Trailers / Trailering

Catalina Direct Discussion Topics / Catalina 22 Discussion Area / Trailers / Trailering / Trailering a Catalina 22?
 
 
Author Trailering a Catalina 22?
Garrett Pence
Lutz, FL

Boat Name:

Model/Year:

Hull No.

Hailing Port: Tarpon Springs
07/01/2004 7:37 AM Pacific Time

First off, hello to everyone. I'm looking into buying a Catalina 22 due to their popularity down here (Tampa Bay, FL) and am looking forward to racing and daysailing. I'm 17 and my mom is the sailor. We used to have a 19' O'Day Mariner and had lots of fun on it until we were forced to sell it when we moved. We used to trailer it around, mostly to Tarpon Springs and launching it out of the Anclote River and sailing the area. Our only complaint is that it wasn't easy stepping the mast up and down when we trailered it around. My question is, would the Catalina 22 be an easy boat to trailer? My dad has a big enough 4x4 F-150 that would be able to tow it, but I'm asking if it's going to be somewhat easy getting it in and out of the water and raising the mast up and down. Would I be able to step the mast up and down? I'm 17 and consider myself physically fit.

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I haven't started seriously looking yet, but I think the Catalina 22 would be great for what we're going to use it for, if it is trailerable. We're defenitely going to be getting the swing keel/centerboard version so it's easier to get in the water with a trailer.
Stephen Yingst
Glen Ellen, California

Boat Name: Third Flight

Model/Year: C22 - 1988

Hull No. 14644

Hailing Port: Sausalito
07/01/2004 8:15 AM Pacific Time

Hi Garrett; welcome.
The reason that there are over 15,000 of these little boats scattered around is due in large part to their trailerability. If you have a four wheeled trailer with surge brakes and an extendable hitch you'll hardly know the boat is back there and you'll never get the truck wet (especially with a lifting centerboard). I pull around a wing keel 22 on a two-wheeled trailer (with brakes) and an extendable tongue that doesn't function (due to P.O.), using a relatively small truck (Mazda B3000/Ford Ranger) and have only had to slow down on the really steep hills (like the Sierra, on the way to Lake Tahoe).

I raise the mast by myself, standing on the sliding hatch area, and I'm well past 50. Catalina Direct sells a unit that will allow your mother to put up the mast by herself while you go down to the water to check out the girls.

Have a great summer.
Don
Mansfield, Texas

Boat Name:

Model/Year:

Hull No.

Hailing Port:
07/02/2004 1:53 PM Pacific Time

The mast up system sold by Catalina allows a single person to step the mast. One person can do it but two makes it easier. I'm selling my 98 C22 with trailer and mast up system if interested. The only problem is I'm located in Texas.

C22 15412
[email protected]
PHILIP & SHARON MERLIER
FELLSMERE, FLORIDA

Boat Name: SWIZZLE STICK

Model/Year: 1990 C22

Hull No.

Hailing Port: FELLSMERE, FLORIDA
06/10/2005 11:20 PM Pacific Time

Tired Of Your Hitch Banging When Driving on Rough Roads? I recommend the "Convert-A-Ball Cushioned Ball Mounts" sold by Cabela's. I purchased one in 2000 because I end up doing a lot of driving on the concrete roads of the Northeast and got tired of the banging that occurs each time you cross the worn cuts in the roads. In essence the ball mount has a heavy duty rubber cushion in its shaft that the receiver pin goes through. As the load yanks back and forth the shock is cushioned reducing wear and tear on both the trailer, tow rig, and the nerves of the driver. I am very happy with the product and recommend it.
Roger Richter
Bloomington, WI

Boat Name: NAVY - TOO

Model/Year: Catalina 22, 1978

Hull No. CTYH8241M78F

Hailing Port: Prairie du Chien, WI
04/23/2006 11:39 AM Pacific Time

I have a swing keep Catalina 22 on a single axle trailer, with 15" 6 ply tires. I am debating wether I should go to the trouble and expense of having the trailer made into a "tandem axle"? If I put a lot of gear and personal items in the boat and go to haul it several hundred miles, will the single axle and 6 ply 15" tires do the job, or should I have a tandem axle setup? So far I have read pros and cons both ways, and am unsure what I need. Thanks for any info - Roger My e mail address to reply directly is: [email protected]
PHILIP & SHARON MERLIER
FELLSMERE, FLORIDA

Boat Name: SWIZZLE STICK

Model/Year: 1990 C22

Hull No.

Hailing Port: FELLSMERE, FLORIDA
04/24/2006 5:02 AM Pacific Time

If you are going to be trailering long distances I recommend the tandem axle setup. I personally would not have it any other way. I have also found from experience that it is best to put most of the weight in the vehicle rather than the boat. With the weight in the vehicle it will tow better (as long as you have good tires and a strong suspension). I also have found out the hard way that if you put too much weight in the boat and then travel long distances on bumpy roads you can seriously damage the hull. Also on bumpy roads the boat will ride alot smoother if you have tandem axles. It is alot safer to have a flat tire on a tandem setup when you are going down the highway next to a tractor trailer.
Al Gearing
Burleson, Texas

Boat Name: Torch of Freedom

Model/Year: C-22 '76

Hull No. 6448

Hailing Port: Arlington YC
04/24/2006 5:54 AM Pacific Time

I think the load rating of the tires is the thing that you need to watch. Most tires are 1300 lb rated but if you look you can find the 1600 lb rated tires, that will give you 3200 lb which is quite adequate for a C22 on a single axle. I trailered #501 to Mission Bay and latter to Point Kennedy on what looked like new, albeit they were 6-10 years old. The tread blew off one in Daytona Beach, we changed to the spare that had never been on the ground and finished the trip to PK. On the way home it blew near Jacksonville, no big deal, but we put 1600 lb tires on and were on our way in 2 hr. I now have a dual axle trailer with 20-30 year old tires, it is hard to turn sharply while backing, we took it down to Austin twice last summer, no spares, no problem. However, if we plan to go much further, I will buy and mount 2 new tires for spares, only because of the possible greater distances between large cities. I guess my point is the flats on local trips are not worth worrying about, they're just inconvienient, because there are cities and stores within 5-10 minutes. Trips across west Texas can be a lot further to find tires if needed. Just my thoughts, for what it's worth,
Al Ge
Lee Scott
Birmingham, AL

Boat Name: Shoot the Breeze

Model/Year: C22 - 1981

Hull No. 10212

Hailing Port: Lay Lake
04/24/2006 6:44 AM Pacific Time

Al,
What's the history of #501? I've got one of her old sails, a North main that came with the boat when I bought it last year. The sail is old and a little worn, and has a couple of notations at the tack that indicate it was measured for racing at some time - can't recall the dates written, but it was some time in the 90's.

Lee Scott
'81 C-22 #10212
'Shoot the Breeze'
Birmingham, AL
Greg Baker
Charlotte, NC

Boat Name: Sea Sharp Minor

Model/Year: Catalina 22 - 1984 - Swing Keel

Hull No. 11823

Hailing Port: Lake Norman Sailing Club
04/24/2006 8:22 AM Pacific Time

Philip,
I have a concern about your comment, "to put most of the weight in the vehicle". I don't know what you consider "most" but the right amount of tongue weight on the tow vehicle is around 8% of the total weight of the loaded trailer. The reason for that is not because the trailer can't handle all the load, it is to make sure the center of gravity of the loaded trailer is in front of the axel. Any solid body acts as if all its mass is concentrated at it's center of gravity(CG). If the CG is behind the axel, the tongue weight will be negative (it will want to lift) and the trailer will sway because it's concentrated mass is behind the point of drag with the road, which is the axel (or the mean distance between the axels of a dual axel trailer). This is the same reason modern airplanes use a nose wheel instead of a tail wheel. The plane wants to go straight when landing instead of wanting to ground loop and go backwards (think of the nose wheel as being the tongue).

On the other side of the equation, the tow vehicle is only rated for so much tongue weight. So a heavier tongue weight is more stable up to the point where the tow vehicle becomes overloaded. Then it becomes unstable because of excessive load on the springs, shocks etc. and the headlights shine up in the air ;<)

Greg Baker
Greg Baker
Charlotte, NC

Boat Name: Sea Sharp Minor

Model/Year: Catalina 22 - 1984 - Swing Keel

Hull No. 11823

Hailing Port: Lake Norman Sailing Club
04/24/2006 8:26 AM Pacific Time

Al,
Good comments regarding the load rating of the tires. One more related thing often overlooked is tire pressure. Trailer tires use a lot more pressure than car tires, usually around 55 to 60 psi. If run under inflated, they generate heat from flexing and the heat degrades the rubber. This is the major cause of tread separation. So check the tire pressure often. The proper inflation pressure is usually embossed on the sidewall of the tire.

Greg Baker
Ron Norton
Katy, TX

Boat Name: Vela

Model/Year: C22 / 1984

Hull No. 12037

Hailing Port: Katy, TX
04/24/2006 12:45 PM Pacific Time

Also, be sure and check the date your trailer tires were manufactured. Generally they should be no more than 5 years regardless of amount of tread left.



Boat Name:

Model/Year:

Hull No.

Hailing Port:
04/24/2006 5:07 PM Pacific Time

I believe Phil was refering to a previous post regarding boat gear. Put boat gear in the towing vehicle, so it is not added weight on the trailer.

Butchie
Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon

Boat Name: Catnip

Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974

Hull No. 4570

Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon
04/24/2006 8:48 PM Pacific Time

This subject just goes on and on, Ron warns on the age of the tires. This is good. Greg warns on the weight rating of the tires. This is good also. Greg warns on tongue weight. This is wrong as some states say that 10% of the load should be on the hitch . When I designed trailers for Sunset Glass I set the trailers for 20% of the weight on the hitch and the boat deliverers raved on how well they towed. All the above being taken in consideration it boils down to the springing be to the load of the trailer and boat. In our case it is about 3000-3500 pounds. So it doesn't matter as to the number of axles they are holding up this weight. If you overspring the trailer you are hurting your boat. So you see Phillip if you have a tire go flat while you are passing that semi you have just overloaded the remaining tire on that side and don't even know it. False security. As you have probably guessed, I am an advocate of a single axle trailer sprung to 3500 lbs. Dick.
PHILIP & SHARON MERLIER
FELLSMERE, FLORIDA

Boat Name: SWIZZLE STICK

Model/Year: 1990 C22

Hull No.

Hailing Port: FELLSMERE, FLORIDA
04/25/2006 5:30 AM Pacific Time

In regards to not overloading the boat with gear while trailering: I have learned two things from first hand experience. 1) In near accident situations it is much easier to control a rig when your trailer is light. 2) (And most important of all) Putting too much weight inside the boat and then going long distance on bumpy roads (like the cement roads up north) will likely result in hull damage --- reason: in essence most everything you put in the boat is sitting on the inner liner, which even though it is bonded to the hull in spots, creates pressure spots in certain areas. When the rig gets of bouncing with significant weight in it the pressure spots caused by the inner liner against the outer hull result in round areas of damage which are evidenced by spider web crackes in the gelcoat on the outside of the hull. Unfortunately, I believe that trailering our boats ages them more than any amount of sailing that we do. We just have to do the best we can to minimize the chance of any problems. That is why I am passing on the lessons that I learned the hard way. Good luck.
jamie wheal
Mt. Airy, MD

Boat Name: Peggy-O

Model/Year: 1990

Hull No.

Hailing Port: Annapolis
04/25/2006 5:19 PM Pacific Time

We just got back from a trip from the Annapolis region down to southwestern FL--about 2400 mi total. Had a great trip, no hassles on the water, but on the way home had two blowouts on a single axle trailer about 400 mi. apart. First one we caught at a truck stop with two "eggs" bulging out the side--got to a Pep Boys fifteen minutes after closing and replaced our bias ply 205/75 D15 (D stands for a heavy load rating for trailer tires--1850 lbs per tire) with the highest radials they had 205/75 C15 (still rated for 1850 lbs. per tire) Bought two, just to be safe, asked the truck mechanic to check the "good" one--he said it looked fine with plenty of tread and didn't replace it. We got on the road, thanking our starts that we had avoided a highway speed blowout and had the good fortune to spot it next to a truck stop mechanic open 24 hrs on Easter weekend. The next morning--Bam! the "good" tire blew out, but allowed us a surprisingly controlled pull off to the side of I-95.

Two hours later, and thanks again to some kind souls at another truck stop open on Sunday, we got the spare tire we had bought mounted on our rim and got back home within five hours of our original time.

Moral(s):

1) we got advice on tire pressures ranging from "we only ever inflate these low pressure valves to 35 psi" to "I always run 'em at what it says for max inflation on the sidewalls." --we've decided to stick with the max psi ratings on the sidewalls in agreement with other posts on this thread.

2) the two tires that blew out within four hundred miles of each other were two years old, had less than 10000 miles on them (and had been inspected for wear before and during the trip by seasoned tire/trailer pros), and were reinforced sidewall, trailer specific rubber--BUT, they were bias ply not radials. Our new tires are radials, and we are hoping that they will stand up to long road trips a little (A LOT!) better.

3) we did not have a spare tire mounted on the trailer but will next time. The first time we got lucky, spotted the failure before a blowout, unhitched and ran to the store for a spare. The second time, we had a spare (not on the rim), but still wasted two hours running around trying to deal.

4) don't trust car jacks--we taco'ed our Acura MDX jack in about ten turns of the wrench--and don't bet that your lug wrench from the trunk will fit, especially if you drive an import and your trailer rims are SAE--ours turned out to be a 13/16" which isn't unusual, but might not be the same as your rig, or one you borrow from a good samaratin. Get a 2-3 ton floor or bottle jack that a) can support the weight of more than half your boat/trailer and b) has enough extension to not just get off the flat, but to float a fully inflated replacement in loose/sloping ground on the shoulder of Anywhere.

I thought I was doing due diligence by having the trailer checked out professionally and the hubs repacked beforehand, and even buying two tires when the first was about to fail. I whiffed by taking a mechanic's casual opinion on the second tire (tread depth does NOT equal sidewall strength!), and by not having a serious Plan B in place--e.g. mounted spare, air pump, floor jack and lug wrenches that fit both car AND trailer

In all we couldn't have been luckier on our trip and the double blow outs didn't mar our experience much at all, but as we always used to remind students coming off a mountaineering course, "the van ride home is the most dangerous part of this course!" May all of yours be a little safer from my avoidable mistakes.
PHILIP & SHARON MERLIER
FELLSMERE, FLORIDA

Boat Name: SWIZZLE STICK

Model/Year: 1990 C22

Hull No.

Hailing Port: FELLSMERE, FLORIDA
04/25/2006 11:23 PM Pacific Time

Jamie:
Welcome home. Sounds like a great trip despite the adventures. Thanks for your input (both the excellent description of the area you sailed and also your tires lessons). I also have been told by both tire and trailer professionals that one should keep their trailer tires at the maximum pressure. Also, your new tires may benefit if you jack the tires off the ground while your trailer is stored for long periods.
 
 
Trailers / Trailering
Catalina Direct Discussion Topics / Catalina 22 Discussion Area / Trailers / Trailering / Trailering a Catalina 22?