new picnic cat 14 owner

[Roger]

I just purchased a beautiful fresh water picnic 14 in Texas. Not a mark on it Will be towing it to our home in Pittsburgh then later on to the Jersey Shore (Surf City in Barnegat Bay) Any other owners down that way please speak up. Might be fun to get together.

In addition here is my concern. Has anyone ever swamped a 14? Do they sink? Any flotation? I heard some folks put those flotation bags that are used in the Optimist pram inside the side lockers.

[bruce]

Hey Roger, welcome aboard!

No need to panic, the PC is no more prone to capsize than any other, non-ballasted, center boarder. Yes, they can capsized, but in the 20 year production run, there are only a few instances of this happening, and, what should be reassuring, the times it's happened have been split between experienced and inexperienced sailors alike. I, like many, install floatation bags, the installed floatation is minimal. I also looked at the Marshall Sandpiper 15, and the recommendation was similar. Catboats, as a class, are suited to protected waters, with their broad hull form they have great initial stability, but once the righting moment is exceeded, they will go over and likely turtle. It would be a bad day, but I know of no injuries or boat losses.

Lots of experienced sailors here, including on Barnegat Bay. The PC is a safe boat. Let us know your intended use, and we can make recommendations.

[Roger]

Thanks for the reply. I will be mainly on Barnegat Bay which is tame but sometimes can get really nasty. I have been boating on it many years in my various sized Boston Whalers . I have learned to read the sky pretty good but the pc is a lot slower than the whaler in trying to get back so I will most likely invest in air bags and a good plastic bucket!
Any other bags around other than the ones that are used for the Optimist prams?

[Bob23]

Hi Roger! While I don't live in Surf City, I do work on LBI and my 1985 23 was moored for years at the end of North 2nd Street. She now resides in a marina in Waretown. I'd love to get together sometime when you're here. Every Summer we host the Barnegat Bay Bash which traditionally has been held near Tice's Shoals. Not sure if that's going to be allowed this summer but we still plan to get together! Stay tuned...check the events section. Welcome aboard. And ignore the lies that are being spread about me! Lies, all lies!
Bob23

[Renae]

Welcome aboard. And ignore the lies that are being spread about me! Lies, all lies!

Except that one, though.  Right?

[bruce]

Hey Roger,

Not sure if we're talking power or sail on your Boston Whalers. We avoid iffy weather as well, but have been caught out a few times. I've seen 5.6 kts., SOG, on our PC, once, 5.4 kts. several times, but if the chop is up we won't be getting close to that.

There are lots of ways to add floatation but we like the 43L Optimist floatation bags. We have 8 and still have plenty of room for gear, about 800 lbs. of floatation. Two jam nicely in each stern quarter aft of the side lockers, two I suspend athwartships, tight under the deck, aft of the mast stub in the forward locker. The last two tuck under the sole against the centerboard trunk. I replaced the long pointy self tapping screws that Com-Pac used on the hatch hinges and mast collar with machine screws and cap nuts if I felt the bags were threatened. I don't remove the bags seasonally. They lose pressure in the cold weather, but with warmer temps and they'll be fine. If you did pump them up cold they could over inflate when it warms up.

Another thing we did was mount a lanyard on the CB so if we do turtle there's something to grab to pull the board out. The EPDM weatherstrip we attached to our hatches isn't watertight, but should slow the flooding down. I should make up a plug for the hawse pipe for heavy weather, but haven't got around to it.

[Roger]

Thanks for the input. Please explain the lanyard to pull the board out?
I assume from the pics that you just drilled a small hole in the board and put a ss bolt and washer through it?

[bruce]

Nothing fancy, just a simple pull tab to have a chance of pulling the 75 lb. board out of the trunk if the boat has turtled. I got this one at West Marine.
https://www.westmarine.com/shackle-lanyards/_/N-1z13m1j

I haven't capsized my PC. 30 years ago I would have done it for the fun of it. These days, I'd gladly watch someone else do it to their boat, and help with the recovery until it wasn't fun. 

Putting weather strip on the hatches is easy and will slow any flooding. The boat will trap air, but the factory installed floatation is minimal. I'd guess, without additional floatation, upright the boat would settle with the coaming barely exposed. But, bottom line, the boat is very stable and not easily capsized.

[Finbar Beagle]

Roger,

I too have a PC and sail on the Barnegat.  Beware of Bob, jist make sure your dues are paid up.

I mainly sail north of the rt 37 bridge, but plan to explore the southern bay more this year.  I hope you will join us for the Barnegat Bay Bash!

I have the scupper ball set up, and a cockpit grate, and that works pretty well for me.

See you on the bay.

Brian

[Roger]

good suggestions.
I will do a few of them
what is the cockpit grate?

[Roger]

what is a cockpit grate and the scupper ball?
sorry, im new to this

[Andre]

Hi Roger,

Although I have neither on my PC or HC, a cockpit grate is just that - a grating over some or all of the cockpit sole that elevates your feet an inch or so while allowing a bit of water to slosh around below it to help keep your feet dry.  The scupper balls are one-way fittings that go into the scuppers to allow water to drain from the cockpit but not back in.

Andre

[bruce]

Check this thread for more on the ball scuppers.
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11784.0

Here's photos of the cockpit grate that Com-Pac sells as a $995 option, shown on hull #282 before delivery. That gives about you about 1 1/2" above the cockpit sole, to help keep your feet dry. Easy to make yourself, there's just longitudinal cleats under the athwartship boards you see. Teak is pricey, I'm sure you could do it for less in wood or plastic.

[Roger]

I didnt think the boat gets that wet?

[Renae]

I'm surprised PC's get that wet.  I have a cockpit grate in my SC, but the only water that ever comes in comes over the coaming.