Other People's Upgrades To Their Catalina 22 Sailboats
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The Beanie Top is just a cap. I wanted it small to be able to get around it while sailing. It is completely "walk-around" and all sail controls are accessible: downhaul, halyards, vang, reef line, and most important mainsheet. It will fold forward onto the cabin and out of the way quickly and easily. I am tall and get under and around it easily. The tarp is from Harbor Freight. I added grommets to the front and back edges. It is shoelaced together under the frame. I did not have to sew or cut the 6' x 8' tarp. I will eventually replace it with a nice piece of Sunbrella, but for now the top is still evolving. Every time I use it, I get an new perspective and change things around a bit. Since it is tied on to the frame, it is real easy to change its shape. The frame was made from rough ash boards and cypress fence boards Only common shop tools are needed, skill saw, block plane, drill and orbital sander. It is bolted together with stainless and tied to the boat via plastic cleats with 1/4" line. I added the cleats just aft of the windows, but there are any number of ways it could be attached. The metal is 1/4 inch aluminum plate. I got a 10" x 12" piece from a local welding shop for free. I cut it into 1 1/2" x 10" strips with a hacksaw. I then bent them around the rails with a hammer and 6" clamp and drilled through both, then bolted them together. Latter they were rounded over and wirebrushed. The three top bows are curved. I made them from 1" x 6" x 6' cypress fence boards I had. They were cut to match the width and arc of the cabin top. I drew an arc on the board from end to end, then a matching arc about three inches below that one. The top arc tapers from 0 at the center of the board down to about 3" on each end. I left a 5" dog-ear on each end of the bow for attaching to the side rails. The dog ears are rounded. The side rails were made from rough ash boards, 2" x 5" x 5'. I split the board on a diagonal from one end to the other so that the rail would taper from about 3" down to 2". Using a block plane, I removed a lot of wood and rounded them over, leaving a 6" flat at the tips for attaching to the top bows. Everything is bolted with 1/4" stainless bolts and locknuts. ANYONE can make this top for less than $100. Until I bought the boat, my shop tools consisted of a large spoon for hammering and a butter knife for tightening loose screws. |
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The frame |
Lacing on the cover |
Collapsed |
Fully deployed |
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