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Catalina Direct Discussion Topics / Catalina 22 Discussion Area / Miscellaneous / Is a Catalina 22 the right boat?
 
 
Author Is a Catalina 22 the right boat?
Rick
NC

Boat Name:

Model/Year:

Hull No.

Hailing Port:
08/11/2009 12:32 PM Pacific Time

My question is a general one. I have owned and sailed several boats, but have never been onboard a Catalina 22. I live on a shallow, tidal creek, which is 1 mile from the Intracoastal Waterway and 1.5 miles from the open ocean. I will keep the boat docked at my house which is on the creek. My sailing will consist of sailing in the waterway, anchoring, overnighting in shallow water coves and ocean sailing on calm days. I will sail it singlehanded most of the time and occasionally have 3 others with me, an adult and 2 children. From what I’ve observed from the specs, the Catalina 22 is a good choice, especially since it has the swing keel. Any input is appreciated.
Robert Donehoo
Duluth Ga

Boat Name: Shady Deal

Model/Year: Catalina 22 1979

Hull No. 8940

Hailing Port: Lake Lanier Ga
08/11/2009 1:09 PM Pacific Time

Rick, the c22 is a great boat for the area. I have gone on the Northern Gulf Coast Cruise at Ft. Walton every year since 2002 and a few other cruises in PC area. These are all week long cruises and we stay on the boat the every night.
The areas are shallow and a swing keel does fine or a wing keel only draws 2'6".
The C22 is a strong boat ,easy to sail single handed(several of us go single handed on these cruises),easy to trailer, relatively inexpensive to buy and maintain. Almost everything you need can be purchased from this sight. I really like the C22 (if you couldn't tell) I only own 3. My humble opinion, find a local c22 owner to look over a prospective purchase to the condition. Join the C22 nation organization, buy the maintainence CD it WILL save you time and money. Come join us on the cruise in May.
Lynn Buchanan
Nevada City, CA

Boat Name: SAILYNN

Model/Year: SWING 1984

Hull No. 11994

Hailing Port: SCOTTS FLAT LAKE, CA
08/12/2009 2:06 PM Pacific Time

I ditto the previous posters answer. My husband and I often trailer sailed and/or boat camped and cruised with our two daughters for up to three weeks at a time on our C22. Now that they are grown it's just the two of us and our two Boston Terriers.
Larry
Greenville, SC

Boat Name: Kemo Sabe

Model/Year: C-22 , 1973

Hull No. 2229

Hailing Port: www.keoweesailingclub.com
08/12/2009 8:10 PM Pacific Time

Hey Rick,
Welcome to the C22 world! YOu have a great boat for what you plan and I, too, have found it to be a great ICW boat, and offshore when conditions are right.

Since1991, I have taken my boat to Charleston annually, mostly in spring and fall. From Charleston, I may go to Savannah or Georgetown, SC, or wherever I want, stopping at my favorite anchorages along the way. You will do lots of motoring, so make sure you have a good motor. Don't forget the VHF either.

Groundings are not a problem. Yes, you can't go to the SC coast without bumpng the keel from time to time, if you explore especially. But, wind the keel up, and reverse or do what is necessary to continue. 99% of the time, when you raise the keel some, you can clear bottom. So, sailing your boat in 'shallow' coastal areas is not the worry that othr boats have.

The 22 is not an ocean going sailing craft, and sometimes harbors can be mighty rough, too.. The 22 will bounce around lots in big,confused waves, and you may get wet in big harbor waters as you splash through. Be sure to keep your front hatch dogged if you encounter this kind of open water.

When camping out with 4 people, make sure you are good friends, and the weather is good. The 22's interior fills to overflow capacity mighty fast if you encounter some wet weather and you need to anchor out. I don't like the closed up feeling with many on board the 22. But, the company is great, and the experience for the kids is lifelong memory fun.

Make sure you have a good anchor with chain. I don't know where you are in NC, but the tidal flow along the SC coast is fast! I suspect 4-5 knots, at times-maybe a bit more. A good anchor is worth the money. One can't be without chain. It'll make your anchor work! I think I read somewhere that a foot of chain increased the weight of your anchor by a pound. I have about 15' of 1/2inch chain on my salt water rig. My anchor is an 18 lb one. I know, that's a lot, but when I sleep at night, I sleep well on the hook. And, I don't want to wake up banging against another boat, as a buddy and myself did in Charleston Harbor. Nor, do I wan tto wake up having dragged from my anchorage on Bass Creed at the Stono River. We dragged about a hundred yards, down the middle of the creek, thankfully. We didn't know about the problem until waking the next morning.

That was my first trip to the coast when I had yellow ski rope rode and a 5 lb K-Mart anchor. I learned lots my trip down The Stono River at the anchorage. You'll love the wildlife you see because the 22 can get into creeks that not many other sailboats can enter. The sandbars build up at the entrance to these creeks, and by followint the charts, reading the shore line, you can wiggle through, and if worse comes to worse, you may have to crank the keeo up a bit!

When my grandson was with me last fall, we saw Porpoise fishing as a team, literally driving/herding fish toward shore, and chasing them up onto the mudflats. The thrashed themselves back into the water. See what you see with your C22 in some of the backwaters. Alligators (shiver) are common sights in the old rice paddies near Georgetown, SC.

If you enjoy fishing, you will love the 22 also. It's a great trolling rig, under power, and you can even fish schools, too1 Watch for the seagulls. They'll show you the schools, if there are any. I took my grandson with me last fall when we went to The Georgetown Wooden Boat Show, and he caught 13 large Spots (I think) in about 15 minutes by me trolling through all of the schools of fish we saw. We normally catch and release, but cleaning fish on the 22 is something I haven't done!!

No doubt about it the swim ladder has been a required item on my boat. Swim, retrieve a man overboard-I fell overboard once singlehanding, thank God for the ladder!

There are lots of ways to set your boat up for your purposes. That is for you to decide, but one thing for sure is that you have a great boat, and I would imagine that you have a great area in which to explore. No doubt, I could rimenince about my trips and come up with other suggestions. But,, go for it-use the boat. It won't break, and if it does, we are lucky to have a great situation in that we can order all parts from Catalina Direct.

Chip Ford has done quite a bit of the kind of sailing we are talking about, but from what I see in his website, www.chipford.com, and 'listening' to him on various websites and in the National Mag, http://www.catalina22.org/ (Join the national org) , he does some good, singlehanded sailing offshore on his 22, "Chip Ahoy". Consequently, he has prepared the boat for emergencies of all manner, it seems. You may want to check out the chipford website to see what he has done.

There are lots of ways to set your boat up for your purposes. That is for you to decide, but one thing for sure is that you have a great boat, and I would imagine that you have a great area in which to explore. No doubt, I could rimenince about my 40 years of sailing, 29 of those years on 3 different C22's, (6991, 3101, 2229) and come up with other suggestions. I always returned to a 22 for its ease of handling, hauling, maintenance, regatta comraderie and safety.

But,, go for it-use the boat. It won't break, and if it does, we are lucky to have a great situation in that we can order all parts from Catalina Direct.


Enjoy,
Larry
 
 
Miscellaneous
Catalina Direct Discussion Topics / Catalina 22 Discussion Area / Miscellaneous / Is a Catalina 22 the right boat?