Used Catana 42 - need input

[cosminzb]

Ladies and gents, I need your opinion on this.

But first I just want to point out that I’m a novice in this matters. Never owned.

I’m looking for a nice little catamaran. Found 2 Catana 42s. One from 2007 one from 2012.
I really don’t know what it means in technical terms. How long do these hulls go?
Financially I understand, depreciation and stuff like that.


But I plan on getting the a cat and refiting it to suit my tastes, the only thing that concerns me are the hulls/mast (the BIG stuff).

Help me GODs of cruising

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, cosminzb.

FRP hulls can last nearly forever, if properly maintained (undamaged).

[Naughty Cat]

You could try getting in contact with the guys at rumulti (.co.uk) They were cat builders and very helpful, as well as knowing Catana well.

[catmancan2]

Catana did not have a 42 model in 2007. Could you possibly be referring to what is being advertised as a 2007 Catana/Phisa 42? If so this boat was not built by Catana but rather a short lived builder by the name of Phisa and also located in Canet en Roussillon.

Phisa purchased the old molds of what was the Catana 401, which originally was the Catana 381 with a new cockpit mold from the cockpit bulkhead aft to incorporate Catana's sail management system still being used in today's models.

in 2009 Catana introduced the 41 with an unpopular salon plan which was changed to the current salon plan and renamed the Catana 42 in 2010. It was at this time that resin infusion was introduced and in late 2011 or early 2012 carbon was used for primary bulkheads, the inner skin of the salon and bimini roof, plus other high load/stress areas (ie. chain plates). If I remember Catana 42 hull #19 was the first Catana carbon infused 42.

If kept light the infusion and carbon infusion Catana 42 was a good sailing boat.

[cosminzb]

Thank you all for the replies.

Indeed one is a Phisa, that is marketed as ca Catana.
So I'll stick with 2012 and up for carbon infusion.
Me and the mrs know that we could get a bigger boat for the money but we're looking for fun boats also (with good D/L ratios).
And today we started looking at Schionings. Any tips?

[catmancan2]

If budget allows, try to find an owner's version since the galley and nav station will be larger as will the owner's port hull with more storage and larger head w/separate shower. With the dual aft helms linked to rack & pinion steering the Catanas are a lot of fun to sail and easy to single hand.

Jeff Schionning is a very respected Aussie designer with many designs he sells for folks wanting to build their own boat or commission to have professionally built, usually in OZ. Depending on where you are in the world when you decide to sell, Schionning may or may not be recognized. Whereas builders like Catana and other production builders are recognized world-wide.

And if the Phisa is near you or if you feel like making the effort, have a look because the Phisa was well built and the interior cabinetry was better than today's Catanas. The owner of Phisa use to be in charge of cabinetry at Catana for a number of years.

Note that the salon headroom is approx 1.82m and the forward owner's head could be as low as 1.64m which meant one had to shower sitting down or pee sitting down! But then you'll get no arguments from the admiral!

I sold Catanas into the US market for many years, starting in 1994, which is why I know them so well.

[SVPP]

I had a 2013 Catana 42. It was hull number #24. It was 3 cabin.

It was a great sea boat and super strong. We had her for 3 years and sailed her extensively. It was big enough for a small family and very fast and easy to handle.

My only negative thing is that the hull below the waterline was foam cored. I would have liked it to be solid GRP as on one occasion the outer skin it was punctured and a section took water internally. You also can't beach these boats for that reason (and others).

I sold the 42t to buy a 47. I have now changed my mind and next year am going to get another 42.

They are great boats. They keep there value fairly well. A 2012 - 2016 boat in good condition are hard to beat.

[Chablis 1]

Hi,
I have a carbon infusion/4 cabin/two head version from 2014, hull n°34, and can confirm what Catmancan is saying about the fun, fast and easy sailing. I'm sailing extensively off shore and in protected waters with the trades blowing quiet strong here in New Caledonia. The boat is always behaving safely and outruns most of the other boats of similar size. Of course I would have preferred a 3 cabin version but not available in the charter program where the boat is run actually, and also more expensive. The galley is still great but the nav station is small. More storage could be built if needed and front cabins converted. She will be on the market for around 320 k€ in about 8 months. Very well equipped for blue water cruising and live aboard, shipped from France by cargo and all local taxes payed.

SVPP,
What are the reasons for coming back to a 42'? Performance, cost, ease of sail..?
Best regards,
Thomas

[SVPP]

Hello Thomas,

Partly, we came back to the C42 for the following reasons:

1. Performance: we seemed to go everywhere at an average of 9knots. The 47 will be faster but load/effort/cost/manpower needed in an emergency for us doesn't justify the extra knot or two at various sail angles. Granted the 47 should be considered a more capable and seaworthy offshore but we consider the 42 to be very capable and maybe even a little conservative.

2. Cost: we can get a 42 pulled out at our local club and berthing in the Whitsundays is much more reasonable and possible. The 47 is more expensive but it is a quality product so I won't bang on about comparing them to other production boats.

3. Handling: I spent a lot of time on our last boat sailing her alone. My wife and I have confidence we can handle a 42 but having said that, the loads on a 42ft performance cat are not to be underestimated. Whatever the size we will continue sail these boats with respect and caution. 47 needs more caution but is likely to be faster - but these boats are fast enough

4. Layout: Doing the washing up whilst looking at the view out the aft window is one of the many memories that reinforce our love for the 3 cabin layout. The non owner aft cabin on the 42 has a king size bunk. On the 47 it is two single bunks in one of the aft cabins with a fill in piece. If you have want to slats, the fill in piece is likely to be ply underneath in the middle so not that comfortable.

The table in the 42 isn't raised on a platform so the whole are in the main cabin is easier to move around and clean. It also looks bigger because everything is on the one level.On the 47 Easy layout table isnt raised but other parts of this layout are a waste of space like the less useful bench top placed in the stbd aft corner.

5. Looks: The 47 wins here as the proportions seem better the longer the boat but the 42 up close is still a very pretty boat.

Things I will get on my next 42:

3 cabin - better for us but I haven't owned 4 cabin so can't really comment on whether the cost of owning a 3 cabin or being able to offset costs with a charter spec is something that would be silly for a lot of people to ignore

Pump out holding tanks not just gravity release. The gravity tanks block up and smell often permeates back into the main cabin if the system hasn't been flushed for 48 hours.

Small Paguro Generator - this is the only gen that will fit in the Port engine room

240V 200l hr water maker , fitted in the stbd engine room- these boats hold a lot of fuel and if sailed properly the main engines aren't need alto. So the generator is often fired up to make water. At 400l Fuel capacity, that equates to a lot of water. When coastal cruising we shower every day and never worried about water or fuel. When offshore we shower much less but water was never an issue

Yanmars instead of Volvos. Volvos have a shorter lifecycle i.e. exhaust headers need to be changed much more quickly. Yammers with turbos i.e. 40hp is a great engine.

A GRP Cockpit table instead of the teak option

No teak trim and fwd seating outside. Minimal teak decking in the cockpit ares and would consider flexiteak if it looked OK, if not definately not rich the total teak aft option

a Dyneema standing rig and carbon mast and spars

Maybe a Bauer Junior 240V dive compressor

Some options fitted to our last boat were never used i.e. washing machine, cabin heater (but thats just where we were sailing). No AC needed.

Anyway, these are just some random thoughts about some of the things I would consider when we set up our next boat

One last thing: I looked superficially at the 53 and just can't get my head around the shape. I hope the 42 and 47 replacements don't follow this. Maybe it will become the norm one day but the tulip hulls that Catana developed over the last decade work well and are much better on the eye.

cheers

Paul

[Chablis 1]

Thank you Paul,
A very thoughtful and instructive comparison.
I’ve been on and off both of this boats often and can’t find any difference in the cock-pit size, neither at the helm stations. The big difference is the volume in the hulls.
I’ve also noticed that the 42’ is faster in light winds, the 47’ picks up speed starting about 12-15kn AWS.
Another feature that should be considered an all dagger board cats are the skegs protecting the saildrives and rudders. On a Catana that is an option. These skegs also makes beaching safer.
Best regards,
Thomas

[SV Lemonade]

Reviving an old thread.

I'm close to putting an offer in on a Catana 42. Was curious if any owners have input on ventilation (no portholes in ceilings) and storage space.

TIA

[catmancan2]

Originally Posted by SV Lemonade

Reviving an old thread.

I'm close to putting an offer in on a Catana 42. Was curious if any owners have input on ventilation (no portholes in ceilings) and storage space.

TIA

TIA, what does "no portholes in ceilings" mean? Photo shows a hatch in both forward cabins. Just need to know where the deck stringers are located so as not to cut into them. Hatch size is approx 330 mm square. As far as storage, is your C42 an owner or charter version?

[SV Lemonade]

Thanks for the fast response.

The one we are looking at doesn't have those two forward hatches. We would have to add them in. Do you find those two hatches alone to be enough to ventilate the entire hull in warmer areas? I guess we could always get some small portable ac type of thing when we are in hotter areas.

It's a four cabin version. I think we'd convert one cabin into a storage space.

Our main concern was is there enough storage for provisioning for longer passages.

TIA!

[Chablis 1]

Hello,
As I mentioned in my earlier post, storage capacity is not a strong point on a C42, four cabins version. However some easy modifications, without going to a big job like converting a forward cabin, could be done to improve it.
I don’t have any forward deck hatches and find that the ventilation is still good in the aft cabins. On a rainy day the forward side hatches must be kept closed which of course reduces the ventilation in the forward cabins.
Best regards,
Thomas

[catmancan2]

Originally Posted by SV Lemonade

Thanks for the fast response.

The one we are looking at doesn't have those two forward hatches. We would have to add them in. Do you find those two hatches alone to be enough to ventilate the entire hull in warmer areas? I guess we could always get some small portable ac type of thing when we are in hotter areas.

It's a four cabin version. I think we'd convert one cabin into a storage space.

Our main concern was is there enough storage for provisioning for longer passages.

TIA!

These deck hatches were installed during construction (prior to deck being installed). While deck hatches scoop more air than opening portholes, you could possibly add more opening portholes in the fixed hull windows and perhaps another pair of deck hatches in aft cabins. The ceilings would need to be removed to check feasibility. As far as additional storage on a 4 cabin model, yeah best to convert a stateroom, but be mindful of weight trim.