What they said. Good basic boat, good inshore weekender for a couple, good day sailer for two couples or a
family.
Outboard engine gives you more room. The alcohol
stove is not a plus... you can starve to death before you get anything cooked on it. You can modify a SeaSwing gimbal to accept a primus type kerosene/diesel burner (don't operate it with the boat closed up!!!!!) for more heat. There is a nice aftermarket regulated burner that fits on most of them including the el cheapo Butterfly I use.
This was and still is a very popular small
sloop. They are EVERYWHERE. Not as roomy as its close cousin, the
Cal 2-27 but okay if you are not too tall or wide of beam. This is a very
cheap way to get your hand in the
game, and if you keep it up, you can always resell it for not much less than the
current asking
price.
My only real beef with it is the vee berth is nowhere near as spacious as the Cal's vee berth. It's a decent sailing boat, and an easy
single hander, though you may want a couple extra winches, and to lead everything back to the
cockpit.
If you have never done any sailing, this is a pretty good learner boat. If you have never done any motoring either, well, maybe not so good. The outboard is kind of hard to manage for a
newbie. For anybody, really. Your first
purchase should probably be lots and lots of fenders. Walmart has them for less than half what Worst
Marine charges.
The problem with the
keel joint on this boat is widespread but not universal. I would say that even though the
price is less than $5k, since (1) it is your first boat, and (2) the keel issue is a deal breaker, and (3) it is apparently already hauled out, get a fresh survey done before you make the final decision. Depending on the type of
insurance you are getting, you may need a survey anyway.
There are a lot of benefits to
buying into such a popular model or class. Lots of peer support, owners groups, organized regattas and rallys, aftermarket bits and
parts, and so on. Every yard knows this boat inside and out, making
repairs go much smoother.
I bet fully 10% of all US sailboat owners have some tiller time in a Catalina 27 or even owned one as a first boat. You are looking down the path well traveled.
Oh, you will find the
companionway AC to be very unhandy. Make a scoop/housing/mount out of foam and
fiberglass and fit it to your forehatch, is what I would do. Or spring for a rooftop RV AC.
Before you even call a surveyor, check for spongy
deck topside, and in the
cockpit sole. Around the
mast step and to either side of the
companionway hatch seem to be very prone to
core rot. Keep in mind that to have a yard
repair this can cost a bundle, though it is not totally out of the question to
DIY. However that should bring the price waaaaaaay down. I bet the
rigging is original. Have some
budget set aside for all new wire and fittings. They mostly corrode and fail inside the end fittings where you can't see the wire, and when they let go, well, that sucks. Check the
mast, especially at the top, for
electrolysis. That is severe wasting away of the
aluminum where it is in close contact with other metals. That isn't a dealbreaker, but it is a price lowerer. You can cut the top 6" off the mast or get a used or aftermarket mast for this boat pretty easy. But you have to factor in the costs to the final price.
This one LOOKS like a pretty decent example of the model, and appears in the listing to be a likely buy. However, sellers of this sort of boat know that their main market is first time or relatively inexperienced boat buyers, and will often try to pass along a problem boat without properly disclosing its faults. So again, inspite of the small amount of
money changing hands, I would recommend a full survey.