The MKII Fin Keel, Yes or No?
by Gene Ferguson
There has been some discussion and controversy about the merit of the Catalina 22 with the Capri 22 fin keel. Some say it should be allowed to race with the other boats in sanctioned regattas. Others say it is not class legal and should not be allowed to race.
In an attempt to set the record straight on this matter we have to go back to the early spring of 1999.
With the upcoming Nationals in Oklahoma, Randy Garrett, who lived in California, called me requesting information about racing his new boat in the Nationals in 1999. Even though he already owned a fin keel and a swing keel Catalina 22, he was not a member of the association and wanted to know the procedure for joining and racing.
During the conversation he told me about his new third boat he wanted to bring to Oklahoma. It was the new MKII fin keel, and it was super fast and he was beating all the bigger boats he was racing against, scratch.
He also mentioned that he picked up the new boat at Catalina instead of from a dealer. Already having a fin keel Catalina 22 with a trailer, he decided to pick up the boat on his fin keel trailer. He offloaded the old fin keel and proceeded to the factory to pick up his new boat.
Upon arrival and preparing to load the new boat, he found that his bunk boards were about a foot short so he had to raise them to transport the boat home.
Having owned a Catalina 22 fin keel boat myself, I wondered why this should happen, so I asked him if he could send me a photo of his boat. He gladly complied and when I saw the photo I immediately knew that it did not have a Catalina 22 keel on it.
I emailed the photo and a note to the other board members:
Don Carsten, Commodore
Joe Becker, Vice Commodore
Jim Deeter, Rear Commodore
Karen Miller, Secretary/Treasurer
Dennis Slaton, Chief Measurer
After discussion by email and conferring with Catalina Yachts on the possibility that this was a Capri 22 keel our suspicions were verified that this was indeed a Capri keel.
The board made the decision to not allow the boat to compete in the Nationals with that keel and conferred with Catalina Yachts on the possibility of changing the keel to a legal keel. Frank Butler checked and said he did have a legal Catalina 22 keel and would change it out at no cost to Randy if he would bring his boat in.
Dennis, acting under Article VIII E of the Catalina 22 Constitution, which in part reads “He shall interpret rules and regulations concerning sail plan, rigging and equipment and shall make rulings on matters not specifically covered in the One Design Rules and Specifications. Such rulings shall be subject to approval by the Governing board”, notified Randy that he would not be allowed to race his boat under the present configuration but that Frank Butler would change out the keel to a class legal Catalina 22 fin keel at no cost to Randy.
Randy refused to change out the keel and requested the return of his National dues, and money for his new fleet charter, which the board granted.
As a note of interest, it was later learned that the boat in question also had a Catalina 25 rudder and a full batten main, both of which were illegal.
This is not the first time that a boat design was not allowed to participate. Back in 1977, based upon information furnished by a disgruntled fleet member, the board disallowed the fin keel from racing in sanctioned regattas. The reasoning was that the fin keel was much faster and pointed higher than the swing keel.
With the 1978 Nationals coming to the Fort Worth Boat Club, this was a devastating blow. There were several fin keels located at both Fort Worth and Grapevine. So the fleet captains Cal Daughetee of fleet 47 and Carlos Canalizo of fleet 30 started a campaign to allow a separate class for the fin keels with records to be kept on the finishers for verification of the equality of performance. The National board consented and so for the first and only time there was a National regatta with a separate class for the fin keel of which there were 12 racing.
The results from the regatta of 45 swing keels and 12 fin keels were compared and it was decided from those results that the fin keel did not have an advantage in performance. In fact the results leaned in favor of the swing keel, so the fin keel was allowed to race heads up with the swing keel.
It must be noted that Catalina Yachts builds boats, but does not set the agenda of the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association. What they decide to put on a boat does not automatically make it legal for Catalina 22 sanctioned racing. Changes must be tested and proven before we accept a change. Irresponsible changes can jeopardize the many to satisfy the few. The wing keel, fin keel, the second production model and the MKII swing keel have all been tested and approved for racing in sanctioned regattas. It is now time to test the MKII fin keel.
So how do we test this latest addition to Frank’s collection of varied Catalina 22s? My thought is to get five of them together and let them race in a separate class in the Nationals and take the results to see how they perform. Even Frank Butler admits that they are a faster boat, so let’s see just how much faster. Frank is willing to make a retrofit to put the Capri 22 keel on the older model fin keels. Who is willing to make the change to their fin keel to improve the performance and create a new dimension in Catalina 22 racing?
We now have a separate class for Gold, Silver and Spinnaker. Why not a class for a Caprilina (Capri/Catalina) class?
Some interesting notes:
The original fin keel is listed at 2490 but fin keel boat #2321 weighed 2610.
The Capri 22 fin keel boat drafts 4’ and weighs 240 pounds less than the MKII fin keel boat. The MKII fin keel draft is listed at 3’6”. How could that be?
All trivia aside, following this article is the actual letters from Frank Butler of Catalina Yachts and Don Carsten, Commodore concerning the MKII keel issue. I think they will show that the board gave this issue due consideration.
Frank Butler’s letter to Commodore Carsten
March 3, 1999
Don Carsten, Commodore
Catalina 22 National Sailing Association
6230 Lewis #294
Temperance, MI 48182
Dear Don:
I am writing this letter in regard to the keel on the Catalina 22. The keel has been changed. To be honest with you, I was not aware of this until just now. I had overlooked the change in the keel.
Approximately four years ago the manufacturer of the keel went out of business and I could not get our mold back from the supplier. We had a meeting and we decided to put on the Capri 22 keel. It just did not dawn on me what effect this would have since we were not selling a lot of keel model boats. I did not think it really mattered. Looking back at it, I wish I would have handled it in a different manner.
I had a call from a customer who bought a Catalina 22. From what I understand, he owns a couple of other 22s. This boat happens to be a Catalina 22 Mark II and it is hull 154131. The owner's name is Randy Garrett. He told me about the situation about the keel. When he told me, I said, “Oh! My gosh! How could that have happened?”
Then we checked our records and found out what had happened. I told him that maybe the association would be interested in starting another class and we would make the new keels available to the owners of the existing keels. There would be a kit and instructions for this so that the owners could install it. Then I had a call back from the owner advising me that he spoke to Gene Ferguson and Gene thought it was possibly a good idea.
That is why I am writing you. This problem came to our attention when the manufacturer went out of business, as I said, and we could not get the keels.
Do you feel we could add another keel model to the Association? From what I understand, the boats sail much better than with the existing keel and we would like to work with you and the officers in regard to this matter. I would like to have your comments on this matter.
I do understand that the one keel would not be able to race against the other keel model. It is a different shape and a different depth.
I understand the boat sails so much better, it might be an idea for the Association to consider. If there is any additional information you may need, I would appreciate it if you would please get back in touch with me.
Yours truly,
Frank W. ButlerFWB:BR
Cc: Randy Garrett
Gene Ferguson
Commodore Carsten’s response to Frank Butler
March 16, 1999
Mr. Frank Butler
Catalina Yachts
P.O. Box 989 Woodlands Hills, CA 91367
Dear Frank:
Thank you for your letter of March 3, concerning the problem of the new MKII fin keel. We, as a National Association, would like to work with you and Randy to see what can be done to be able to accept the MKII fin keel as part of the Catalina 22 family.
However, as you know, keels make a world of difference between boats. This was brought to light in the America's cup when experimentation proved that even slight changes in keel designs made enormous differences in performance. Why else would they have armed guards and all the skirts and security that have become synonymous with the America's Cup?
By adding the Capri 22 keel to the Catalina 22 you have in essence created a whole new boat. Whether it was your intention or not, it has put the association in the position of being the bad guy when we had to reject this particular boat. We have been very forgiving of all the changes you have made over the years. I believe this was most evident when you introduced the MKII back in 1995. The board agreed with allowing it to prove itself, for good or bad, at the ‘95 nationals in New York. It was proven that it would not obsolete the rest of the fleet, and was accepted. We must draw the line somewhere, as to what you, as the only manufacture, can throw at us and expect us to accept.
Are you still willing to replace the keel for Randy? If so, this would eliminate the major drawback we have of the boat.
As far as future national regattas are concerned, I'm sure that if we have enough participation of the MKTI owners we can have a separate fleet or race for them. This would have to be brought to the board at that time. Until then the decision has been made NOT to allow the MKTI with the Capri 22 keel to enter our national regatta.
I hope this will be to the benefit of both the Association and Catalina Yachts. You have given us a great little boat to sail, and there are many of us that have enjoyed it for several years. We understand that you must make changes to modernize both, making the boat more appealing to the general public, and improve the performance. However, as I stated above, we cannot go make everything you've produced so far obsolete with the one change. Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Don Carsten
Commodore
Catalina 22 National Sailing Association
PS. Randy: We are currently seeking people to fill the positions of Commodore, and Chief Measurer. I mentioned this in my last article of the MainBrace, and no one called to volunteer. I guess we must be doing such a great job as members of the board that no one feels they can fill our shoes. At this time I would like to challenge you to volunteer and become a member of the board. In this position you would be able have your say where it counts and may be able to make some of the changes you desire. Please call or write me to volunteer.
DPC/dbs
Cc: Vice Commodore Joe Becker
Rear Commodore Jim Deter
Secretary Karen Miller
Chief Measurer Dennis Slaton
Randy Garrett.