This kit includes all the materials needed to do a proper rebuild of the bow eye components on your Catalina 22. Many owners of Catalina 25's and Capri 22's have used it successfully as well (see notes below). Included are the U-bolt, a new plastic backing block, a bow eye shield to protect the surrounding area, an epoxy kit to seat the backing block, and sealant to prevent water intrusion. This kit will result in a stronger and better looking system than the original eye-bolt and wood backing block system.
We include an improved version backing block. Our high density polyurethane block has better compression strength than the original oak. It also will not deteriorate over time, so your bow eye is less likely to loosen.
Refer to our How to Video Volume I for complete, step by step visual installation instructions.
This heavy duty bow eye is secured with two studs through the hull for maximum strength. Many early boats used a bow eye with a single stud that will often loosen, rotate and damage the gel coat.
If you are replacing the bow eye on an early Catalina 22, consider adding our
Stem Reinforcement Assembly. It adds strength to the stem fitting and prevents lifting the deck from the load of the forestay and genoa.
• Height of shield: 7-1/4"
• Width covered: ~ 2-1/4"
• Hole spacing center-to-center: 1-3/8"
Caution: It is important the load from the bow eye be distributed evenly to the hull. Bedding the backing block in an mixture of West System epoxy thickened with 406 filler performs this function nicely. The included epoxy kit is for this purpose.
Caution: Never moor your boat from the trailer bow eye. It is intended to take a load from the trailer winch, directly forward of the boat. A boat "sailing on its anchor" will exert a substantial side load on the bow eye. That side load will bend the eye and probably damage the fiberglass and gel coat.
1) Production of the bow eye shield requires an expensive die to create the compound bend in the plate. This expense is practical only because of the number of customers who own Catalina 22's. Fortunately, Capri 22 and Catalina 25 owners can take advantage of many products made possible by the Catalina 22. This is one of them. Although not as nice a fit as when used on the Catalina 22, the bow shapes of the Capri 22 and Catalina 25 are reasonably close.
2) Catalina 25 Owners will need to modify the bow eye shield to make it a bit wider. Capri 22 owners will discover that, given their boat has a finer entry than the Catalina 22, the bow eye shield will be a bit too wide to fit the Capri 22 perfectly. There will be a bit of a gap between the fiberglass and the bow eye shield at the edges.
3) Owners of either boat can modify the shape as appropriate by using a rubber mallet of dead blow hammer to gently tap the shield over a piece of wood or pipe of the correct radius to modify the curve slightly.
