Articles
Commissioning My New C-18 Mk II,
Sail No. 694, Including updates to Catalina Documentations
June 2006
Clayton Harrell
Yakpilot@cox.net
Because I have no local Catalina dealer, my boat and trailer was delivered
directly to me just as it was when it left the factory. I had to rely on factory
documentation to make the boat sea-worthy. Woops! I found the documentation did
not match my boat. When I called the factory, they knew the “Capri Models 18 and
22 -- Owners Manual and Rigging Guide” handbook needed revision and they were
planning to do it soon.
I also received three other very important pieces of documentation: (1) five
Catalina Drawings, (2) a booklet named, “General Handbook”, and (3) the “CDI
Flexible Furler1” instructions.
So, for those of you that are planning on getting a new Catalina, I have
included what I found wrong with the documentation.
Capri Models 18 and 22 Owners Manual and Rigging Guide:
• Starting with the cover: Hey, that’s not a Catalina C-18, Mark II on the
cover! Notice the foresail (Jib) halyard goes to the top of the mast. Ok, I
agree, that is a cheap shot. Also, in that same vain, the word “Capri” is often
used to describe the boats even though the factory sales literature does not.
• I understand that a Barrier Coat is no longer required; this is referred to on
pages 8 and 10 and is in conflict to the statements on page 19, paragraph 3.5.
The treatment of fiberglass is in this booklet, as well as in the General
Handbook. Why, I don’t know because they are both the same.
• Page 12: “All Chain plates and thru bolts tight.” I found the first two
stanchions had no washers or nuts. You may want to check them all.
• Paragraph 3.6, page 20: I have no exterior teak on my new boat. The original
C-18 did, but the new boats have none.
• “Setting up the Boom” instructions needs revision. Number four, for instance,
is incorrect – see next item on this list.
• Mainsheet/Traveler drawings on page 32 (drawing 4.1.13) are not the
arrangement for the C-18 Mk II, which has a barney post.
• On page 33, the Boom Vang (4.1.16) is superceded by the loose drawings, as is
the Mainsheet/Traveler noted above.
• Deck Hardware drawing 4.1.19 on page 36: location of winches (13) is incorrect
they are no longer on the cabin top, and the tracks (14) as well are moved. No.
9 White Plastic Deck Light is not there. Cam Cleat 12 is not there, but if the
furling gear is included, the furling cleat and followers are not shown. Also
the jam cleats for the sheets are not shown, and the barney post is not shown.
• 4.3, page 41 is incorrect: Batteries are now in the bilge with no real tie
downs as explained, only a cross-wooden hold-down bar.
• Wiring Diagram 4.3.2 on page 42: The panel is now mounted on the sidewall.
• 6.4, page 53: Folding Radar Reflector is shown two times. The list continues
on the next page with Chapman’s Piloting, Seamanship, Small Boat Handling book –
I did not get one, so I am not sure if it is a correct entry or not.
Five Lose Catalina Drawings:
• The first page showed the traveling mast storage and the mainsheet traveler
installation. Both did not apply to the C-18 although there were no notes to
that affect. The mast storage hardware shown on the drawings was not what was
supplied with my C-18, and the C-18 does not have a mainsheet traveler, so toss
that page out, nothing applies.
• The second page was named “Running Rigging” and supposedly related to both the
C-18 and C-22. This looked good with one exception; an area of the drawing was
called out as being “A” on the cockpit floor, so I expected a detailed drawing
of that area or notes explaining more information. There is a detailed drawing
of the spinnaker sheet block, but what “A” is remains a mystery.
• Sheet three, “Mainsheet, Traveler, and Vang Arrangement Perf. Option”
contained three separate drawing areas. Mainsheet 3.1 drawing shows the lower
attachment going to a Traveler Car, which of course the C-18 does not have; but
I assume it could just as well attach to the Barney Post -- Again, no note to
that affect. The Traveler 2.1 drawing does not apply at all, and the Boom Vang
4.1 drawing looks to be applicable.
• Sheet four, “Boom Assembly” drawing looks adequate.
• Sheet five, “3.1.6 Rigging Length” is noted just for the Catalina 18, Mk II
although it is dated in 1991. I frankly did not check this page at all because
Catalina very nicely marked all the lines supplied with the boat.
CDI Flexible Furler1:
The CDI booklet was detailed and accurate, with one big exception – the length
of the flexible plastic luff was incorrect and it took me several hours to make
it work by cutting off small pieces until it would turn correctly at the mast.
The problem is that the top piece of the luff also houses the internal halyard,
which makes it too large to turn past the boat’s in-mast halyard block (whether
used or not) because the part has an extrusion where the line exits the internal
CDI block.
The boat, once rigged, is a blast to sail. Single handling it though is a chore.
As far as raising and lowering the mast, that too is really a two-person job.
Therefore, I opted to keep my boat in the water and just pull it out monthly to
blast the gook off the hull. Have fun, and sail safely.