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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Custom Swim Platform

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MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/24/2012 : 19:03:57

We were discussing swim ladders in another thread and I thought it would be best to start a new thread to show some pictures of my custom swim platform. We can fold it up to the stern rail but almost never do. It never drags in the water regardless of how much we heel. I purchased the 4 step undermount ladder for about $145 and made all the other parts myself. The square tubing and hinge plates are stainless steel, but if I had it to do again I would have used aluminum. The deck is composite decking material. Also, if I had it to do again I would have used cellular PVC decking instead of composite. The composite tends to get some mold in the texture (composite decking uses wood fiber mixed in the plastic) and the color is fading.

Chris
Sacandaga Lake, NY
1984 C25 SRSK
"Les's Moor"

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2012 : 04:49:31

Cool...

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Tomas Kruska
Admiral

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Czech Republic
522 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2012 : 04:57:30

Really nice setup!

I'm not any show-off, but this is "sugar scoop" that PO did on my boat.

And this is the same on C27 made by the same team.

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2012 : 05:41:34

Tomas, I have often thought that's the neatest modification I have ever seen to a Catalina. It updates the design. Converting it to an inboard rudder was very clever, and the only way the sugar scoop could be incorporated.

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Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2012 : 06:10:21

This photo provokes all kind of questions.....

1) Is the rudder stock running through the original transom?

2) It looks as if the split back-stay has been moved out to the very edges of the transom, but they also appear to terminate at the arch. What's the story there?

3) Is the traveller mounted on the arch?

4) Can you send the plans for that dodger?

Someone put at lot of time and money into modifying your boat, looks great.

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glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2012 : 18:35:12

scoop, arch, dodger, bow sprit, .... gorgeous!

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Tomas Kruska
Admiral

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Czech Republic
522 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 01:42:55

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Davy J</i>

1) Is the rudder stock running through the original transom?

2) It looks as if the split back-stay has been moved out to the very edges of the transom, but they also appear to terminate at the arch. What's the story there?

3) Is the traveller mounted on the arch?

4) Can you send the plans for that dodger?

Someone put at lot of time and money into modifying your boat, looks great.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

1) yes and the rudder also original, but slightly cut and modified
2) that two wirelines is there to support the tension of the backstay connected to the top of the arch. More details :

3) traveler is removed and main sheet is led to the center of the cockpit
Anyway, its not possible to sail with the bimini top open.

4) Yes I can as soon as I will measure it. One thing that I would recommend is to have the front window detachable to let some breeze in cockpit.

Thanks for compliments but sure someone invested a lot. When she came to Europe in the mid of 90's she got a first inboard diesel BUKH. Then in 2001 it was replaced by new Volvo. I suppose that somone could buy a pretty bigger boat for all that money :-)

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 06:03:23

Tomas,

You win...Awesome!

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 08:16:28

Boatally incredible!!! I love it!

Both of them actually... Nice job!

sten

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 09:03:44

Chris,

Nice job on the swim ladder. I wish I had done something similar when my kids were young. They would have loved it.

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MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 10:20:21

I think Tomas wins! The thing I really like about the scoop transom is that I would imagine it adds more flotation in the rear which is something our boats seem to be lacking. Once you start adding things like a heavier outboard, pedistal steering, heavier swim ladders/platforms, stern rail seats etc, you tend to weigh the back of the boat down too much and it squats in the rear.

I have been thinking about something like Thomas' arch to get the back stay out of the cockpit. With wheel steering it is really a pain. Time to buy a pipe bender and tig welder!

Edited by - on

MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 10:29:57

by the way, check out this site...It's got me thinking!

http://kindred-spirit.net/morgan43/swimplatform.html

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 10:36:00

I'm not sure that wheel steering belongs on a C-25. Why have it?

I like Chris's approach and would like to see a photo of it flipped up (only the first photo of 3 works, the other two return permission denied). I just got a new swim ladder so I'm unlikely to change to his setup, but my wife finds the step up from the dinghy to the boat to be large and would probably prefer a platform like that.

I agree that the C-25 sits a bit stern heavy and have been thinking about moving my batteries forward to compensate. It would be easy to put them in the V-berth compartment next to the through hull for the head, and then build a little box to isolate all of that stuff. That would also free up a nicely placed locker in the main cabin.

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 10:40:56

By attaching the backstay to the arch, it has also effectively moved the backstay aft, which makes room for what looks like a longer boom, which allows not only for a bigger mainsail, but also for a big roach. Pictures can be deceiving, but that boat looks like it has a lot more sail area than a stock C25 standard rig. If so, how does it behave? I'd guess it's very fast in light to moderate winds, and a bit tender in strong winds, unless some weight and depth has also been added to the keel.

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MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 10:49:46

Sorry about that, I had only made one of the pictures public. The trouble was, I could see all three becuase I was logged into my hotmail account. They should all show now though.

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MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2012 : 10:58:04

Wheel steering is a must on a C25! how do I know? My wife told me it was!

Seriously though it's mostly a wash. The only real downside is losing space in the cockpit. Actually it's not even the space, it's maneuverability around it. You gain a nice place for instruments and cup holder. The biggest benefit (for me) is the ability to control the outboard while I am standing up and facing forward. It used to be such a pain to reach over the transom and work the outboard tiller while trying to see where we were going.

Clearly though the cockpit was designed for a tiller setup. To make the wheel work well you need to start changing other things around it, like getting the backstay up and out. Also, I would also like to move the jib winches back further so the helmsman can use them without leaving his seat. I am going to post some pics of the wheel set up I have in a new thread

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