IP 31 vs Catalina 36

[snort]

Important question: Are you partial to white or beige?

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by gcaskew

Narrowed it down between these two boats for island hopping the Caribbean for 6 - 7 months at a stretch.

Overall condition being equal, I'd go for speed (PHRF) and comfort (36' vs. 31')...but then again, I'm an old frog.

[saw77]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

This would imply that Catalina owners need factory support due to issues mentioned earlier regarding bulkheads not tabbed or cabinetry not properly fastened. I have talked to a lot of IP owners who are very happy with their vessels.

Or it may simply mean that when Catalina owners need to replace old parts on old boats, they can simply call the factory and either order them or find out where to get them. I know this from personal experience. And there a many, many, Catalina owners who are extremely happy with their boats.

I would agree with those who have stressed the relevance of the intended use for the boat. For some things I would probably prefer an IP (although I'd prefer the HR even more so). For other things, definitely a Catalina.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Paul L

What rating do you think would be better? An owners unbiased opinion? PHRF gives you a good, not perfect, first cut comparison between boats in an average range of conditions. If the PHRF indicates the boat is a dog, no owners glowing anecdotes about how well she sails on a beam reach is going to change the reality.

Does PHRF use the quality of the structure of the boat? Whether the bulkheads are properly tabbed or not? How about if the forward shoe of a fin keel had a crack at it's joint everytime it is hauled out? Does it take into accout the hull to deck joint, hull thickness, lamination scheduale, glass to resin ration? Of course the IP rates a higher number...it's a full keel. There are race boats with extremely low numbers but you would never want to use them for cruising. And no...not an owners unbiased opinion. But a Surveyor would be a good start.
Personally I would not want either boat in the price range the OP is looking at. I think there are many different choices than those two.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by saw77

Or it may simply mean that when Catalina owners need to replace old parts on old boats, they can simply call the factory and either order them or find out where to get them. I know this from personal experience. And there a many, many, Catalina owners who are extremely happy with their boats.

I would agree with those who have stressed the relevance of the intended use for the boat. For some things I would probably prefer an IP (although I'd prefer the HR even more so). For other things, definitely a Catalina.

Thanks for that...I'm sure in mere numbers the Cats probably seem to have more issues but as I think about it, everyone I talk to with a Cat is quite happy and they use there boats much more than I do mine. With any boat, if you use it a lot, things wear out.

[SVNeko]

My IP31 was $64,500 new in 1987.

[cheoah]

Originally Posted by snort

Important question: Are you partial to white or beige?

Tongue in cheek maybe, but really not far from the stuff that should drive your decisions. I think it is far too easy to buy the boat you think you should have, rather than the one that will ultimately give you more pleasure.

Both boats would take you cruising, and both have their compromises. I'd pick the boat that seems to be in the best condition, that has the most features that you will use. You would be surprised how important a cockpit shower, swim platform, or spacious head and galley are. Ventilation??? Tankage? Sure is inconvenient sometimes to handle tankage, and expensive to tie up at a marina for shower facilities because your boat doesn't really cut it at anchor.

What I'm hearing from some others, is that the two are not such a fair comparison, that maybe the 31 is a good bit smaller, and perhaps not the best choice in the Island PAcket line overall.

I would not worry so much about the concept of cored decks, but have it surveyed and sound it yourself really well. Is there a bunch of hardware added by previous owners? That's always what worries me, is owners not properly mounting things leading to water intrusion, but maybe Catalinas have their own issues with factory installed gear. I'm sure there's lots of info out there since they are so plentiful.

Which one makes you think, "wow, this is a killer boat" when you are on it?

[snort]

I'd pay for an hour or two of time to use all the systems on the boat and then make a decision. Until you take a shower, make a meal, etc...it's only how you imagine things may go.
Of course, they're selling the boat, so they may be happy to let you take your time and play 'liveaboard', if they think that may get them their boat sold.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Does PHRF use the quality of the structure of the boat? Whether the bulkheads are properly tabbed or not? How about if the forward shoe of a fin keel had a crack at it's joint everytime it is hauled out? Does it take into accout the hull to deck joint, hull thickness, lamination scheduale, glass to resin ration? Of course the IP rates a higher number...it's a full keel. There are race boats with extremely low numbers but you would never want to use them for cruising. And no...not an owners unbiased opinion. But a Surveyor would be a good start.
Personally I would not want either boat in the price range the OP is looking at. I think there are many different choices than those two.

I would never try to apply a performance measure like PHRF to measure construction quality - that would just be stupid. I also would not use a qualitative construction measure to determine sailing performance. That still leaves PHRF ratings as useful.

[dionski]

It seems a little bizarre to have arrived at these two particular boats being the best possible choices for your purposes, particularly because they share almost nothing in common. I would go back and carefully consider what you want the boat to do for you, and then look around and see what fits the bill. If you accurately evaluate your needs, all the candidates should end up being pretty similar.

[Hotel L]

Originally Posted by dionski

It seems a little bizarre to have arrived at these two particular boats being the best possible choices for your purposes, particularly because they share almost nothing in common. I would go back and carefully consider what you want the boat to do for you, and then look around and see what fits the bill. If you accurately evaluate your needs, all the candidates should end up being pretty similar.

I agree

[cfarrar]

It sucks sailing your house hard at 15+ degrees to save 1-2 hrs

Is this to suggest that a 15-20 degree heel is considered excessive? Whoa. If the OP feels that way he should definitely get a Cat. A catamaran, that is.

[Hotel L]

Originally Posted by cfarrar

Is this to suggest that a 15-20 degree heel is considered excessive? Whoa. If the OP feels that way he should definitely get a Cat. A catamaran, that is.

Seriously...yes 20 is excessive for both boats...The VMG would be horrible. 15 would be on the high end of efficiency.

Besides, after awhile picking up you're house after a exciting sail gets just isn't worth it anymore.

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by dionski

It seems a little bizarre to have arrived at these two particular boats being the best possible choices for your purposes, particularly because they share almost nothing in common. I would go back and carefully consider what you want the boat to do for you, and then look around and see what fits the bill. If you accurately evaluate your needs, all the candidates should end up being pretty similar.

I agree entirely. The two boats are very different in purpose. For the Caribbean I would choose the Catalina of these two. The only problem would be if you decided to go further. For that I would not choose either.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by dionski

It seems a little bizarre to have arrived at these two particular boats being the best possible choices for your purposes, particularly because they share almost nothing in common. I would go back and carefully consider what you want the boat to do for you, and then look around and see what fits the bill. If you accurately evaluate your needs, all the candidates should end up being pretty similar.

I don't understand this comment. After all, either of these boats can support the OP's goals as stated. After that, it's a matter of selecting the boat with the characteristics that he WANTS. He likes these two. Perhaps he should look at more, but if he selects one of these types of boats, he can hone in on the others like it.

He's asking the opinions of people who are actually out there doing what he wants to do. A lot of cruisers are at the same decision point, which is why we see a lot of threads making these exact comparisons.

At the same price point, is it worth getting more boat in a Catalina, or a smaller, older, heavier-built boat in an Island Packet?

Has anyone out there purchased and lived aboard one of these for Island hopping in the Carribean, but wished they had purchased the other?