Following is my list of the best other DIY sites if you want to check them out. If you’re a blogger or website owner and want to get your site on this list, please contact me and we can trade links.
- Barnacle Bill Holcomb’s Sailing – Excellent blog by an old salt with a Catalina 25 who also sails on Lake Pend Oreille. Good balance between boat building and skill building.
- Boating Safety Tips, Tricks & Thoughts from Captnmike – Some really useful knots and safety advise from a U.S. Coast Guard Master.
- Boat Used Parts Search – Find used parts with this powerful search engine specifically for boaters.
- The Bonne Amie Chronicles – A blog to read if you want to see how to do restoration perfectly at any cost.
- CapnRehab – Bringing a gift C-22 back from the brink of destruction.
- Capri22.net – Dedicated to the sportier sister ship but most of it is also applicable to Catalina 22s.
- Captain Curran’s Sailing Blog – West coast cruising and a few DIY projects.
- Capt’n Pauley’s Place – Projects and lots of other good cruising info.
- The Catalina 22 Experiment – Perhaps the largest private Catalina 22 site.
- Catalina 22 National Association – National organization for Catalina 22 racers and cruisers.
- Catalina/Capri 25/250 International Association – Similar to the Catalina 22 National Association but for the slightly longer sister ships. Active forums on topics mostly applicable also to C-22s.
- Catalina Direct Forums – Not very active, not searchable, and not sortable by date, but if you don’t mind browsing the threads, lots of good info.
- CatalinaOwners.com – Along with Sailnet, one of the most active Catalina forums.
- Chip Ahoy Home Port – Perhaps the most famous Catalina 22 improvement site. Here’s what you can do if money is no object.
- Compass Marine Services How-To Articles. – Great technical articles by a pro.
- On Board with Mark Corke – Excellent DIY site for boats of all kinds.
- Practical Sailor – “Independent test of boats and gear for the serious sailor” It’s the Consumer Reports of sailing and DIY.
- Ragged Sails – Some well documented restoration and improvement projects while living aboard a 33′ Hunter
- Rigging Doctor – A skipper of a larger sailboat who also takes DIY rigging seriously, especially synthetic rigging. Also some good tips for any size sailboat.
- SailNet → Low buck projects – My all time favorite forum thread. It epitomizes the DIY spirit of this blog and gave rise to The $tingy Sailor. As of the time this page was posted, this thread alone was passing 90 pages in length. Lots of great ideas and humor.
- SeTherin – Serious C-22 racing and pictures of mods but no descriptions.
- Simply BOAT – Quite possibly the most extensively modified Catalina 22.
- SJ23 Technical Tips – Devoted to San Juan 23’s but lots of info applicable to any trailerable.
- Yacht Survey Online – Over 160 articles by a retired marine surveyor about the worst problems for boats.
The $tingy Sailor 
I think your posts absolutely excellent and would love to hear how you would tackle an old GRP cruiser with at least 4 coats of poorly laid non slip paint. I am finding it an absolute nightmare.
Many thanks
John
Hi, John
Ugh…that does sound like a bad dream.
My first thought would be to grind/sand all the old non-skid paint off down to the gelcoat and then lay down a premium, modern non-skid material. Besides paint, there’s some interesting textured sheet materials too, which would be easier to install.
It’ll be a big job but anything less probably won’t hold up long.
Let us know how it turns out,
$tingy
I’m looking for the best location to install smoke/co alarm and propane detector on my C22 (1985). Any thoughts on these locations?
Hello, David
I haven’t installed one in a sailboat but assuming you expect to use propane appliances with small, disposable bottles inside the cabin, my best guess would be close to the sleeping berths but safe from moisture, getting bumped, etc. That said, I think all gas appliance manufacturers warn against using their products unattended. I recommend you consult more knowledgeable sources like the US Coast Guard to be on the safe side.
$tingy
Thanks for the feedback.