RE:Gulf Coast Florida

Just a small Catalina 22 sailboat
Ha! I guessed that from seeing the transom and traveler in your photo. Must be about the same vintage I had a few years ago. I never should have sold that boat. It was one of my favorites. Low maintenance, trailerability, single hander. And perfect for your area of the coast.

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

They are great- have one in the north and another in FL, perfect for day sailing and soaking up the rays

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

perfect for day sailing and soaking up the rays
Good weekender too.
When I sold mine, I bought a Watkins 23'. Has a swing keel that swings into a stub keel. So not much draft and no centerboard trunk in the cabin. It looked good on paper and I like the boat. But it wasn't long before I realized selling the Catalina was a mistake. So I shopped 'till I dropped and couldn't find one as equipped and priced like the one I'd sold. So I bought an Oday Mariner. Floates in water about up to my knees lol! And has a small cabin but enough for an overnighter. So now I have two sailboats and seldom seem to have time to sail either one. Hopefully that'll change soon. I'm workin' on it.

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

My Catalina 22s have Wing keels. Only 2.5 ft draft. Mariner is fun too. I like the stability of a fixed keel. Lucky to get 100+ sails in per year

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

My Catalina 22s have Wing keels. Only 2.5 ft draft.

I'm guessing you must be a big fan of 22's as well as wing keels since you own two :-) Is that so you don't have to drag one back and forth from the northeast to FL? That would be plenty good enough reason if you ask me. But I have more questions. I've owned/sailed numerous fixed keels but not one with wings. I've considered one though and I probably will again at some point. Do you find they point as well as a straight keel? My other concern (but I have no clue) is what about the wings hanging up on things like seaweed, crab traps, anchor lines, etc like that? Any worse or about the same as a no-wing fixed keel? I can't think of any other possible cons to them. And otherwise looks like a great idea to me. The shallow draft of a swing keel and ballast of a fixed keel. That's pretty spiffy.

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

And as long as I seem to be rambling here, I wonder if anyone has ever tried refitting a C22 with bilge keels?

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

Slightly less pointing ability compared to fin or swing but where I sail in FL , 30 inch draft is a must.

Big plus I can put the bow on the beach which you cant with a fin. Of the 15,000 C22s made, less than 5 % are wings.

For racing swing keel are fastest.

For just cruising around and sunbathing,, like right now, they are great

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

Slightly less pointing ability compared to fin or swing but where I sail in FL , 30 inch draft is a must.

Big plus I can put the bow on the beach which you cant with a fin. Of the 15,000 C22s made, less than 5 % are wings.

For racing swing keel are fastest.

For just cruising around and sunbathing,, like right now, they are great

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

I could nose my swing keel up to most beaches but I didn't do it often. The keel just hangs underneath by one little pivot pin that can be seriously damaged if the boat comes down on it due to an unanticipated wake or a wave. That's one reason I was attracted to my Watkins 23. The swing keel (actually a center board) is well protected up inside the stub keel in case of a pounding grounding. Granted, I ran my C22 aground plenty but only when I was sailing with the keel half way down. The boat would come to a screeching halt but didn't hurt anything half way down with room to swing. So then I could crank it up a little off the bottom and either sail on across the bar or turn around and go back. Came in really handy for not getting stuck.
I would have thought Catalina would have sold a lot more wing keels than they did.

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RE:Gulf Coast Florida

They were designed to be trailer sailed and the fin and wing are a pain to haul and need a special trailer.

I keep mine a a slip

Almost time to head south for the winter

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