Okay, no one in on this lengthy discussion has said anything about the derived statistics of the
Catalina 22. Let me do that.
The
capsize screening formula (CSF) of the C22-2 (judging by the windows in the picture, that's the version you have) is 2.53. The CSF is a rough-and-dirty measure of how well a
hull can resist the turtling forces of boisterous waves and how easily the
boat can right itself again after it becomes turtled. The higher the number, the poorer the performance. The
Catalina 30 has a CSF of 2.0, and that is generally considered a maximum for seaworthiness.
The motion comfort ratio (MCR) of the C22-2 is 10.44. The MCR is a rough-and-dirty measure of how well a
hull resists being tossed around by boisterous waves. In this case, higher is better. The Cat 30 has an MCR of 24.71.
In the course of writing my soon-to-be-published book
Seaworthy Sailboats, I developed a new Seaworthiness Index (SI), which is simply the MCR divided by the CSF. My friend Ted Brewer, who has designed many fine,
seaworthy sailboats, has tested my SI on a wide variety of boats and he tells me that he would not be happy going
offshore in a
boat with a lower SI than 15.0. The SI of the C22-2, at 4.1, is very low.That of the Cat 30 is better at 12.4.
The three things that determine the values of these derived statistics are
displacement, beam, and waterplane area. The Cat 22-2 is very light and rather beamy for its size, and it has a very large waterplane area, all bad for
offshore capability. Another liability is the swing
keel (if yours has one), which MUST have a lock-down, or its CSF will drop to near zero.
I owned a Cat 22-1, which is marginally more seaworthy than the 22-2, and I loved it. I plan to buy another one soon, for lake sailing. My other boat is a Seafarer 38
ketch. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind which one I'd take to the
Bahamas. Sure, oceans have been crossed by skilled, daring sailors in sailing bathtubs, but with a north
wind blowing against the
Gulf Stream, the
passage from
Florida to the
Bahamas is a nasty piece of
water and the last place I'd want to be in a Cat 22. In good
weather, with a southerly
wind, it could be a piece of cake. In bad
weather, you could be a statistic.
My
advice: Get or make a reliable lock-down for your swing
keel. Buy an
epirb. Sail your boat close to shore in all kinds of weather so you know what to expect of it and of yourself under a wide range of conditions. Then start sailing offshore, each time a bit farther into the
Gulf Stream until you get to know its moods. Then choose a good weather window, file a float plan with the Coast Guard, lock both your keel and your
companionway, command the blessed Universe to protect you, and set out.