Bluewater Cruising Capability

[EBB3]

Has anyone on here sailed a Catalina offshore or on extended blue water cruises? Or does anyone know Catalina's capability to sail across oceans? Because I've seen some comments on CF saying they cant

[skipmac]

Depends. Since there is no exact definition of bluewater then there is no exact answer. That term is thrown around quite loosely and seems to mean different things to different people.

Also you don't say which model Catalina. Are you referring to an outboard powered 22' or a diesel powetered 47?

I have sailed a 30' Catalina and would not hesitate to take one on a long distance sail in the ocean; the right part of the ocean at the right season.

I would not take a Catalina 30 around Cape Horn in the winter.

[denverd0n]

And yet once again... It's the sailor, not the boat. Any boat can sail anywhere. People have crossed oceans in open boats less than 15' long. Was it a comfortable and relaxing journey? Probably not.

The question is not, can the boat do it? The answer to that is always, yes. The question is, can YOU do it, and what sort of compromises are you willing to make in terms of cost, comfort, etc?

[Auzzee]

This is a sobering story: EQUIPPED TO SURVIVE (tm) - Lessons Learned: Sailing to Hawaii...The First Attempt by Arnold Rowe

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by EBB3

Has anyone on here sailed a Catalina offshore or on extended blue water cruises? Or does anyone know Catalina's capability to sail across oceans? Because I've seen some comments on CF saying they cant

Instead of asking on CF where you will get a bunch of "I heard from someone who heard it from Joe that Mike told him that some marina monkey once saw a X on the hard and because he had read it in a forum ...." answers, you should go seek answers from owners.

Try here:

CatalinaOwners.com - Home

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

And yet once again... It's the sailor, not the boat. Any boat can sail anywhere. People have crossed oceans in open boats less than 15' long. Was it a comfortable and relaxing journey? Probably not.

The question is not, can the boat do it? The answer to that is always, yes. The question is, can YOU do it, and what sort of compromises are you willing to make in terms of cost, comfort, etc?

+1

The perfect answer.

It's been done in rowboats, in beach cats, in 6' bathtubs.

It all depends on the sailor, and what his priorities are.

Another comment: Catalina makes and has made a pretty wide variety of boats over the years. Which one in particular are you talking about? There is a pretty huge difference between a new Catalina 470 and a 30 year old Catalina 22.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by EBB3

Or does anyone know Catalina's capability to sail across oceans? Because I've seen some comments on CF saying they cant

Catalina is not a boat--it's a manufacturer of boats. They build a wide variety of boats, some of which are suitable for long passages, others that were never designed to do so.

There have been negative comments on CF about Catalinas. And Beneteaus, and Hunters, and Juneaus, and Bavarias, and Hanses, and.... Please note the source whenever you hear such comments, they generally don't come from forum members with established expertise. When you reference these comments to support your own question it only goes to demonstrate your own lack of expertise.

I doubt that any of our better sailors would feel trepidation taking any of the larger Catalinas, properly equipped, offshore. The ocean is just not that scary.

[micah719]

The ocean is just not that scary.

.....most of the time. When it is, no amount or quality of boat and gear will get in the way of prudent terror. Ego and hubris might, though....

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by EBB3

Has anyone on here sailed a Catalina offshore or on extended blue water cruises? Or does anyone know Catalina's capability to sail across oceans? Because I've seen some comments on CF saying they cant

What size and year?
How many people aboard?

[EBB3]

It's a 2012 Catalina 315

[TacomaSailor]

Does the OP have an first person experience with 45+ knots and breaking seas of over ten feet? If you do - imagine yourself in your Catalina 315 in those conditions and beyond the range of helicopters to come pluck you to safety.

I have many friends who have sailed boats ranging ins size from 28' to 50' to Hawaii and everyone of them eventually encountered more than 35 knots and more than 12' breaking seas - how will you feel in the Catalina 315?

If you don't have that experience then you might try to get some before you make your decision.

I cruised the Sea of Cortez with a couple on a mid-90s Catalina 42 - we rode out a 65 knot tropical storm in a very exposed anchorage with solid waves breaking over the dodger. The Catalina suffered no damage at all. They sailed that boat for many years - 1200 miles north and south in the Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico with no problems.

[vtcapo]

Originally Posted by EBB3

It's a 2012 Catalina 315

Almost any boat can make blue water passages. But that doesn’t make it a blue water boat. The question is what constitutes a true Blue Water Boat? To me the essential qualities associated with a boat capable of making safe blue water passages is whether or not it can survive a pitch pole and repeated knockdowns. Without those qualities I would not consider the boat to be Blue Water capable.

The Catalina 315’s displacement is too light in my opinion. Can it successfully cross an ocean, of course. Would you wish you were in a heavier displacement boat when the **** hits the fan? You can bet your life on it….

RT

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by vtcapo

To me the essential qualities associated with a boat capable of making safe blue water passages is whether or not it can survive a pitch pole and repeated knockdowns. Without those qualities I would not consider the boat to be Blue Water capable.



RT

No boat is designed to survive those events. Whether or not it does is largely conjecture and a lot of luck. The success of any boat to survive offshore is a function of the skill of the skipper and his/her anticipation ability.

To imply some boats are capable of surviving those conditions is misleading at best.

As to the question at hand, the catalina is designed for coastal cruising maximizing interior space, limited fuel,water and general storage, limited headsail options, etc...

[carstenb]

Prudent terror, as micah, noted, is your best friend when blue watering.........

Jes sayin'

[Bash]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Prudent terror, as micah, noted, is your best friend when blue watering.........

Jes sayin'

This is the attitude that the "bluewater" question always seems to evoke. "Prudent terror" instructs its adherents to purchase sailboats designed as a lifeboat with a stick, boats that will never see the high side of four knots but will survive a pitchpole, several rolls and numerous beachings. And, of course, the first thing these terrorized boat owners want to talk about is what size sea anchor they need to survive storms.