Cat Box

Does anyone know where I can get a used cat box here in Southern California??? I am really hoping for a "Beach Chair Model 200" box if I can find one. I don't think they make them anymore, but someone might have one sitting around after upgrading to one of those huge new Sport Max lockers. I really appreciate your help guys!!!

Matt G.

Is it a specific box your looking for or just a sail box? I just bought a 10 foot pice of PVC 15" diameter and two caps mounted it to my trailer with three U bolts and rods going thru the caps with locks. I also drilled drain holes along the bottom. its not going any where. It holds everything sails,boom life jackets Tools and room for a tent or two. cost was under $130.00

Where do you sail we are not that far apart.

Todd C

Hi, I am looking for a storage box as well (in my case Central TX). I would prefere a box over a pipe since I would like to store the rudder system in the storage together with the normal stufff.
I thought about the 12" PVC pipe idea too - the problem is that I can not find any "lightwall" style PVC pipe. A common (40 style) 12" PVC pipe section of 10' length weights about 130 lb. It will be much more weight with a 15" pipe. I know the lightwall styff exists... I just can not find enyone who sells this stuff.

Patrick

I cheked with the local in ground sprinkler dealer he directrd me to a couple of companies in my area. I bought mine from the scrap pile, I would guess it wieghs around a hundred pounds. I dont see this weight being a problem it is distributed along a 10' span. I am also installing a platform for campping stoage.


Todd C

I too am looking for the box so I can throw my rudders, and other extra parts in there. I need as much space as I can get because I don't have alot of space to store stuff at home. I was thinking about possibly building a plywood box if I can't find a used fiberglass one.

I sail all over here in So Cal. I prefer ocean sailing so I usually sail out of Marina Del Rey. I hate their launch over there though so I just started trying different harbor around here. I sailed out of Channel Islands harbor on Friday, it was pretty nice except that I had to scoot quickly past the Dredge on my way out. I might try Ventra or some of the Harbors further south than Marina Del Rey. I really want to find is a beach launch within an hour of my house. I've looked for info on the internet but I haven't found any. I sometimes sail out of Castaic Lake too.

I would love to find someone to sail with in the area. I don't mind taking people out, but I would much perfer to sail with another Hobie or other cat so I can do my singlehanding and still be safe out there. Let me know if you want to sail sometime, I'm a student so I usually have the time, particularly right now (I have winter vacation until the end of january). Sorry to all you people who don't live in So Cal, but we're still sailing in board shorts and a PFD over here.

You should hook up with the folks in Hobie Fleet 3 (nominally out of Long Beach, but basically covers the entire LA area)

Fleet 3 Contact:
Karen Christensen
KCinLB(at)aol.com

The lighter stuff is sdr or schedule 30/35 green PVC. You might need to find a utility supply company- I don't think most of the plumbing suppliers in my area carry it that large- usually 6 or 8 inch is about it. Large PVC can get really expensive, too! Good luck- Dave

Dave... This is also my experience with the PVC stuff. Schedule 40 @ 12" diameter has a wall thickness of 10 mm. This is good if it has to hold a couple of hundred of PSI of pressure - but it is just heavy when it sits on your trailer. There are lighter PVC pipes with wall thickness of 4 - 5 mm. Those are used for non-pressure applications like surface water. I spend some time calling around and could not find one….
Let me know if some one has a box or a light wall pipe for sale.

Thanks,

Patrick

I use a standard heavy duty plastic truck toolbox mounted lengthwise on one side of my trailer- it holds life jackets, wet and dry suits- all the sailing accesories, my tool box with spare parts and grease gun, can of cat-lube, etc. It came with a tray that slides out of way- handy to keep extra hull plugs, wind indicators, etc.

The other side of my trailer has a homemade box that is pretty simple to build. It is an 8 ft by 22 in plywood base with a semi-circular top made from corrugated roofing. Here’s a simple winter project for you that holds rudders and sails. It will hold your boom too with a little modification.

Materials:
- 8 foot by 22 inch length piece cut from sheet ½ in plywood - save the rest for hatch door and top-supports construction described below.
- 8 foot by 36in corrugated metal roofing
- Box of 3/8in or ¼ #6 or #8 stainless sheet metal screws
- two 20 or 22 inch piano hinges (these can be cut)
- two small hasp-locks
- silicone sealant/glue and a
- self adhesive foam window/door storm moulding.
- 4 one and a half inch wood screws- #6 or #8

1) Attach one edge of the roofing to the long edge of ply base with silicon sealant and screws about every 4 inches. Curve over into a semi-circle and put in a couple screws to “tack” the other edge in place but DO NOT attach this side permanently yet.
2) Trace the end profile of this semi-circular tube onto plywood- follow the corrugations closely- and cut out 2 interior end support pieces. They will support the inside the corrugated metal top about 1/4in JUST inside both ends. Cut the center of these pieces out so that you have a "rainbow" with a corrugated top side and curved inside. Allow this rainbow to be about 1 in thick at the thinnest part- the “trough” of the corrugations to the inside edge for strength. Cut off 1/2in from the feet of the rainbow so that it fits on top of the base and under the top.
3) Remove temporary screws and stand the supports 1/4in back from each end with the feet of the "rainbow" standing on your base. Test for fit when you fold the metal back over. (You may have to trim a little off the feet.
4) Screw the support feet in place up from the bottom of the base with 1 1/2 inch wood screws. Use silicon sealant and drill pilot holes or the plywood will split
5) Run a bead of silicone sealant along the corrugated edge of the support and bend your top back into place- test to make sure that your top will bend fully into place and match up to the base.
6) Put screws in each peak of the corrugation . You now have an 8 foot long semi circular tube with access from both ends
7) Build doors that overlap the outside edge of the tube. Hinge them along the base and put a hasp at the top. You may need to put a small piece of scrap wood inside the box to screw the hasp eye down.
Put the strip of adhesive based storm door molding around the rainbow-support so to make a fairly water tight seal when the door is shut. By the way that is supposed be number 8, not a cool dude !!

I used a couple of 2x4's attached to my trailer with stainless U-bolts to mount this box to the trailer.

Taa Daa! One morning and about $80 in materials later, you have a storage box. This takes less time to build than to describe it. Oh wait, the price of plywood just doubled in the time it took me to write this.

Have fun- and Happy new year

On securing pipe for a cat-box if you want to go that route: try a road and construction supply corporation for black corrugated drainage pipe. They usually sell minimum lengths of 20 feet, but I called the local Chemung Supply Corporation and the guy said he's sell me a 10 foot piece of 18 in for $130.

-Stephen

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.

I have made mine out of heavy cardboard Sonotubes for my Cat Box. They are way lighter than PVC, water resistant, paintable, workable and you can get it at your local Home Depot for making pile footings. They come in variable lenghts, and sizes up to a whooping 24 inch and large for comercial use. You can fit a small family in mine. I cut caps out of plywood and then hinged one end and it is the cats ass. lol

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Gotta love Hobie!

Thinking of building a cage to stow Ice chests, and such rudders ect,, thinking of s/s like behind some of the RV's 3'X8'X16" My sail box is on the other side of the trailer. any Ideas?

Todd

Humm seams to be a lot of interest in cat boxes (without litter) lol, It seams to me that some enterprising company should be able to build a injected molded box pretty inexpensively. It does not have to be all the strong, just water tight! There are lots of agricultural outfits doing molded water troughs and all kinds of other farm stuff out of plastic these days. A lot of us would probable pay $100-$200 for a custom box.

Roy
I don't know about water tight If you are launching with any current you may launch your trailer When I launch everything is out of the box I don't want to get wet good drainage is a must if you are storing your sails with the boat? Just my thoughts

Todd