If you spend much time around other C-22 owners or online C-22 forums, you’re bound to hear the following myth over and over. It goes something like this…
The Catalina 22 uses a locking bolt to keep the keel down in case of a knock-down.
Continue reading “Why Your Swing Keel Lock Bolt Won’t Save You in a Knockdown”
This is one of those little things that I did on a whim and I didn’t think would last. But it has turned out to be so handy that I’d miss it if it were gone.
Continue reading “Add a Solar-Powered Flood Light in Your Cockpit”
This post is the continuation of Refinish your swing keel for best performance – Part 4: Sealing and painting and the last post in the series. I describe: how to prepare the hull, tips for keeping the keel centered in the trunk, the proper method to tighten the hanger bolts, and end with a materials list and a brief project cost analysis.
Continue reading “Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 5: Installing”
This post is the continuation of Refinish your swing keel for best performance – Part 3: Fairing. I will describe: building a fiberglass reinforced guard on the leading edge, applying the final waterproofing coats of epoxy, bonding centering spacers on the upper end, priming with a barrier coat of epoxy paint, and applying ablative bottom paint last.
Continue reading “Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 4: Sealing and Painting”
This post is the continuation of Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 2: Cleaning. I will describe common keel defects, the fairing system I used, sealing a freshly sandblasted keel, applying body filler to build up an accurate hydrodynamic foil shape, and paying extra attention to the shape of the leading edge of the keel.
Continue reading “Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 3: Fairing”
This post is the continuation of Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 1: Removing. This week, I describe using hand tools and power tools to remove most of the old coatings and rust, one way to lift and move the keel so you can work on it elsewhere, and the different methods of removing the remaining rust either chemically or by sandblasting to prepare it for fairing. Fairing is the process of making the keel fair, meaning the right shape, smooth, and pretty.
Continue reading “Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 2: Cleaning”
2019 was another exciting year here at The $tingy Sailor!
“Double your pleasure, double your fun” used to be the Doublemint gum slogan because of its double strength mint flavoring. You can double the utility of your main sheet by upgrading it to double ends. What you already have, a working end at the fiddle block that attaches to the traveler stays as it is and you can continue to use it from the rear of the cockpit. But instead of the opposite end of the sheet terminating at a becket at the boom block, it continues forward along the boom to a swivel block with a cam cleat over the front of the cockpit. This allows you or another crew member to also trim the main sheet from a forward seating position.
Continue reading “Upgrade Your Main Sheet to Double Ends”
Did you do a project on your sailboat last year that you’re particularly proud of? Or did you make an ingenious improvement that you’d like to share with other skippers? I’ve received comments and emails from many of you who rolled up your sleeves and took on DIY projects large and small, simple and complex. Now’s your turn to show off some of your hard work for a chance to win prizes and worldwide acclaim!
Continue reading “Enter the 2018 Stingy Sailor DIY Project Contest”
The $tingy Sailor 