Swing Keel or Fixed Wing Keel? Catalina 22 or 25?

[skygazer]

Originally Posted by ppiccolo1

I bought a 25' catalina and trailer last month.

That's what I'm considering looking at. One for sale on a trailer within driving distance. From the photo it looks like a swing keel. I just bought a similar sized Seafarer 24 last fall, shouldn't even consider looking, but what if I like it better?

Too early I know, but what are your impressions?

[zumogo]

well honestly if you search it or google it this thread comes out every time. So i guess time is not a issue

[ppiccolo1]

I found the perfect boat, for me (love the pop-top, like my old VW westfalia campervan). However, I have a 3/4 ton suburban that'll tow 10,000# and it will be on a slip in Lake Michigan 6 months, then head south for the winter. It's a fin keel as well, so I budget an additional $1,000 a year for haul/launch. The PO was a huge plus, retired and physically unable to sail, the boat had been stored inside since 1992. The most helpful gentleman I could have asked for as a newbie. He, BTW used a half-ton pick-up, but it's no trailer-sailer. It'll work perfect for 2x a year though.

[MrGaston]

I've read a lot on the internet about trailering a sailboat. Specifically a Catalina 25 swing keel. In every case people list the displacement as the empty weight of the boat. This is not right is it? Isn't the displacement of a boat the weight of the boat loaded to it's maximum capacity?

If I am correct about that, it seems to me that the towing weight of a Catalina 25 would actually be more like 3500 lb (guess) empty boat + around 1200 lb (another guess) for a tandem axle trailer + maybe 500 lb (estimate rather than guess)for things on the boat. Something like 5200 lb towing weight.

Am I missing something?

[jimgo]

Jeff_H and others would know better, but I believe the listed displacement is the weight of the boat when outfitted by the manufacturer in its standard configuration (i.e., it's weight without your "stuff" aboard). That is, essentially, the minimum it will weigh. The general guidance, if you're looking at a C25 that doesn't have an inboard, is to tack on about 1000 lbs if you want to get the boat's weight, and another 1200-1500lbs for the trailer if you're figuring out whether your vehicle can/should tow it. 1000 lbs may sound like a lot, but 10% of it will be the engine. Water and fuel will contribute another 50-100 lbs. Then there are PFD's, fishing rods, anchors, batteries, food, and a bunch of other stuff that quickly adds up. When I was shopping for my current SUV, I assumed I needed something that was rated for at least 6000 lbs if I wanted to tow our C25.