[TSOJOURNER]

Im George I live in South East Florida.I have a partialy restored Cal 20 I shlepped accross the country from California.Im trying to finish the boat.I have most all of the parts, not beiong sure of what Im doing is slowing me down.My immediate question is about installing the chain plates on the transom for the split backstay.Must these be fastened through the hull, or can I screw them th the transom,I appreciate any help.

 

[SeaWolf]

George,
My husband and I live in Miami, so we can't be very far from you if you're in SE Florida. We did a complete refit on our boat from 2000 - 2002 and moved aboard. We continued to do the rest of the work for another 4 years while living aboard and are now done and looking to cast off. I'm certainly no expert, but all of our chain plates are through the hull with major backing plates because of the stress. I would not think that just screwing them into the transom would be a great idea, but you could take a trip to a local yard and talk to people there. I think you'll find most people very helpful.

Good Luck and if we can help you in your endeavors, don't hesitate to drop me a line.

Loree
Aboard SeaWolf
cruiserslife.com

 

[camaraderie]

Slim...welcome! Definitely through bolted with large flat washers or backing plates!

 

[NCC320]

So what does it cost to ship a 20 ft. boat from CA to FL and how did you arrange to do it? My son and I have a Catalina 22 with trailer that we would like to ship from NC to CA if it isn't too expensive.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

NC thats funny, the usual question I get is ,"why would you bring a boat from California to Florida where there are more boats than any where in the universe?"Answer, I couldnt find a Cal 20 in Florida, and Ive always loved that boat!

As to cost, it cost me about $1000 in gas and travelling expenses.Gas was arround 3 bucks at the time.First time ever pulling a trailer let alone a 2000 pound boat!Crossed the continnt without having to back up once!

 

[bubb2]

Crossed the continnt without having to back up once!

Backing up a trailer is a skill that should be learned and practiced. It also looks good on a resume.

 

[camaraderie]

Backing up a trailer is a skill that should be learned and practiced. It also looks good on a resume.

Hah! That is one thing I really suck at....I just can't figure it out. Here's a story...
Many years ago I was transferred from Virginia to New York and decided to trailer my Catalina 22 back to New York. I figured I could just get on I-95 and head north and use truck stops to pull over and never have to back up.
Well...on 95 just south of Washington (at night), nature called and I began to look for the next stop and finally saw signs for a truck weigh station that was closed but would offer the opportunity for a bathroom break. I pulled on to the exit ramp and down towards the weigh station only to be confronted with brricades and a dug up construction site that would not allow me to pull forward! I would have to back up and ON to I-95 which was several hundred yards behind me. Let me tell you, I was all over that ramp making a series of deep V's with the car and the trailer with cars and lights whizzing by and me running off the edges of the ramp while my wife stood outside trying to direct me. I'd maybe made it a quarter of the way when a state trooper pulled in wondering what the hell I was doing. He was not allowed to drive my car but he patiently stood by my side while giving me instructions on how to turn the wheel as he got me back on the ramp and up towards the merge with I-95.
He then proceeded to stop all traffic on I-95 so I could pull back on and be on my way...telling me not to stop again till I hit New York with a big grin on his face.
That was about 30 years ago....and that was my LAST attempt at trailering anything!

 

[NCC320]

camaraderie makes a good point. I'll take it in consideration, if and when I attempt to go from NC to CA with the Catalina 22. The boat belongs jointly to my son and I....he's out there now with no boat, I'm here with a Cat 22 and a Cat 320. It would be nice to get his boat out to him where he could use it.

slimslowslider,

What route did you take. Did you avoid the interstates, or drive on them. And at what speed. I pulled the Cat 22 to Maryland when he was in graduate school and later back to NC, but tried to avoid the interstates because of the traffic and high speeds. Our trailer has just a single axle and I get a bit nervious over about 55 to 60 mph with the trailer....without the trailer, I'll run with the pack at whatever speed they are running.

So we paid initially (actually the dealer paid) to get the Cat 22 (2001 model) shipped to NC from CA and now we want to carry it back to CA....this boat will log more miles over land than on the water. We've looked at selling here and buying again out there, but the economics don't seem to work out.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

Well, Im not the most sensible person,and looking back on the "adventure" I must admit to asking myself what the hell I was thinking.My boat I imagine being a keel boat with 900 lbs ballast is alot heavier than yours.I had modrate faith in the trailer it being brand new with good tires, it also is a single axle and I was constantly watching to see it fly off the highway.That being said there were places out west on Hwy 10 where the road was sweet, I sometimes cruised at 60 plus speed,not real smart!Things got worse after Dallas as there was a lot of road construction,and past New Orleans the road just went to hell,couldnt maintain traffic speed cause the joints in that lousy road caused the trailer to bounce a bit lots of pissed off drivers bhind me.No serious mishaps though and the only damage was the bow bumper on the trailer slipped down out of New Orleans and I wore a little spot of gel coat off the bow.

A Cat 22 should be a piece of cake though.

Anyway, my boat is half put together and hooking the standing rigging up is intimidating to me, so any kind hearted souls in the Ft Lauderdale/Hoillywood area willing to give a guy some advice it sure would be nice to get this baby in the water after the odyssey of getting her here.

 

[NCC320]

slimslowslider,

Thanks for your reply. I put new tires and wheels on the Cat 22 trailer last year. If we attempt a CA trip, I'll replace wheel bearings and springs, otherwise trailer should be good to go. I shared driving out from NC to CA with my son when he moved out (kind of a father son road trip with some side trip days thrown in. We hit some pretty high speeds on the interstates and the non interstate roads in much of the area didn't seem too good. I'll have to ponder this one a bit more.

Good luck on rigging your boat. If you don't get some local volunteers with advice, maybe some books from the local Barnes & Noble will have some boats in them that are rigged similar. Also, this list is good about replying to specific questions, so try posting some specific questions along with photos so they can see your problem To get good quality answers, you'll need to be specific regarding your particular boat (Cal 20).

 

[TSOJOURNER]

Im trying to get enough posts in so that I can PM Tortuga about his friend with a Cal 20 in south Florida, I would like to get some ideas on finishing my boat.