Catalina 22 -- closer inspection next week.

[tomg847]

I'm still seeking my next upgrade from my old Lido. I looked at a Catalina 22 a few weeks ago and really liked it.
I've don a lot of research on this model boat, mainly to figure out of my 2WD Ford Ranger can pull it - only a 2.2 mile, non-freeway, tow from my house to the lake. Posting lots of silly questions about this, I find that about 8/10 people say I should be fine with this rig and a short distance.

So....next saturday I'll probably meet the owner again for a short sail across the lake to a boat launch, and try pulling it out with my truck so I can make sure it can. Also to inspect the trailer, bottom of hull, and keel.
Photos of the boat are here:
I also just got new tires on the truck to make sure this will work better also.

Tom

[SailinJay]

Looks like the boat is in reasonably good condition, although you do need to do a visual, hands-on inspection. I do have one comment on Photo DCP_0307. It looks like the battery box is right next to the radiator hose that protects the keel cable (and keeps water from flooding into the boat). My concern would be the the battery box might shift when the boat is heeled, possibly dislodging the rubber hose. My electrical hookup to the battery is in the left cockpit locker (as you face the stern of the boat). You might ask the owner if he/she experienced any issues with the location of the battery.

[tomg847]

Yep. I did look at it last month (I took the photos) and it looked pretty good. The deck could use a little paint, but other than that it all looked pretty sound. I plan on tapping around the hull when it's out of the water checking for any delaminiation of the fiberglass, but from what I've seen, I think it should be pretty solid.
As for the battery, I'll definitely check that closer. It can always be moved to another location away from the cable hose. The owner did tell me the importance of that little chunk of rubber!

Thanks for the tip!

Tom

[sailortjk1]

Should be easy enough to figure out if your truck can tow her.
What is the towing capacity of your truck? How much does she weigh?

There you got your answer.

Be careful with 2WD; don't want to back the rear tires into the water. I found a 4WD better for that reason. Most ramps I retrieve from require putting the rear tires in the water a little bit. You know how slimy those ramps can get, just be careful.

[tomg847]

What is the towing capacity of your truck? How much does she weigh?

My truck is about 4,000lbs, and I'm really not sure about the boat since I've seen different things listed - between 1800 and 2400 lbs.

Be careful with 2WD; don't want to back the rear tires into the water. I found a 4WD better for that reason. Most ramps I retrieve from require putting the rear tires in the water a little bit. You know how slimy those ramps can get, just be careful.[/quote]

The trailer does have an extension on it, so keeping the wheels out of the water should be easy enough. I'll also probably only be launching from fresh water (I can get out to salt water from there), and there are no tides to deal with so the slimy goo should always be at about the same location and avoidable.
I've been posting a lot of messages asking about towing on different boards, and an average of about 8/10 people say I'll be ok. I'm only towing it just over 2 miles also since I'm close to the lake. I can craw home at 20mph the whole way if needed too!

I'll find out more when I try it out I guess.....

Tom

[T34C]

Tom,

Don't sweat the towing. You'll be fine. For 2 miles, you could tow it with a golf cart.

[werebeagle]

With the towing, you need to know both the tongue weight and the full wight of the loaded trailor, and then make sure you have the correct class hitch. A stock bumper hitch might not be up for the task. The load capacity of the hitch should be listed on the hitch.

[tomg847]

Originally Posted by werebeagle

With the towing, you need to know both the tongue weight and the full wight of the loaded trailor, and then make sure you have the correct class hitch. A stock bumper hitch might not be up for the task. The load capacity of the hitch should be listed on the hitch.

I did upgrade from a bumper hitch (2000/200 lbs) to a class II hitch 3,500/350lbs. I didn't go higher than that since my truck is only 4,000 lbs.

Tom

[NCountry]

I had a Catalina 22 with the battery box in the same spot. It was never a problem and we had her out in some rough stuff a time or two. As for the vehicle, I never had any problem towing mine with a Ford Explorer Sport. The only thing I did when pulling her out of the water was to drop the Explorer into low gear and she came right out. This was more of a precuation than a necessity.
Have fun with your 22. They are great boats for learning and can accomodate a couple of people very nicely for a weekend. The only down side is they can be incredibly slow in light wind and incredibly scary in anything over 20 to 25 knots.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by T34C

Tom,

Don't sweat the towing. You'll be fine. For 2 miles, you could tow it with a golf cart.

Not if it has to go uphill at all.