Soon to be a sailboat owner (I hope)

[snccoulter]

I am about to purchases a new to me 1976 Catalina 22 footer. Well If it all works out I will be.

I do have a few questions I need answers to before I plunk offer 2200 for it.

If you could please help me out I would be grateful since I am 100% new to this hobby.

1. Is 2200 a fair price for an old boat that seems to be in good condition. It includes a newish 6 horse motor and

Both sails look nice and the lines seem to be in good condition and has new wiring

The interior is old but OK. It does need new cushions ( I am OK at sewing)

My big concern is towing.

I have a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country am I insane for thinking I can trailer it back and forth to the marina.

[gamayun]

Welcome! Can't really offer much help on the price because I don't really know and there are so many variables to consider. The new motor and bottom paint seem like nice touches though. If the rigging and sails are good, I'd say you're going to have a nice little trailer sailor. Speaking of which, if it comes with the trailer, then I think it might actually be a good deal. See what the others think. Oh wait, where's the keel?!?

[snccoulter]

It rotates down once the boat is launched via a hand crank in the cabin

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, snccoulter.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Ahoy!

Go to Sailboatlistings.com
Look for the search field or menu links for Catalina boat brand.
Search for comparable boats and price.

Verify the weight of the boat,

Go to sailboat data.com or to the manufacturers site.

Verify your vehicles towing capacity and type of hitch.

Some members here have owned that kind of boat.

Good lick and have fun sailing!

[Fiveslide]

I just looked up you vehicles towing capacity. With the boat, trailer and gear you will be close to the capacity published by Chrysler of 3600 pounds.

With a weight distribution hitch and trailer brake controler, if the trailer even has brakes, perhaps it will do it for a short time. But that much weight will hurt that van

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[Time2Go]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Ahoy!

Go to Sailboatlistings.com
Look for the search field or menu links for Catalina boat brand.
Search for comparable boats and price.

Verify the weight of the boat,

Go to sailboat data.com or to the manufacturers site.

Verify your vehicles towing capacity and type of hitch.

Some members here have owned that kind of boat.

Good lick and have fun sailing!

Steady Hand is correct here
But I would add that a lot is dependent on the last 50 feet
The Ramp, my season is shorter than some because I don't have a 4 wheel drive
truck, in late August the water level in the reservoir falls and it's necessary to
drive off the end of the concrete ramp with the rear wheels
Tried it once and needed a tow out by one of my fellow sailors who had a big
F250. Although plenty of people do it I really don't think it's practical to
Rig and Derig a 22' every day you want to go out.
I have an Oday Mariner (19') which I keep at the lake, fully rigged
And there are times when I have a few hours to sail but am by myself
And don't go because of the hassle of launch and retrieve.
Hook up trailer
Drive to ramp
Launch boat
Drive trailer to staging lot
Walk back to boat
Do the reverse when retrieving
Wish I had a mooring or slip.
Lots of CAL 22 on the lake here
all of them are towed by 4 wheel drive pick ups or SUV's
All use a Trailer Hitch Extension as do all boats that have any sort of
A Stub Keel from which the centerboard extends from
Cheers

[Yetii]

My understanding from research on my T&C is that the transmission is not up to towing.

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[chris mac]

Time2go is right about the ramp, you might be good towing on the highway but once the trailer is underwater and you are on an incline??? Extra weight from water filling channels in the trailer, tires in the water or at least wet ramp could spell disaster. I know of a motorhome that launched his motorboat, had the back end of the motorhome in the water. Took on some water and couldn't drive up. They had to cut it open to drain as it was towed up. Moral of the story, too many motors! Sail is better;-).
I would want a tyranny cooler as well to be safe.
You could probably do it, until you can't, but it will be a very fine line that will be hard to see until you are past it.

[T_Cat]

Head over to Catalina 22 - SailboatOwners.com. Lots of knowledgeable folks and specifically Catalina 22 owners.

[Scaramanga F25]

Bring a very knowledgeable friend to check the boat for you.

[Cheechako]

That's probably a fair price on that boat. The trailer is probably worth 600-1000 itself, although I cant tell how good it is. The boat generally appears clean. Make sure the sails are good... they are expensive!


It appears you may be able to tow the boat carefully short distances with your van. Surge Brakes on the trailer? Run the numbers as suggested above. Don't forget the trailer weight. But launch ramps need 4 wheel drive. Been there done that. 2 axle trailers are better starting just above that boat size, but not the end of the world.

[oldragbaggers]

Good boat for a first one. We had a Catalina 22 fin keel model so kept ours in a slip, but I will tell you that I would not have wanted to have to launch and rig the boat every time I wanted to go sailing. If we had to do that it wouldn't have gone out very often which would have been a shame because it's such a simple boat to get underway. The beauty of a boat like the Catalina 22 and similar small boats is that they are great for evening or short sails when you wouldn't normally have enough time to get underway with a more complicated boat.

The trailer would be great for taking the boat home for the winter, or towing to a new area that you might want to cruise, but I would definitely be looking either for a "dry sail" facility where you keep the boat rigged and ready either for you to launch off the trailer or they launch it for you when you want to go out, or keep it in a slip. Just my two cents.

[jwing]

If you can rent a slip, the C22 is a good first boat, but there are lots of choices for good first boats, all with perfectly valid reasons why they are good choices. You have to decide for yourself what would make a good first boat for you.

Are you insane to think you CAN tow it to and from the marina? Maybe not, but the real question is: WILL you tow it to and from the marina? I'm like Time2Go and oldragbaggers; I would not do that.

(BTW, T2G - I stored my Mariner mast-up on its trailer at the marina last summer, and this summer I have it in a slip. The slip does make it a bit easier to go sailing, but I'm not sure I will pay the extra $ for a slip next summer.)

If you absolutely need to rig/de-rig for every outing, you should get a smaller, lighter, easier-to-rig boat. If you must have the C22, then make sure the owner shows you how to rig/de-rig as part of your test drive. And add trailer to the "must-work-well" list I have for you in the next paragraph.

I highly recommend that you have the seller take you out sailing in the boat under consideration before you make an offer. After you are back on land, you will have a better idea about what the boat is worth to you. That is the only price criterion that really matters. Remember that boat parts are far more expensive than you think they should be. Remember too that boats can be maintenance intensive, so you don't want to start with a boat that needs work before you can sail it. Cushions and paint don't matter that much, but hull, mast, boom, sails, rudder/tiller, keel, standing rigging, running rigging, motor, and motor bracket all need to work before you head out.

[T_Cat]

I tow my 22 from home to the marina every time I sail. She's easy to set up and launch. If you have the swing keel and you put her in a slip. You can expect to have extensive maintenance every year. The Catalina 22 swing keel was not designed to be stored on the water.


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