Cal 28 vs Cascade 29 vs Catalina 28

[SkiprJohn]

Of the 3 a Cascade has a bullet proof hull but many were owner finished so the quality of build is per boat instead of per builder. They have been found worldwide. The factory finished models were really great so they are worth looking at.

I don't care for flush deck boats because there is less to hang onto and balance against while going forward in iffy conditions. That's important now that I'm past the senior citizen cutoff age. It does provide more room below.

Sometimes Catalinas get a bum rap because they are lumped in with all the other production boats from that particular area of builders. The little 22 I had was very stout and I rigged it for Hawaiian waters and it handled everything I put it through just great. It was a fin keeler, not a trailer sailer. They came in both models.

The Catalina 27 or 30 are good coastal cruisers.

kind regards,

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

I don't care for flush deck boats because there is less to hang onto and balance against while going forward in iffy conditions. That's important now that I'm past the senior citizen cutoff age. It does provide more room below.

Different strokes ; -)

I like the flush deck because it's so easy to navigate. But you are right, if you are used to bending over and grabbing handrails on the cabin top that won't work. I keep a hand on the boom whilst amidships and can reach from the mast almost to the forestay on the front deck.

[Butler]

I've sailed on an older (wooden cabin) Cascade 29 and was impressed with the sturdiness of these boats. In remember it as having a pretty good turn of speed and decent tracking (large, skeg-hung rudder) I have read of two different 29s that have crossed oceans.
As much as I like the Cal 28s if I had to choose for distance & safety it would be the Cascade.
I believe it was an older Cascade (not the 29) that won the Transpac before last??
I like flush deck-boats myself and have owned 2 now. There is something to the idea of a cabin and side decks adding to at least a greater sense of security though. I don't much care for the transition out of the cockpit up onto the deck on Molly B... a lot of exposure. I noticed this as well on the Ericson C36 another boat I really love. Requires a well placed boom gallows stanchion as well as lifelines strung chest high along the ramp up to the deck. Fanny bars at the mast help too.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Butler

As much as I like the Cal 28s if I had to choose for distance & safety it would be the Cascade.

Fair enough. If they had tabbed the Cals better I would consider them pretty much bullet proof, but at the age they are getting to now the tabs are giving it up here and there. If I was going to cruise hard in her I would retab.

[jm21]

I would keep an eye on craigslist, check out a lot of boats, and wait for a steal. Such as some guy who's 4 months late on moorage and they're about to take his boat or something like that...

My experience has been that boats sit at unrealistic prices for a long long time. Then the owner has a problem, drops the price to realistic or even very good, and it's sold in no time.

There are a ton of 27-30'ers in this area. Most of them are pretty similar imho. For a first boat I would focus more on getting a great deal than on the specific model. If you don't like it you can sell it without worrying too much. If you like it you can trade up.

[Butler]

Originally Posted by sarafina

Fair enough. If they had tabbed the Cals better I would consider them pretty much bullet proof, but at the age they are getting to now the tabs are giving it up here and there. If I was going to cruise hard in her I would retab.

I've heard that the 25s and 28s are a blast and will get up and surf in a hot minute. Isn't it the case that the 25, 28 and 40 share very similar underbody design? I've often thought that , as you said, with some beefed up tabbing etc. they'd be fun micro-cruisers particularly if one were setting out from Florida into the Caribbean.

[sarafina]

The Cal 28 hull was the prototype for the Cal 40, a boat with considerable chops. And yes she does get up and *go* and loves heavy weather, just digs right in. She has a short wide sail for her size, don't know if that's part of what makes her so weatherly.

I have spoken to folks who have sailed theirs all over the pacific coast, over to Hawai'i and thru the Caribbean. They have even circumnavigated.

But I wouldn't do off shore, deep blue water in her, without a serious refit.

She's a lady of a certain age, and while she has good bones, gravity (and the sea air) do take their toll.

I figure any design that takes on the north bound Pacific coast successfully can keep up with anything under the right conditions.

[burtonridr]

Originally Posted by sarafina

I figure any design that takes on the north bound Pacific coast successfully can keep up with anything under the right conditions.

I keep hearing about the nasty water we have up here.... I researched 'Bone yard of the pacific' the other day.

As a novice wanting to head south ASAP, it makes me wish I lived further south.

[burtonridr]

Originally Posted by sarafina

The Cal in the listing is at North Saanich Marina, on one of the islands in BC. That's pretty near Seattle. Maybe under 100 miles? The winds would be in your favor sailing south and east. Two day sail? You would have to decide if that counted as "easy".

What are the regulations for buying and bringing a boat in from out of the country?

[zeehag]

there is a couple comfortably cruising mexico in a cascade 29 pilot house. solid boat.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by burtonridr

What are the regulations for buying and bringing a boat in from out of the country?

Let me google that for you

; -)

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by burtonridr

I keep hearing about the nasty water we have up here.... I researched 'Bone yard of the pacific' the other day.

As a novice wanting to head south ASAP, it makes me wish I lived further south.

Like any where, get to know the weather windows and trends, be prepared for it to be scary offshore rather than surprised. The boat will make it!

[Bash]

Originally Posted by burtonridr

You must have catilina....

Why does everyone say they are flimsy? I've read it from two different places by two different people.

Why do you like them so much?

I'm open for debate on which is better and why, so let here it.

Wrong. I do not currently own a Catalina, and have never owned one in the past. I crewed to silver in the Catalina 36 Nationals, and won the Catalina 42 division in the Doublehanded Farallones, but that's pretty much the extent of my relationship with the boat. And it's still spelled C-a-t-a-l-i-n-a.

Let me lay it out for you simply: there are forums where you can go to slag all sorts of boats, especially production boats, with impunity. This isn't one of them. I'm happy to recommend one of those other forums where that kind of trolling would be appreciated.

You're way off base claiming that everyone says they are flimsy. Everyone? That's flat out untrue. So what's the point of you slagging a boat you've never even been aboard? Do you think this makes you seem knowledgeable?

I have no interest in entering into your debate, especially if you haven't got the capacity to engage in basic research on these boats.

[benajah]

Originally Posted by Bash

A real simple Google search will locate the Cascade 29 floorplan, and you would also discover it to be a tiller boat. Google "cascade 29 sailboat," and the floorplan will be available on the first page of hits.

Your source on the Catalina (note the spelling) 28 is flat-out wrong, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself for passing such misinformation along in a forum where first-hand knowledge is preferred over innuendo. If you do some actual research, you'll find that it will out-sail the other two boats, especially in light air, and that the interior is roomier than either the Cal or the Cascade.

Google is pretty smart and corrects for minor spelling errors. Yes Catalina's are a lighter hull build, and yes do sail pretty well, but the OP is not, as you state, is not " flat out wrong"
Please, members come here looking for information, please do not jump on them, it's a big turn off.

[markpierce]

The Columbia Defender, flush-deck, 28.5-foot hull based on the Columbia 29, is a stiff boat (half of its weight is the lead keel), has a front-cut-away-keel, a teeny bit slower than the Cal, but steady and powerful, with a roomy interior. That's what my Dad and I raced in the 1960s.



(Sails were by James DeWitt.)