Conference unifix::sailing

    
    Carol,
    
    We just finished up our first yesr with a 1986 Catalina 22 swing keel.
    We have it moored in Winter Island and have had a great time with it
    with 1-2 adults and 3 kids. We also moved up from a 16' day sailor. As
    much as I like this boat, I probably would have bought a wing keel
    instead of the swing keel for reasons that its just less moving parts. A
    wing keel would require a crane to launch it due to the necessary water
    depth before it floats off. Even with our swing keel, I have to get
    all four wheels of my truck in the water. But, its a great boat. Keep
    looking; its a good time of year to buy.
    
    p.s. Much older Catalina 22s were layed out differently and
    unfavorably. Don't get an older model with the galley on the starboard
    quarter. It'll take up half the available storage space. The galley was 
    moved to aft the V-berth on later models leaving both quarters
    available for storage of sails, PFDs etc.
    
    Dan
    

    Hi Carol,
    
    Last summer I bought my first boat.  Prior to buying a boat, I visited
    the boat shows, marinas, and talked with lots of folks.  Eventually, a
    list of characteristics evolved that appear similar to what you are
    looking for:  trailerable, comfortable cockpit area, stable in a
    variety of sea conditions, cabin for shelter, etc... 
    
    Various boats I considered included O'Day, Catalina, and others.  Fixed
    keels, shoal drafts, wing keels, no cabins, cabins, etc.  You name it,
    and I probably looked at several variations.
    
    The boat I purchased is made by Compac, manufactured in Florida, and
    sold locally through Fernalds Marine on Rte 1A in Newbury.  The SISU is
    a 19 footer, but the boat is also available in 16', 23', 27' and 33'.
    The 16' is very easily trailerable.  The 19' is also easily launched,
    or loaded on a trailer.  The 23' is beginning to stretch trailerability
    due to its weight and size of towing vehicle needed.  The Compac has a
    standard shoal draft keel that is molded into the hull (can't be
    damaged easily).  For each of the lengths the draft is as follows - 16'
    (18"); 19' (24"); 23' (27" ?).
    
    Throughout last summer, I sailed the SISU on Ipswich Bay and along the
    coast of southern New Hampshire.  Every sail was a satisfying
    experience.  The boat is very stable and very comfortable.  Unlike the
    "J" boat that is fast and racy, the Compac is a consistent, safe and
    enjoyable family cruiser.
    
    If you would like to know more about the Compac, feel free to give me a
    call.  Howie and Glenn Fernald are also excellent resources, and always
    willing to share their knowledge and experience in sailing on Ipswich
    Bay.  Fernalds usually has a variety of used, good condition sail
    boats.  A trip to their yard makes a nice Saturday afternoon outing !!
    
    Good luck in your search.
    
    John  
     
        

    I second the Com-Pac 19. While most of my sailing is on Lake
    Winnipesaukee, In July my son and I took our Com-Pac 19 65 miles
    up the Maine Coast from Rye N.H. to Orr's Island Me and back.
    
    It is a very stable and well built 19 footer. I have had it since Aug
    of 1985 and before that, sailed the Com-Pac 16. In the previous 2
    years,
    I trailered it up To Orrs Island twice and down to Manchester ("By-The-
    Sea") Mass. once. 
    
    For my purposes, it gives an excellent value for the investment.
    Send mail if you want to hear more.
    
    Bill French
    

    Good to hear you like your Catalina 22, Dan.  Thank you for the input.
    I was also glad to receive info. about the sub-optimal layout of the 
    older Catalinas; I'll keep an eye out for that. 
    
    
    Thanks,
    Carol

    Thank you also, John and Bill for your responses in notes .2 and .3.
    I have some environment-induced requirements for my next boat, which are 
    making the search a little difficult. 
    
    I lost my last boat in the hurricane for the simple reason that I'm 
    moored in a rocky inlet in Cape Neddick, Maine.   It is not a marina 
    (there's an 8 year waiting list for that!) The bay is not in any way 
    regulated.   I don't have the option of buying even a shoal-draft 
    keel boat, because in an emergency, I have to get under a 10-foot 
    bridge in about a foot of water to reach the trailer ramp.    The 
    only other option is to try and sail 7 miles south to York marina,
    which was impossible the morning of the hurricane (15-foot waves.)
    
    Another of the complicating factors for me the morning of hurricane Bob
    was that the boat had a mast that dropped down through the cuddy cabin.
    With 15-foot waves (and no crane within 7 miles,) there was no way to 
    pull the mast out so I could get the boat under the 10-foot bridge.
    
           
    So, I am looking for a good boat with a swing keel and a tabernacle 
    mast.    The COMPAC caught my eye some time ago, but I noted that it 
    didn't come in a swing keel and so discounted it from my search.
    
    By now, I suspect you all think I'm insane to sail under the conditions
    described above! (I probably am.)   But when the sailing is good, it's 
    terrific.   The risks are bearable, and I'll try to minimize them by 
    not investing in an expensive new boat.   
    
    One would think it'd be easy to find a trailerable, name-brand boat
    with a swing keel and a tabernacle mast and kickup rudder.    But after 
    the hurricane, many of the good ones disappeared as soon as the
    insurance companies issued the checks!    I ran into countless people
    at various brokerages who told me they were downsizing from say,
    27-footers to 22's, because they felt their boats would not have been
    exposed, had they been able to haul them out without a crane.
    
    There's a lot of junk out there on the market -- buyer beware!
    
    
    'Interesting thing was this last storm that hit the coast (last Wed., 
    I believe.)    The destruction in the York, Maine area was far worse
    than that from Hurricane Bob.    Houses right next to mine had their 
    back ends torn off and decks destroyed by 30-foot waves.   Just my 
    luck, my dinghy was still chained to a fence down at the rocky inlet 
    where I'd lost my boat during Hurricane Bob.    I was planning to move 
    the dinghy to my house this weekend.   No need for that.    Wednesday's
    huge waves ripped the dinghy off the fence, threw it over a wall of 
    boulders 20 feet away, sent it spiralling across the road and onto
    someone's lawn.    It's wrecked, so I suppose I'm also hunting for a 
    dinghy now. 
    
    A little black cloud has been following me around...
    
    
    
    
    If anyone knows of a good boat that'll suit my needs, pls. call me
    (DTN 244-6719) or send vaxmail.
    
    
    Thanks,
    Carol 
    

    Re: Tabernacle
    
    Don't know how handy you are, but there used to be several manufac-
    turers who made large stainless hinges to facilitate the raising/
    lowering of small boat masts.  I have seen one used on a Rhodes 19, and
    if I remember correctly, it was a bilge stepped mast that had been cut
    above the cuddy, and the hinge mounted on the butt.  A machined
    aluminum slug fitting the mast shape had been mounted to each half of
    the hinge, and then mechanically fastened to the mast halves.  For com-
    plete separation, the hinge pin was removable.
    
    I would probably not extend this method too far beyond boats in the 20
    foot range, but it might be workable if raising/lowering done with
    care.
    
    It would certainly give you more flexibility as to which boat you end
    up with.
    

    Consider a Catalina 22, lots of them .   I owned Catalina 22 
    hull #174 back in 1970-3.   The mast had a hinge pin that engaged 2
    ears on the tabernacle.     Undo the forestay on forward lowers and
    down it came.    I had it at a mooring in Buzzards Bay.  Made many 
    trips to Nantucket, Vineyard, etc.       
    
    Traded up to a Pearson Triton in 73, problem is you can't get it
    out w/o a crane.
    
    I think the Catalina will do you fine, just keep looking. 
    
    Frank

    
    I need some advice, fellow Noters! 
    
    I have this chance to buy a Catalina Capri 22'.   I know only what the 
    *manufacturer* tells me about the boat, but what about some input from
    folks who may have sailed the Capri model?    The boat is an '88. 
    
    I'll be anxious to hear about hands-on experience with the Capri.
    
    
    
    Thanks,
    Carol

>>>    So, I am looking for a good boat with a swing keel and a tabernacle 
>>>    mast.    

Another thought:  one of the Nimble line of boats.  Several sizes in the 
20-30' range, flat bottom (the single biggest drawback IMHO), very good 
quality with solid construction, more interior space than you'd expect,
and meeting your requirements, I think.  Known by their trademark dark 
green topsides and buff decks; tanbark sails are common, too.

Since they're not as big a name on the market, finding a used one that 
would interest you might be more difficult than others.  The Mass (N.E.?) 
dealer is Bill Graham, in Ipswich, MA.  I don't know his number, but he 
has another business under the name Rowing Sport, Inc, and has at least 
one demo model on hand.

J.

Re: Note 1802.8 -< Need info about CAPRI 22 >-

    Carol -

	I haven't sailed the Capri 22, but I have a comment about 
	Catalina boats in general.  Catalina boats are well made 
	inexpensive, BUT NOT *CHEAP* boats.  Catalina doesn't advertise 
	in the national magazines and depends mostly on word of mouth 
	for sailors to learn about their boats.  I have a few friends 
	who sail and love sailing both the Catalina 22 and the Capri 22. 
	They love it.  Personally, I just love our Catalina 34.

	What you should do is, if you are buying from a Catalina dealer, 
	take a test sail.  Before we bought our boat, the dealer took us 
	out on the Catalina 36, and it was the dealer who recommended 
	that we consider the smaller and less expensive 34.  My dealer 
	is Colvin Yatchs in Westbrook, Ct.  I don't know if all dealers 
	are as good as them, but we are *VERY* pleased with them from 
	pre-sales to post-sales service.

	I hope this helps.

  - Jacqueline

    
    	Carol,
    
    		I'm not sure where you are geographically, but if your in
    the Eastern Mass or Southern NH area, your welcome to check out my
    Catalina 22' in my back yard. It's NOT for sale! I have stepped the
    mast alone and also have a nifty telescoping mast-stepping pole to help
    out. I've also seen the trailer winch used with a turning block to
    lower and raise the mast. The Catalina 22' aftermarket guide discusses
    a method to use the boat's winches to raise and lower the mast. I've
    stepped/unstepped the mast five times this year with no trouble.
    (Lets see, the move to and from Maine, to Salem Mass, out for Bob and
    back again, then home for the winter

    Thanks for the offer to see your Catalina 22 -- I have been looking at 
    many of them these last two months and have decided they're definitely
    the right boat for me.    I actually tried to purchase one privately 
    on two separate occasions, but in each case the owners decided not to 
    sell, within days of our having agreed on the price!    (I was
    heartbroken...)    It seems people really love them and find it hard 
    to part with them.   What a nice sales pitch, eh?    
    
    
    I will keep looking.  Hope to buy something this winter, although much
    of what's out on the market is *very* aged or in poor condition.    
    
    Carol

    Hi folks.   Still have not purchased a boat.    I've seen so many
    22-foot sailboats these last months!   The problem seems to be that
    many are in rather poor condition. (Rigging is aged, hull has all kinds
    of mysterious "patches," trailers that are not roadworthy, etc.)
    
    I'd put off looking through most of December and am now ready to begin
    again.    If anyone knows of a good 22-foot Catalina or Capri, pls. let
    me know. 
    
    
    Happy New Year,
    Carol

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Note 1802.14              WANTED: TRAILERABLE CRUISER!                  14 of 16
AKOCOA::HAMEL_WHITE                                  41 lines  27-MAY-1992 13:06
                           -< She Finally Decided! >-
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Well, I finally bought a boat.    Bought a pristine 1978 O'Day 22'.  The hull
is unpatched/only has a singular surface scratch.     Boat is well equipped, 
and suits my needs perfectly.    We only use it for a few hours sailing at a time,
so the cramped quarters below aren't really an issue.     

The boat has a 1 year old Johnson Sailmaster engine, which runs perfectly so far.
No problems stepping the mast, or whatever.    

I do have two questions for more experienced sailors, however:


1.  I was *ecstatic* to see that this boat had a marine head installed, rather
    than a porta-potti.   HOWEVER.... (Not coming from such luxury in my prior
    sailboat,) I never thought to look to see if there was a holding tank for
    the head.    Turns out there's an outflow pipe and an intake seacock, but
    obviously that isn't a good situation.   Does anyone know what I should do 
    about putting in a small holding tank?   How do I do that?    can I 
     simply divert the output headpipe into a small plastic tank, with some 
    sort of chemical solution?     I assume I could be in for a hefty fine, if
    caught with this sort of plumbing...  

    Had wondered if I might not just put the old portapotti on board, and use 
     it instead, keeping the existing headpipes closed. (They do not lock...)
     Would that cover me for this season, if stopped by the Coastguard?



2.   (Again, because I'm unaccustomed to having anything but a porta-potti 
     aboard:)   Assuming that the head was properly hooked up to a holding
     tank, do you open the intake pipe only when you want to use the head, or
     do you sail with the intake open?


I am sure these questions sound a little silly, but I'll ask them anyway.   I 
have no installation instructions for the head, and this particular brand 
appears to be sold as-is, without any holding tank involved.   So I'm confused!



Thanks,
Carol

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Note 1802.15              WANTED: TRAILERABLE CRUISER!                  15 of 16
MAST::SCHUMANN "We've met the enemy, and he is us!"  15 lines  28-MAY-1992 13:23
                                 -< fun topic >-
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See my note in 941.17 regarding head questions. I'm facing a similar problem...
I sailed all last summer without getting stopped. The previous owner had
it that way for at least six years.

You can sail with the seacocks open, provided that the head isn't too low
in the boat, causing backflow when heeled. Some installations have an
anti-siphon loop to prevent this. Either the intake or the discharge (or both)
may siphon into the bowl. If the top of the bowl is always above the water
line the siphoning is a minor nuisance, but if the top of the bowl is below
the water line, it will overflow after a while.

It's good practice, of course, to close all the seacocks before leaving the
boat.

--RS

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AKOCOA::HAMEL_WHITE                                  17 lines  29-MAY-1992 10:25
                                   -< Heads >-
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Thanks for the information... I will be watching for responses to your note 
941.17.   

I am trying to figure out how the previous owner lived aboard every summer
weekend, with the head contents simply dumping over the side.   I know he 
had a mooring at some marina on the cape, and I've never heard of one that 
would permit boats to dump waste like that. 

Maybe I'm missing something, but I am certain there's no holding tank.  Even 
crawled as far down as I could into the stowage space under the left berth, 
where all the "plumbing" appears to be.  Can see from under the berth over to 
underneath the head itself, but I can't find a holding tank.    

The plot thickens...


Carol