Good morning

[Kingoffun]

Hello all. My wife and I are new to the sailing scene and are excited about our future plans of a live aboard lifestyle and change in life! We have made a 5 year plan to live aboard and sail the Carribean and see different areas the great Mother Earth has to offer! I look for to chatting with you. Now we have a 1982 Catalina 22 with a swing keel. She is perfect for the Banana River here in Indian Harbour Beach and Satellite Beach, FL. We named her Knotty Dreams when I did the bottom job and gave the hull a beautiful new coat of paint. We have new sails coming in March which will be a furler jib and a main with 2 reefs. We put all new electrical and are planning to repair and paint the deck in the next couple of months. I am interested in reading as much advice on repair and maintenance you have to offer. Have a great day!

[Raven Odyssey]

Welcome to the fold. Looks like you have a pretty nice place to keep the little C22. I'm assuming that when the time comes, you'll be moving to a larger boat?

When it comes time to paint the deck, I'd recommend KiwiGrip if the moulded nonskid has lost its grip.

[Kingoffun]

Raven, I had to have the risers on the lift extended and now she is kept out of the water to keep the bottom job looking good! I'll look into the Kiwigrip when it is time to do the deck refinish. We are in the process of shopping around for a 40-48' catamaran to eventually live on and travel the Caribbean. Looking forward to the boat show">Miami boat show in Feb!

[gjordan]

Kingoffun, Just so you are aware, there is a ton of Catalina 22 information available at <forums.sailboatowners.com/Catalina forums> , I think I have that correct. It is a pretty active forum. Are you planning on chartering a couple of different boats before you make a final decision? I spent 8 years in the Carribean and loved it. It is a good life. Best of luck. _____Grant.

[Plangstraat]

Welcome to the forum. My wife and I sail a 32 foot Beneteau out of Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
We've been sailing for only 5 years. We started out with a 17 foot Siren swingkeel boat back on lakes in Alberta. I spent an entire winter doing the fibreglass work, paint, replacing portholes, etc. Learned a lot on that boat.
A year later we bought a Hunter 260 water ballast boat. We loved that boat. It was in much better shape than the Siren but I certainly learned a lot about maintaining a larger boat.
Since then we have moved to Victoria, British Columbia and purchased the Beneteau as a cruiser for the northwest. Again, I have learned a lot working on this boat - diesel engines, navigation, electrical, etc.
I have found this forum and the broader online community incredibly helpful with all of my "dumb" questions as I have learned about sailing, boat maintenance and all of the ins and outs of owning a boat.
Never hesitate to ask. There are many great people out there who are happy to lend a hand.
Welcome aboard.

[Kingoffun]

Grant, thanks the tip about the forum. I look forward to scanning through it. We are planning on a different charter boat everything we go. In march, we will be on a 46 Bavaria Vision. It is a beautiful boat and we aren't opposed to a monohaul.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, King.