I purchased it, to get SOMETHING to sail... Again like an idiot I took it out in MAY... winds were stupid too... probably 15mph gusts to 20... I was having a hoot, until I came to the stark reality that 50 degree water and NOT A SOUL on the lake meant near certain hypothermia if I wind up in the water (likely with the squirrly winds). I decided right then that a keelboat was my next boat.

in early 2010 I sold the Zuma for $500, in about 24 hours after listing it. Gotta love the boats that MAKE money on sale.

Then I went on a hunt for a REAL keelboat. That the Capri 22 was on my list was a given, but this time I needed used. My new girlfriend spotted me $5000 for the boat/trailer, so that I could get what I wanted... I found 3 boats in a 100 mile radius... and I had also been driving a Dodge Ram 2500.. so tow vehicle was NOT a problem.

What's funny is I think Hersh and I were looking at the same boats (different times though)... But when I found this 22 I KNEW it was for me. The rest was history...


I sailed that boat for 1 season and LOVED the performance. After owning it or a year, I knew that I wanted a deeper draft (deep lake), because I had a great sail club, and lots of water depth. I was concerned that I had to launch myself, but after talking with Csinnett I figured I could find a way to launch myself. My original thoughts were to get a Capri 22 with fin keel and tall rig... THAT'S a tough boat to track down! Our lake is notorious for summer light winds...

Well, I found it MUCH easier to find Capri 25s in my price range, than the Tall rig Fin Keel Capri 22. On a whim I decided in June (the weekend of our clubs first race, and I had never skippered in a race yet)... to sell my boat, and buy a Capri 25... Curt will tell you I "scheduled" the sale by delivering it to him (to make that long trip easier on him). It also managed to make my purchase of Capri 25 possible. So I missed our series first race (to buy a new boat)... In a lot of ways I miss the Capri 22... it was better quality boat than my Capri 25... it was newer, and frankly easier to sail. However, the increase in speed going to the Capri 25 has more than settled those thoughts.

If I had a travel lift and bigger water my next boat purchase would be a Capri 30... yep I am THAT impressed with these boats!
 
N

NewportNewsMike

.
Jul 3, 2013
107
1258
We owned a 1981 Tanzer 22 for almost 20 years before we decided we needed a larger boat. Bought a C&C 30 and sailed it for 12 years or so. The C&C was a nice boat - inboard diesel and lots of room.

Over the years, there were a lot of repairs and upgrades (rebuilt mast step, water pump impellers, new exhaust lines, removal of old - smelly - head and holding tank, new rigging, et cetera) that always kept you busy. Plus all the bottom prep and painting. And I like to do all the work myself.

Add in that the diesel (as was the boat) was a 1979 model. And the diesel (a Yanmar 2QM15) was only manufactured for a couple of years around 1980. Certain parts like exhaust manifolds were no longer available new and hard to find good used ones.

And it was time to replace the standing rigging - again.

All the above started a growing thought about going back to a smaller, easier to maintain sailboat. Then along came a family trip to the Outer Banks of NC, where we had the opportunity to rent a Flying Scot for a day’s sailing on the sound. The Flying Scot was a blast. That rental cemented the thought to put the C&C 30 up for sale and start looking at smaller boats.

The requirements were transom hung rudder, fixed keel, outboard motor powered, room for a Porta Potti, a good sized cockpit, and last but not least, “not be a slug”. Doing some research “on paper” the Capri 22 looked like a suitable boat. Could not find a used one here locally that meet the requirements of being ready to sail without a lot of work, so we ended buying a new one from the only Catalina dealer around here - about an hour away by car. And six or seven hours away by water.

Placed the order and waited for several months for the new boat to arrive from Florida. Finally arrived and was commissioned. We had several good sails in the area of the dealer before making the longer trip to our local marina.

The day of our re-locating arrived very windy with 3 - 4 foot waves on the Chesapeake Bay. But the wind and waves were going in our direction, so we set off - motoring or motor sailing down wind all the way. We flew home, surfing the waves all the way. The GPS rarely dipped below 6 knots, with mostly high 6’s and some 7’s. (I think I saw an 8 there for just a second!) Made the trip in about 5 hours.

That was two years ago. Looking back the Capri 22 has been a great choice for us. It fills the need to sail, and does it in good style. And is lots of fun but still easy to maintain.
 
Rightbrainer

Rightbrainer

.
Jul 13, 2011
102
Capri 22 MK1 659 Canandaigua Lake
I am very partial to keel boats versus center boarders and REALLY don't like swing keels. The combination of stability, predictability, performance and clear cockpit makes a keel boat right for me and I have had several over the years: Valk (Google it), O'Day 28 and, more recently, a Santana 20. The Valk was a hoot and great when I had little money and more time...cotton sails, varnished mahogany and all that. Although the O'Day 28 looked like a floating Winnebago, it sailed surprisingly well. The S20 was a hot number, but drew too much to bring up to my dock and had a big dinghy feel since it only displaced 1,350#.

I wanted a reasonably good performer, large cockpit, shallow draft and a big-boat feel. When I saw a CP-22 advertized, it looked perfect to me. It has been a great boat and my wife loves it. It's nice that I can get replacement shrouds and cockpit drains etc. from the factory, but I wouldn't hesitate to own one even if it was an orphan.
 
Richard9547

Richard9547

.
Jan 22, 2008
98
Catalina Capri-18 Dallas TX
My old Capri 18 was probably the handiest sailing vessel I've ever had the pleasure to know.
But we sold it and "upgraded" to a Capri 26. That was a great boat on Lake Texoma (90,000 acres of navigable water),
but
too big for out current small lake (we live in Dallas now) - and at my age, more boat to take care of that I sometimes feel like doing.
So we let her go and started looking for another Capri 18 or a Capri 22.

A wing-keel 18 would be perfect. Light on the trailer, easy to step the mast, etc.
A 22 would be (I think) just as handy, but with a bit more room.

I'm not looking for a world cruiser. Nor a race machine.
I don't often sleep on the boat. Don't think of it as an RV or lake shack.

I never thought it would be so hard to find a small boat!
There is a Capri 22 on a trailer near San Antonio but the price is outrageous.
He wants to recover what he has "invested".

But one will come along.
 
jepomer

jepomer

.
Jan 22, 2008
507
Catalina 310 278 Lyndeborough NH
My wife and I were trailer-sailing our O'Day 19 - a good trailerable sailboat with 300 lb ballast in a shallow keel with a 50 lb swinging centerboard. Then we started venturing into the ocean at Portsmouth NH and Boston Harbor. Our sailing skills were still minimal so the idea of a trailerable, easy to launch, larger keelboat was appealing.

I found Capri 22 #281 on eBay and got it for $1425 including the Nissan 5 HP engine. The auction was one of the "charity" ones on eBay. I learned that the previous owner had died. He was the only other owner.

The Capri 22 took a little more to get the mast up and rig than our O'Day 19 was. My wife wanted to get a slip. Renting the slip cost more than buying the boat (an affront my New England frugality) but we went from sailing once a month to at least once a week. It was so nice to simply drive to the marina, loosen the mooring lines, and sail!

The Capri 22 has been a wonderful boat for us. We are primarily day-sailers. We join in the Wednesday evening races and pursuit regattas. We also took lessons over the past few years. The racing is simply an excuse to practice our skills. (We also enjoyed the camaraderie of the members of the yacht club so we joined.)

The Capri 22 is a comfortable boat for four adults to spend several hours together on the water. There is privacy for toilet use and clothing change as needed. We have slept in it - but it is like camping (I'm fine with that for the time being).

The Capri 22 can take more weather than we can. I can put the rail in the water, but I never felt like it was going over. The wing keel makes trailer launching/retrieving relatively easy with a 10 ft extension. The shallow draft doesn't restrict us like a fin keel would. The standard rig is plenty of sail area for the typical 10-15 knot winds we see. Changing from 110 to 135 foresail did wonders for the low wind conditions.

The 5 HP Nissan that came with the boat was noisier than what we wanted. The 2-cycle engine was good, but we found ourselves more tense after a few minutes with the engine running for 4-5 knots. Since we had used an electric trolling motor on the O'Day 19, I decided to get a Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 and use the four GC2 golf cart batteries I used on the O'Day. The batteries fit nicely where the cooler normally sets. When we had the slip, the batteries were charged from the shore power. Now that we are on a mooring, a 100 watt solar panel keeps the batteries fully charged - even enough to maintain almost 2 knots in full sun!

I like the fact that the Capri 22 is easy to trailer. Now that I have a gin-pole setup, raising the mast is simple enough that I can do it myself. The only real complaint my wife has is that the mid-cockpit traveler gets in the way for my short legged wife. (Last week she slipped on the ice breaking her ankle so this will continue to be an issue come sailing season.)

Would I recommend the Capri 22?
Yes, without a doubt.

I still like my O'Day 19 for easy launching when we want to sail in different areas. Because I would like to have stand-up room in the cabin, I did find a Ranger 29 (another Mull design) that needs some work (it was disassembled for renovation by the previous owner just before he died). It will be another year before I get the Ranger on the water.

I don't think I will ever sell the Capri 22. It is just a good size for most of the sailing I will probably do!
 
jepomer

jepomer

.
Jan 22, 2008
507
Catalina 310 278 Lyndeborough NH
Hershey said:
$1425 -- you got a bargain ....

Hershey
Click to expand

I know. It was sail-able the moment I picked it up!

I paid $1650 for the O'Day 19 including a 5 HP Tohatsu engine AND a trailer. It also was sail-able needing only a good cleaning. I modified the trailer to carry the Capri 22. The trailer is a little "short" in length and the boat overhangs a bit, but works for my needs.

The Cape Dory 25 I got needed much more work than expected and I had to learn many new skills. It will be a very stable boat for the higher winds and open ocean but still does not have stand-up room in the cabin - only 5 feet - my wife thinks it is fine...

The Ranger 29 cost only $600. The stands and hardware would be worth much more than that. The hull is solid and all the rigging it there. I look at it as a fun project that I will have for next summer - IF I don't get distracted by my Capri 22 which needs nothing more than a touch up on the bottom antifouling...
 
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