Keeping Sun Cat in salt water

[suznhenz]

Hi all. I am a former owner of a Compac 23 and now have a Catalina 270, which is for sale because I am tired of having to deal with shallow water in my canal and the limited times I can use the boat. I am considering a Compac 16, 19 or Sun Cat. I will be keeping whatever boat I buy at my dock, which is in salt water. I've never owned a centerboard boat and wondered if I could really store a Sun Cat in salt water. Will the SS centerboard corrode or get covered with marine growth? Can it be painted with anti fouling paint? How stiff is the Sun Cat compared to the other two boats? I don't need something that sails really close to the wind, just something fun that I could maybe sleep on overnight at a local anchorage and that doesn't require me to drag my chubby, late 60's body to the bow to mess with sails (plan on roller furling on the 16 or 19).

[Subsailor637]

I have a Horizon Cat that I hope to eventually have down in Punta Gorda so will have the same questions.  I will probably give Com-Pac a call or send an e-mail to one of the Hutchins brothers to get their input directly when I am closer to making that transition (from muddy but "fresh" water on the Illinois River).  Since they are located in Clearwater I'm guessing they have quite a few sun cats and horizon cats down in Florida waters

[Shawn]

As a data point there are at least two Suncats in the harbor I sail out of. One on a mooring and the other at a dock beyond a low bridge. Only a Suncat and a Sea Pearl are beyond that bridge,they both raise mast(s) after clearing it.  If I see either Suncat at sail I will ask their owners what they did with the centerboard. Was running back to Wickford with one of them yesterday. Would think that maybe the copper filled epoxy may be a hand treatment for the centerboard if it wouldn't cause corrosion issues?

Shawn

[Jon898]

Used to keep the PC in the water so had it antifouled.  A PicnicCat has a similar centerboard assembly to a SunCat.  The antifouling included an epoxy barrier coat all over followed by the high copper content (Pettit) antifouling.  No issues for the 3 years I kept it in the water.  I think if I were to keep one in warm (Florida?) salt water, I would go the same route but maybe drop the board to make sure I got all the SS covered.  On the rudder (aluminum), I made sure there was an epoxy band between the bare metal and the antifouling as that's where the greatest risk of galvanic corrosion probably is.

This may be a better question for the factory...give them a call as they are pretty helpful.