Catalina 30, 1977 is this sailboat worth the money?

[CaptRican]

I am looking at a Catalina 30, 1977 and i was wondering whether this boat is worth considering for a cruiser/sailer/bluewater dame?

[lifeofreilly57]

It's a good coastal cruiser, but I wouldn't call it a bluewater cruiser.
The 30 would need some beefing up to sail offshore, more tankage, more storage, etc, etc.
But for coastal cruising it's just fine, i had one years ago that I sailed up and down the NE coast, lots of room for the money and good support from the manufacturer.
If it's a pre 1980 I would check the chainlplates closely.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

more tankage,

I always see a lot of people mentioning larger tanks for smaller boats.
My math on this issue:

Engine / diesel:
I want to have enough diesel for 4 x 24 hrs on a crossing (I'm not a patient woman ). Since smaller boats have smaller engines, let's go with a 20HP (mine is a 10HP) engine. You're not going full throttle, so let's say you'll use around 1 liter (ca. 0,26 gallon) per hour. That would tally up to 120L or 31 gallon.
For me, that means a full tank (60L / 16 gallon) and a couple of cans. And that's only for the big ocean crossings ... normally, just the diesel in the tank is more than enough.

Water:
Minimal 2,5L per person per day - including cooking etc. Longest crossing with safety margin at 40 days = 100L for one person (26 gallon). My tank holds 90L, but I'd bring some cans just in case. And a hand-watermaker in case it all goes FUBAR.
If you're eating a lot of canned food (and chances are, you will), you'll be getting a lot of water from that too by the way

If you run out of room: you can survive without diesel for your engine a whole lot longer than without water, so the choice is easy

[jeepbluetj]

I own a Catalina 30. Great boat. I really like my boat. Great coastal cruiser/day sailor/usedtobe class racer. Great to sail to Catalina and back.

For bluewater: Tankage is tiny (20g water/15g fuel). Storage for passagemanking is tiny. Companionway is too wide. Cockpit drains are too small. Etc...

[WindwardPrinces]

They're great boats. Get it.

[CaptRican]

Originally Posted by WindwardPrinces

They're great boats. Get it.

Hey thanks for your encouragement! But may i ask you why do you think that they are great boats?

I read that mid seventies the boat manufacturers where testing different materials and resins and that brought about problems with quality and materials, ie. delamination, infiltration, rotting and so on. Is the Catalina in that category?

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by CaptRican

Hey thanks for your encouragement! But may i ask you why do you think that they are great boats?

I read that mid seventies the boat manufacturers where testing different materials and resins and that brought about problems with quality and materials, ie. delamination, infiltration, rotting and so on. Is the Catalina in that category?

They're great boats because they made so many of them. Best bang for the bucks for interior size and systems, but systems on older boats may have been more limited. They sail pretty well, too.

The ONLY issues that "the boat manufacturers where testing..." you need concern yourself about are the ones being done on THAT boat at THAT time. The C30 has a good owners association website (International Catalina 30 Association) (the main home page has a link to our C34 website for a lot of system information), a Yahoo group, a C30 group at sbo.com, and a friend of mine is starting up a C30 wiki.

The information included on those will help you to avoid reinventing wheel on repairs. The ONE thing these older C30s had was a wood piece under the mast, so be careful of that and do some research on it. Chainplates should be part of regular maintenance, for all boats, sometimes ignored by POs.

The older boat most likely came with a tiller, some skippers switched to wheels but then had to relocate the engine controls. Engine? A4 or small Universal Kubota diesel.

Good luck.

[Stu Jackson]

Keel stub repair issue

Keel stub repair - a few questions. | SailboatOwners.com Forums

[rbyham]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Keel stub repair issue

Keel stub repair - a few questions. | SailboatOwners.com Forums

Otherwise known as the "Catalina smile" issue...

[lifeofreilly57]

Any boat of that vintage should basically have the bottom paint removed and barrier coat done on the hull below the water line. Although I haven't heard of too many Catalinas of that era having blistering problems it is still an old boat and should be looked at as such.
The one I had was a 1981 and had that one about 1990, sold it in 95, at that time a stripped the bottom, found no blisters or issues with the gelcoat on the bottom but did the barrier coat to it anyway, stripping it is the hard part, applying the barrier coat is easy.
While I had it stripped I also addressed the "Catalina Smile" by dropping the keel, inspecting the keel stub, which was fine, removing all the old sealant and re-bedding the keel with new sealant. It's actually not as hard as it sounds, it's a pretty straight forward job, it's just all the fiberglass dust in your shorts that's annoying. Still a couple years later it had the catalina smile again, but no leaks and the keel bolts were fine.
The 30 is actually a pretty well built boat for a production boat, better build quality than many of it's contemporaries and delivers a lot for the money. It's sailing characteristics are decent and forgiving, it's just a good all around general purpose boat that's easy to sail, has a lot of room for a 30 and has a huge support group, not to mention the factory support they provide.
Coastal cruising, club racing and general pleasure cruising is it's design intent, not a deep bluewater boat but it was never meant to be.
Like any used boat of that vintage you have to look closely at the condition, how well it was maintained by the previous owners will make a huge difference in the condition of the boat, especially one of that vintage. I saw my old 30 in a boatyard a couple years ago and it hasn't been well taken care of by the last couple owners, it was sad to see, especially when I think of all the work I put into it to get it into top condition, oh well, it served it's purpose for me and did everything I asked of it.
I still have a 150% headsail for it in my garage, just needs a new sun cover, I think I'll be selling that one, I need more room for the new sail bags from the new/old boat......

[Liam Wald]

I have an acquaintance who sailed a Catalina 30 offshore in the Pacific.
San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta to Hawaii then back to San Francisco.
The guy (and his wife) are both top notch sailors and had no problems.
They spent a good amount of time and money in preparation and had no issues.

Of course there are others who planned to sail Catalina 30's to Hawaii or similar bluewater destinations and didn't do so well.

[WindwardPrinces]

Originally Posted by CaptRican

Hey thanks for your encouragement! But may i ask you why do you think that they are great boats?

I read that mid seventies the boat manufacturers where testing different materials and resins and that brought about problems with quality and materials, ie. delamination, infiltration, rotting and so on. Is the Catalina in that category?

I'd certainly check out the specific one you're interested in, but as an all-around boat at that size, they're difficult to beat. If you find a well-maintained one, you'll get some great experience out of it that will translate to every future boat you have. It's a manageable size, but does have ample room.

It likely won't be your ultimate boat, but it may well be your "right now" boat. If you play it right, you'll sell it for the same price you pay for it. There are lots of them out there, and there's a huge owner association to help get you up to speed.

If you find one in decent shape, it will get you on the water faster than most in that price range.

[lifeofreilly57]

I would have to give them some well deserved praise for that accomplishment.
Anything is possible with the right preparation and good seamanship, but that's the exception more than the norm for that model.
There have been a couple 27's that have been successfully sailed to far off locations after some modifications but that model was a little more conservative to start with.

[Tetepare]

You're talking about a $5000 boat, and an older one that may have not been maintained.

First order of business is the motor, as that will cost thousands to replace.

The decks could be waterlogged, is there any sign of water damage below?

As already stated, check the chainplates, or more specifically, check the wood to which they are bolted- is it rotted?

As far as "offshore" anything can go offshore if the weather is right. But what happens if you get into bad weather? The companionway is way too big to keep out water, the hatches aren't made to take tons of water smashing on them, and the rig isn't all that strong.

Not concerned about tankage, they make plastic jugs for that.

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

You're talking about a $5000 boat, and an older one that may have not been maintained.

First order of business is the motor, as that will cost thousands to replace.

The decks could be waterlogged, is there any sign of water damage below?

As already stated, check the chainplates, or more specifically, check the wood to which they are bolted- is it rotted?

As far as "offshore" anything can go offshore if the weather is right. But what happens if you get into bad weather? The companionway is way too big to keep out water, the hatches aren't made to take tons of water smashing on them, and the rig isn't all that strong.

Not concerned about tankage, they make plastic jugs for that.

This is so true.
A tired old $5000 boat could eat up $20K-$30K easily.
Not to mention months or years of your time.
Think of what you could buy for $35K.
The Catalina 30 that I was referring to that had sailed to Hawaii was basically a new boat and still needed thou$ands to prepare for the trip.