Catalina 27 Tall Rig

[deanowens1966]

I will be looking at a Catalina 27 Tall Rig on the weekend and was hoping to get some feed back as to the capabilities of this boat and anything know to look for as far as problems.

It is a 1972 model and in fresh water.

[dougal]

Originally Posted by deanowens1966

I will be looking at a Catalina 27 Tall Rig on the weekend and was hoping to get some feed back as to the capabilities of this boat and anything know to look for as far as problems.

It is a 1972 model and in fresh water.

We've had two. Although it was a long time ago (1996-97), we bought a Catalina 27 with tall rig in San Diego. We then did what most people said was insane... we did the 'Baha Haha' with it!!! Over the next 18 months, we covered about 2300nm in it. The Cat27 is STILL one of the most versatile sail boats I've ever owned! The slightly later models are also extremely tough and rugged for a production boat. They're also extremely forgiving novice sailors, which I was at the time;-) That boat saved my live on several occasions.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer.

[Cheechako]

Watch for soggy decks and chainplate/main bulkhead issues. Also, if you get to pulling it out of the water watch for the Catalina "smile" near the keel. You can google that to find out more.

[Stu Jackson]

The Catalina 27 is a great boat. We've had a C22, C25 and now our C34, kinda "skipping" the C27 & C30 sizes! But they are all similar in build and good quality.

The older C27s had a chainplate issue. Catalina Direct: has replacement chainplates, which replace the U bolts with bar stock backing plates. This is VERY important for rig integrity.

Otherwise, no different than any other boat:

Boat Inspection Trip Tips - SailboatOwners.com

If it's an inboard, beware of limited access to the stuffing box and the rw cooled engines usually employed. If it's a freshwater cooled engine (i.e., HX), then check on the alternator bracket upgrade. If it is an M25 engine, our C34 website has a ton of information about them.

Capabilities? You don't say where you're planning to go, so how can we answer that part? Let us know more and we can help.

Good luck.

[deanowens1966]

The Boat was in great condition, had a new main, New Genoa, New Outboard, updated chainplates and was very clean and well taken care of. The issue was that size and position of the head and the overall size of the boat. We will need a bigger boat.

It's time to consider a boat in the +30' range.

Thanks for all of the feedback.

[dougal]

Originally Posted by deanowens1966

The Boat was in great condition, had a new main, New Genoa, New Outboard, updated chainplates and was very clean and well taken care of. The issue was that size and position of the head and the overall size of the boat. We will need a bigger boat.

It's time to consider a boat in the +30' range.

Thanks for all of the feedback.

Have a look at the C30 then. You'll be amazed how spacious it is compared to the 27

[Cheechako]

Yeah, the 30 is huge compared to the 27.