Where can you take a Catalina 22?

[Lionshooter]

I sailed a 23' Spirit for over 10 years and took it to the Bahamas at least six times. I had to trailer it from Atlanta to West Palm but that was never a problem. It took some time to rig and de-rig but for a few weeks spent in the Bahamas, it was worth the pain.
I also sailed it extensively along the Southern Coast from Beaufort, NC to Mobile, AL.
I'll admit that I never trusted it in stock form in the ocean so I modified it extensively to withstand the rigors that would be faced out in the deep. Larger diameter mast off a Hunter 25, fore and aft lower shrouds, 3/16' standing rigging instead of 1/8", hull-mounted chainplates instead of deck-mounted, four angle iron lockdowns for the poptop so it would withstand a rollover, extra gudgeon at the bottom of the kickup rudder so it could be locked down while at sea, just to name a few.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by john745

We live in El Paso, TX.

Pretty much the furthest from water you can get

Please add your location to your CF profile.


LW77

[jpr_jpr]

Similar interest in the Catalina 22. I'd like to sail North & South of Boston. North Shore. Cape Cod & the Islands. Maybe Newport, CT coast or Maine Coast. Trailering something up to Lake Champlain and puttering around there would be fun. Or maybe a trip out to the Great Lakes as I have ties there, but for all the trouble, it might be easier to rent something there.

The trailerable aspect is a draw, but the shallow draft is also a draw. I am not sure if puttering down the Charles River is doable or not. I am not sure of the bridge height to get in the harbor from there, either. I assume one would pull the mast down to travel down the river and then secure the boat somewhere near the harbor past the bridges to raise the mast in the harbor?

I plan on learning either on the Cape or in Boston Harbor. I'd really like to do the small dinghy, laser, or sunfish route, too. But the number of sharks in nearby waters gives me pause with respect to being in a tiny & tippy boat. Nearby lakes in our area have been closed due to bacteria issues. It also is pretty expensive to pay for local lessons. I'd rather buy the sunfish and learn by doing if I was going to putter around in a lake. I don't mind paying for instruction in an ocean, but not an exorbitant amount in a lake setting.


I'd enjoy a somewhat spartan space to spend weekends on a boat to putter around the Cape area. Maybe it's easier to get a mooring there than hauling something in.

I was curious about a Catalina trailer so I contacted a trailer maker with models for the Catalina 22. Single axle started at $4k, double at $5500, with options that could run another $1k to $2k.

I’m not actively in the market, but curious enough to research it.

[Lionshooter]

Originally Posted by jpr_jpr

I'd really like to do the small dinghy, laser, or sunfish route, too.
I was curious about a Catalina trailer so I contacted a trailer maker with models for the Catalina 22. Single axle started at $4k, double at $5500, with options that could run another $1k to $2k.

50 years ago, when I was in my 20's, I saw a Sunfish at JC Penny clearance for $40. I had never been near a sailboat but it was affordable and looked like fun. I sailed it constantly for a year and then moved on up. Never had a single sailing lesson but read everything and went to every seminar at boat shows. Eventually, I started my own sailboat business, got licensed, and delivered boats all over the Carib, West Africa, and Med.
Sunfish are a lot of fun and can teach you a lot.

A used trailer for a Cat 22 can be had for $500 any day of the week. Shop around and put WTB or ISO ads on Craigslist and fb marketplace. I bought one for $400 with a crap 25' boat on it. I junked the boat and kept the trailer. It was a double axle with brakes and good tires.

Good luck

[jpr_jpr]

Originally Posted by Lionshooter

50 years ago, when I was in my 20's, I saw a Sunfish at JC Penny clearance for $40. I had never been near a sailboat but it was affordable and looked like fun. I sailed it constantly for a year...............

Where did you sail the sunfish? My brief sunfish experience was off the Connecticut coastline. I wouldn't feel comfortable sunfishing on the Cape right now.

[capn_billl]

I had an Aquarius 26 with swing keel I sailed all over the Texas, and Florida coast.

I got the trailer for $900, and paid about the same for the boat.

It had lead ingots molded into the hull, plus the 200lb steel plate keel.

It was very stable, and I even rode out a couple moderate storms in it.

An adult sized V berth cabin, a restroom with portapottie, and curtain, and several benches big enough for a childs bed, and a little kichenette.

Very doable for a weekend with 1 or two kids, although my teenagers felt a little cramped.

It took just under an hour to rig, and launch including putting up the mast, getting the sails, and lines in place, and settled in the water. (rudder sits in a removable well, and must be removed before launching, and replaced once in deep enough water.

If you can find one in good shape, it's an option. (now called Balboa 26).

[Lionshooter]

Originally Posted by jpr_jpr

Where did you sail the sunfish? My brief sunfish experience was off the Connecticut coastline. I wouldn't feel comfortable sunfishing on the Cape right now.

Lake Lanier, GA, a large Corps of Engineers lake 30 miles north of Atlanta. I eventually shortened it to 7' to make a sailing dinghy for my sloop in the Bahamas.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by kirklkjb

Most people don't use boats that have to have to be trailered and then the mast stepped. It just takes too much time. Find a lake near you and get a boat there is the best advice I can give you. Then you can trailer is somewhere for a long vacation. Look at an F24 or Corsair 750. Much faster and have a small cabin. Very fun to sail and are setup to be trailer sailors. By the way there is a new C22 with a roller furling jib which is pretty nice. If you don't mind side slipping a lot and will gunk hole a C22 may be fine. Just don't expect to get upwind anytime soon. Depends on what you're looking for. Seawards are also a bit of a larger boat and more expensive but you get substantially more room. Don't forget the weight of the trailer + boat + gear as you'll need to have or buy something to tow it around with.

A couple of dissenting thoughts:

While the little trailable tris are great boats, they are a LOT dearer than Cat-22s, so likely not so great for this beginner's usage. And their setup time is even longer than a simple monohulls, despite their clever engineering.

And I dunno why you think Cat 22s can't get to windward. When we were racing in SF bay with the SYRA group, the Cat 22s were almost as quick upwind as the Santana 22s (a much admired fin keel Gary Mull design of the same era) and often faster than the McGregor 26s who started just before us. They were not as fast as some fixed keel boats of similar size, but not dogs either.

But really, IMO their real appeal is in their ubiquity! There are so many of them and there is such a large user group that the market place is quite active and buying and selling is not too hard... and there is an active owners group with copious advice for the newbie.

Finally, I must agree that the tasks of inning and outing for each sail are a PITA. Once we determined that we liked sailing on the bay more than in the California lakes, we put our Cat 22 in a marina berth for routine sailing. But being able to take her out and travel to Santa Barbara for Channel Island cruises, and to Port Angeles for our cruise in the Canadian Gulf Islands was priceless. YMMV.

Jim

[CountingDown]

Have been look at a Catalina 22 (Boomaroo 22 built under licence here in Australia), for some time and recently placed a refundable deposit on one in Mooloolaba. This one doesn’t have a trailer, is anti fouled, and is constantly set up ready to go. It needs a little love, but nothing I can’t do myself.

Shortly after paying the deposit I met a couple who had taken theirs cruising in the Whitsundays for a month and ended up extend out to 3 months. Yes that’s right, they lived aboard a Cat 22 for 3 months cruising the whitsunday islands. They could not recommend this vessel highly enough.

We can’t wait to finalise our deal and start re skilling and adventuring in Moreton Bay.

[Jamme]

Originally Posted by CountingDown

Have been look at a Catalina 22 (Boomaroo 22 built under licence here in Australia), for some time and recently placed a refundable deposit on one in Mooloolaba. [. . .] We can’t wait to finalise our deal and start re skilling and adventuring in Moreton Bay.

Best of luck! Fingers crossed!