Well, I've just returned from YET ANOTHER visit to West Marine and the local Catalina dealer (The Foredeck). I only spent $68 this time. Picked up the replacement parts for the forestay and an upgrade in that department (a quick release lever to simplify the whole forestay attachment process), I also got an upgrade kit for the stem (the under-the-deck attachment for the forestay), and a $19.50 U Bolt that is required to upgrade the "eye" bolt one normally uses to pull the boat up on to the trailer with ( the U Bolt must be in place before you can perform the Stem upgrade!).

I'm sure that we will never see this money again but they seem like good investments when you read the horror stories people tell about the failures of various parts in their boats!

On Wednesday July 17 Greg Himes and I had convened to take the boat out on Folsom Lake for a quick shake down. Here's what happened.

I got over to where the boat is stored (the Himes' house) and applied the new numbers/letters and the new decals showing proof of registration. Then Greg Himes and I installed the new eyebolt. We also tightened down a couple of screws on various cover plates. I put on the new lines. We finished by taking the engine off its new mount and putting it in the back of Greg's truck.

We headed out for Folsom at about 2 PM. When we pulled into the Brown's Ravine parking lot (about 40 miles later) we found that the left wheel was barely on the trailer! After some searching we found a 13/16 lug wrench and tighted the wheel. We then proceeded to raise the mast and found that the turnbuckle and assembly on the forestay was gone! We still raised the mast and tied the forestay up with a rope. We put the boat in the water.

As soon as the hull went in the water we looked in the bilge and found some water was coming in. It wasn't much but its still disconcerting. Over the 3 hours that we were out we took on about 6-8 cups of water. Luckily I had a sponge and bailer on the boat so it wasn't a problem. We think the source of the leak is a joint around the keel casing or where the keel bolt is seated. It's not serious at this point but something we will want to locate and repair before we leave the boat in a slip for any length of time.

After we determined that there weren't any significant leaks we fired up the little 6 HP engine motored around on the lake. There was so little wind that the other C-22s on the lake did not have their sails up either.

Around 6 PM Greg (my husband) arrived by bicycle and we took him out with us for a spin.

We had a heck of a time putting the boat back on the trailer. The slot where the keel has to sit is very, very narrow! Anyway, it was good to have the Himes' big truck to pull the whole boat and trailer out of the water at the end.

Since Catalina Direct was closed on Monday I had to go there on Tuesday July 16 when on my way to San Francisco airport to pick up Nikki. The establishment is a warehouse with a small waiting room without any chairs or embellishments. I placed my order of things that could not be had at West Marine. For instance, the eyebolt we had found broken. This I learned, is a weak spot in the original design of the boat which Catalina has elected to force people to upgrade. So, instead of a mere $3 bolt, I had to purchase a $110 eyebolt replacement kit! It included all the materials (including a heavy duty 1/2 drill bit that will go through steel) necessary to replace all six of the 3/8 inch eyebolts holding down the stays (shrouds?) to the deck. Oh well!

I also picked up a set of 4 battens (they don't sell battens individually) and a through hull valve replacement kit. Total came to $146.

On Monday July 15 Greg paid a visit (nearly $100s worth) to West Marine. He picked up the couple of missing items and an assortment of odd parts which in the process of looking everything over seemed proned to being dropped in the water (the bolt that holds the tiller on to the rudder, a shank, a mast bolt). He also picked up a new bolt that holds the aluminum mast plate into the cabin roof.

On Sunday July 14 we got over there earlier, about 12:30 PM. We mounted the new motor mount, continued fixing odds and ends (caping an old hole that the former VHF atennae went in, etc). At the end of our afternoon we decided to raise all the sails and make sure that we had all the lines and everything together. We found that there are very few things missing. For instance, one batten is totally gone and another is in small pieces. There's a luff line on the jib that seems tighter than it should be...maybe it has shrunk? We also saw that we needed a jam cleat in one place (for the boom vang equivalent I think).

Finally, when we were satisfied that the sails were in functional order, we decided to lower the mast and prepare the package to go on its first launch.

Unfortunately, there were branches from a nearby tree holding the mast up. These branches were dead and rather significant in size but we figured we could break them with the mast or blow past them. We pushed and pulled and swung until finally the branch gave way and the mast came down...and boy did it come down! One of the stays (right lower aft, I think its called) broke off at the bolt! in fact we discovered upon examination that the bolt was rusted through and had severed. Luckily the fiberglass was not damaged but when we continued to look at the damage we assessed that the base of the aluminum mast had been sheared through because we had left the mast bolt in place.

So, we are learning what to do when raising and lowering the mast...the hard (and expensive) way!

last weekend, July 13-14, we resumed work on the boat. On Saturday we found that the left tire was flat so we took in the rim and the very lightly used tire that Greg Himes donated to the cause (Thanks! Greg) to the Goodyear tire place and for a mere $8.50 had a "new" tire mounted and balanced. Then we finished putting on the teak trim that had been treated before and removed some of the interior trim that has to be (matter of opinion) sanded and treated with Cetol.

Well, we've done all we can for the time being as we are off to other adventures for a couple of months.

Here's where we stand on the remaining open items:

1. have purchased a new spring loaded engine mount. It's in the port compartment of the cockpit where the gasoline tank goes. We paid only $5 more for the spring loaded variety made for larger engines. We figured it would more than pay for itself in reduced wear and tear on the back! We were planning on leaving the existing engine mount hardware right where it is. Can't think of any good reason to take it off and the holes probably don't leak at this time.

2. have determined that the mast is in good working order but we did not attach the boom or raise the main sail. It's inside the cabin. Have not done anything with the halyards. They appear better than I expected.

3. began replacing the teak (looks very nice I think; need to buy one of those bags to carry the three part cabin cover so it doesn't get any more damaged than it already has; they also sell nice snap on covers to put over the hand rails; might order those to protect the wood) but still have some work to do around the hatch. Haven't figured out the best way to fasten the cabin closed. What are the options?

4. The outboard motor is fully operational and in excellent condition (Evinrude 6 HP, 2 stroke). We have replaced the female part on the fuel line where it meets the tank but the connection still leaks! Must not be the female part that needed some work. Any ideas on that?

5. replaced the hinges on one of the cockpit compartments and replaced the weather-stripping. Haven't done the same (yet) on the other side but have all the parts inside the cabin. Removed the old VHF antenna mount but there's a hole there now...luckily it's covered from rain but just perfect size for a mouse!

6. Haven't checked anything on the keel yet. It said in a manual that you are not supposed to travel with the keel resting (bouncing) with all its weight on the gears of the wench. Have no idea what its status is at this time.

7. Purchased a battery (brand new marine Die Hard from Sears) and it's in the compartment beneath/near the dinning table but has not been hooked up. Need to replace the tray in which the battery is supposed to be seated since its wood is completely rotten. I'd be surprised if the electrical system doesn't need something.

8. Trailer's electrical system is all in tip top shape. Replaced both the back lights. Tires are both in pretty bad shape. One doesn't hold air above 10-15 lbs of pressure. We are planning to just replace both so that they are both radials and matching size. Thinking of locating a pair of matching used ones, but open to anything.

9. Purely ornamental, I think, but a new rubber transom trim is on order. Fellow at the Foredeck said it was a very popular part! Removed the old dried up one. Watch out for the screws kind of sticking out where they can easily hurt someone getting in and out. Haven't purchased any indoor outdoor carpet for the cockpit and cabin. Really want one of those wooden lattice deals as a drain board for the cockpit.

10. New license plate has been mounted, but haven't received a sticker to go on the boat. Am I going to get one in the mail??? I got the official certificate of ownership but no sticker. Also, have called our insurance company and it doesn't appear that we need to take out any supplemental policies or riders because it is under 25 feet.

That's all for now!

On May 7, I spent some time on the phone with West Marine in Rancho Cordova. They are too busy to help me (to any great detail) but at least I know that I'm going to be able to get some of the Cetol product for finishing the teak.

Greg is going to pick up some supplies for me when he is in Sacramento with a car tomorrow.

Today he went to extra special effort and got a tow hitch put on the mini-van. I'm going to go out and pick up a battery and take it over to the boat tonight after dinner when we are also going to measure some parameters. I'm also planning to leave the registration in the boat in an envelope. It's kind of odd how easily the title was transfered

Today I went to the DMV and got the title changed over to my name. Now it's official!

Sunday, May 5, I spent 5 hours cleaning it up. In the evening Greg G, Vivianne and Brigitte accompanied me to the Himes' house and we toasted to the future and heard Shirley's sailing horror stories! Thanks again to both Greg and Shirley for your facilities and generous support. Thanks to my family for their patience with me!

Once at the Himes' estate, I took a few more photos. Here is one view down the bow. Here's up the starboard side. Here's up the port side from the cockpit.

The person who previously owned this Catalina 22 purchased it in 1985 and lives (or lived) in Cameron Park. It appears that at some time in the past it had quite a lot of water in the cabin because there is a water mark about 18 inches up the side of the benches. Inside the hull, where I got down and scrubbed vigourously, it appeared that there has been a lot of standing water. I'm hoping that whatever happened will not repeat itself!

It appears, based on the registration of the trailer in 1991, that this boat has been in dry storage for at least 10 years and that the person who owned it probably hasn't done much with it since 1988 when he or she purchased some Teak to replace the existing wood. The replacement parts came with the lot and so I will be refinishing those and mounting them on the boat as soon as possible.

I got back to the auction about an hour before lot 495 (the Catalina 22) was due to go up. I studied matters a bit and then decided to hang out. I recruited someone who seemed to know what he was doing with bidding and what not. He helped me in the process and by 12:30 PM I was the owner of this boat and $1,450 poorer (there were fees totaling 21% of the purchase price which brought the grand total to $1,751).

I have a few people to thank for helping me acquire and enjoy this boat. First, my family who know I like to take risks and who were the first to tell me not to do it! When I called Greg (Greenwood) from the fairgrounds where I saw the boat, he asked me to remember all of the other things already on our plate. Vivianne and Nikki forbade it categorically. But, I had already spoken with one sponsor Greg Himes.


When I saw the boat in an auction (Click here to see the photo), I immediately called Greg Himes and jokingly said that his boat was right out here on the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. He asked what kind it was and when I found out he said that it was too small for him, but 20 minutes later he was on site. He checked the hull and sails and looked around before saying that it looked sound. If you're buying a boat from an individual you would have someone inspect it, but in an auction, it's "as is." Greg said even if everything was broken I would be able to sell the parts for $1,500. He told me that if we got it, he would help me to move it and eventually he graciously agreed to "host" the boat at his house where there is room, flat ground, easy access and all his wonderful tools. Then Greg H. left to do some other errands.

I left the fairgrounds to get some perspective on the whole matter and I called Francis. He was excited. He looked up some prices on the web and I got the feeling I could go as high as $2,200 without doing too badly, especially since it has a trailer with it.

Here I am, the new owner of a very early issue Catalina 22. It is hull #1601. There are over 10,000 (not sure how many, exactly) of these out sailing the rivers and lakes of the world. This is one of (if not THE) most popular boat of its size and function (lightweight, trailerable, keel). The National Association of Catalina 22 owners keeps track of the earliest models. They even have a web site dedicated to it!
Click to it here


There are many fleets of Catalina 22s. Fleet 4 is in Sacramento, probably operating out of Folsom Lake.