SmallCraftAdvisor.com

Hi All,

I have a hunter 170, it's the boat I learned to sail on and the only one that I have ever owned. It is really nice for the small lakes that I live near, but I keep thinking about going bigger and sailing on the Great Lakes.

Over the years my 'dream boat' has gone from another 17 footer with more ballast than my 170, to a 27 footer, and back agian. Usually I settle in on something like a Hunter 240, or a Catalina 22. I was wondering if any of you have experience with these boats and could offer an opinion.

From what I have read in SCA and on-line my take on the two is that the Catalina would be more stable, harder to launch and tow, and a real pain to raise the mast on. The Hunter offers more space, tows easily, sets up easily and heels pretty quickly . . . . have I got that about right?

My dream is to sail near shore on the big lakes, the Manitou Islands are 7 miles off shore - that might be a good goal, Beaver Island is 21 miles off shore . . . that might be a little ambitious for me.

Any thoughts would be welcome, those of us looking out our windows at snow need something to think about after all.

Thanks,

John

like most folks one does end up sailing at one time or another on a catalina. i did learn to sail on a catalina 22, along with macGregor and ventures, in the middle 1970s. the boat does fine as long as you understand her limitations and sail to her strengths.

unless any small boat is modified for, or built for (like a flicka 20'), 'blue water' you must pick your weather. folks take montgomery 15s and 17s to and across the great lakes and oceans ... when the weather is appropriate.

I owned and sailed a 1984 Catalina 22 from 1991 to 2001. Sold her to a friend, then bought her back in 2001. Recently sold her to another friend, but on the condition that if he ever plans to sell her, I get first chance.

I tell that history to say I love the Catalina 22. But I do understand their limitations.

The keel must be maintained with eternal vigilance. Remove the keel pillow block bolts, one at a time so the keel remains in place, and lubricate with anhydrous lanolin or Lanocote every year. Do not leave the C-22 in the water if you want to keep the keel in good shape. Repair chips on the keel and repair with epoxy to keep rust at bay. Replace the cable every two years and keep a spare on board.

The strengths are many:

Easy to sail. Good value for the money. Lots of equipment available used and aftermarket. COMFORT!!!, especially with the pop-top option. Roomy inside and nice to look at inside and on deck.

I have sailed many boats of similar size and design but for use in protected waters, it is hard to find a better value than a C-22.

However, on the Great Lakes, things are different. I lived in Duluth, MN and sailed on Lake Superior on a Contest 31 and a Scampi 30. I did not own my C-22 at that time but, if I had, I would have used her for daysailing only.

You might consider a Com-Pac 19 or a 23. They are a bit stronger and have an integral keel so they can be kept in the water.

The Great Lakes are wonderful but storms come up fast, sometimes with little warning and the water is cold so be careful out there.

Good luck,

Dave

We sailed one of the original C-22's for years back in the mid-west. Great boat, but the older versions used wood to strengthen the hull below the waterline......not a good Idea. We had a Capri-18 for a while. Great little boat, expanding foam floatation between the hull and liner,(like Boston Whaler's), un-sinkable, comfortable cruising for two, but not much "Potty-Privacy). We currently sail a Catalina-22 MK-II version with the wing keel. Only draws 6-8" more than the swing keel versions with the keel up. The new cabin layout and head room on the MK-II is a big improvement, along with the MK-II version being wider than the original C-22. Best of all, the wing keel is easy to trailer, and zero keel maintenance! No keel-klunk either.

Might I suggest you attending the Lake Havasu Pocket Cruiser Convention in Feb. You'll see all the boats your thinking about, and those you never thought about. You'll get to see them in the water, and probably sit in them, and maybe get a ride on some. You'll never get a chance like this to compare apples to apples, and apples to oranges.

Don

Lake Havasu is a long way from Ann Arbor . .

I am, however, planning to go to Strictly Sail in Chicago. Never been before, always wanted to. It's just a 4 hour ride on the Amtrak Wolverine.

I hope to look at and sit in some pocket cruisers while there, talk to some folks, and gawk at the million dollar yachts as well.

I was leaning toward the fixed keel C-22.

Thanks for all the info . . . . any other thoughts?

John

john_k wrote:I am, however, planning to go to Strictly Sail in Chicago.

john:

boat shows are fun ... but in the past few year trailerable types have been lacking. if you are going 'just' to see a craft that can be hauled behind the 'family truckster' check the exhibitor list, and contact the builder to confirm they will have a trailerable at the show, before planning your trip.

Oh, I DO plan to gawk at the million dollar mega yachts, but most importantly - this a weekend away with the good lady wife whilst the kinder are at their cousins house.

and we can find things to do in Chicago!
All will be well even if there are no pocket cruisers present

John

john_k wrote:this a weekend away with the good lady wife whilst the kinder are at their cousins house.

excellent!

john_k wrote:... we can find things to do in Chicago!

get a good 'chicago style' slice of pizza when there. i'm not a big city person, but getting real chicago style is worth a stop if i'm in the area.

John,

The fixed keel C-22's are hard to find, and if you plan on trailering, because of the deep draft, they could be difficult to launch from a ramp. The wing keel versions only require slightly more water to launch than a swing keel. Catalina didn't start putting wing keels until they came out with the second generation C-22's in 1986,(much better design for cruising than the original version), not sure when they started installing the wing keels. They did make a wing keel conversion kit for the C-22, and the C-25. The C-25 conversions were a lot more popular.

Don't get me wrong, the swing keel C-22's are a nice boat, expecially the newer versions that have the keels made from a stainless steel weldement, with lead attached, and encased in fiberglass. These are much better that the original cast iron swing keels that normally required a lot of work to get the shape correct. The new keels,(which can be installed on older versions), takes away most of the keel maintenance, and have a nearly perfect shape right from the factory. Catalina makes two versions of the C-22 currently. The C-22 Sport, that uses the same shape hull like the older versions for racing, new style cabin, and only available in a swing keel. And the C-22 MK-II, completely new hull and deck, still shares the same sails and rigging design. They are available in swing keel, and share the same wing and fin keels as the Capri-22. Much more room in the cabin with the higher cabin roof, and wider hull,(8'6" beam). We've had dock parties with our MK-II with 8 adults sitting in the cabin comfortably. You can see some pictures of our MK-II on the "Quick Poll: Where you sail" posting, 3rd page.

Don

Thanks for the advice. When I said "fixed keel" I really meant "wing keel" I guess I knew that there was a fin keel version out there, but I don't see them very often for sale.

Sadly, it looks like the only C-22 at the boat show will be the c-22 sport, but that is at least something.

We get to Chicago fairly often - my personal fav. is Gino's East for the deep dish pizza. I know that you can start a fight by throwing down a vote for best pizza in chicago, so let me say that I have had several and haven't had a bad slice!

john