one more Catalina 27 thread... just cuz

[Chinook92]

Alrighty....

what does the world need? one more Catalina 27 thread!!!

so.... picked up my boat last year for 1000$.... I found it sitting in a field, and the previous owner spruced it up, and got it sailing, and after his wife freaked out how the boat leaned over too much, it sat in the marina til the outboard rotted off, then got hauled out, and left in a field til the bulkheads rotted out, where I picked it up for 1000$ and have since gutted it completely

so far the list of updates/upgrades/mods...

all new 1/2" okume marine ply bulkheads, resin coated and partially doubled up at the chainplates, with 1/4" stainless backers on either side

rebedded all deck hardware

swapped out halyards and running rigging with spectra/amsteel

furler

ivarson dodger

radar pole and radar

Edson binnacle

force 10 3 burner galley range

Dickinson p9000 propane furnace

pressurized water

liveaboard legal head system with holding tank and y valve

new thru hulls

salt water foot pump for the galley

rebedded stanchions

bottom paint

new cushions

new hoses and lines

battery bank

15hp outboard

adjustable backstay

reinforced lower shrouds with chain plates

came with new sails too

and plenty more to come



Why am I going to these lengths for a Catalina 27 tall rig (forgot to add that), well, 1) it was a cheap boat. honestly it was the cheapest biggest boat I could find.... 2) I work in a boat yard, and repair, maintain, and refit boats for a living and 3) I can scrounge up most everything I need, so, with an hour or two after each day after work, im slowly getting a very nice sailboat out of the deal, and the boat lives at my work, so, I have an entire boaryard at my disposal... im an industry professional, so, the actual labor is more of me ddoing something for myself in my spare time


sure... we all know there are better boats out there, however, I might only have 1800$ into this boat

the goal is to go 3500 miles to Alaska and back, and spend no more than 3500$ for a boat that's fully loaded and write a book how it is still possible to go sailing for around 1$/mile IF IF IF IF you take the time to learn how to actually do all this stuff yourself. again, its how I make a living, so, this isn't necessarily a hard project for me, more or less time consuming. also commercial fished for 9 seasons in Alaska so, I know fully what im up against, but am getting bored with the 9-5 daily work schedule and need some spice in life so what the hell.... lets take the most common boat that everybody knows, and push the envelope a little


what am I missing here?

going to do a full battery bank (probably 2 6 volts with solar charger), AIS, vhf, gps…. feel like im crossing a lot of stuff off the list


one thing I am pondering.....

given how I am indeed a marine diesel mechanic, I don't see it being too complicated to fiberglass in a shaft log/stern tube, and some engine stringers, slap in a fuel tank and convert an outboard C-27 into an inboard diesel....

definitely would pay off in reliability and fuel savings provided the fact I am planning to head north from Washington to eventually Juneau Alaska... those tides and currents up there just have be thinking a 15hp Suzuki is simply outclassed...…


the goal of the project is to illustrate how almost anybody who takes the time out to learn how to work on boats is capable of going cool places in a cheap boat

thoughts and opinions???

[Jim Cate]

g'day Chinook,

Sounds like one hell of a project, and like you are doin' it right. A worthy task, one that should be inspiring to many. (Perhaps too inspiring, for all those jobs that are everyday things for you are a minefield for many newbies... or experienced salts for that matter.)

At any rate, I hope that you can realize your dream of 1$/mile or whatever it comes out to. I sure never reached that metric on any of my boats!

Jim

[rsn48]

Catalina 27's have put so many people on the water, should get some kind of life time achievement award. Now once your done, sell it and get a Catalina 30, more room, and a great all round boat.

[Chinook92]

Originally Posted by rsn48

Catalina 27's have put so many people on the water, should get some kind of life time achievement award. Now once your done, sell it and get a Catalina 30, more room, and a great all round boat.

eh, Im more likely to end up with a one off racing design than a Catalina 30, but the reality of it is that im planning on getting a 40-60 foot steel schooner with a freezer hold and a commercial salmon trolling permit, and spend my summers sailing from Washington to south east Alaska, loading up on silver and king salmon, selling what I can as I go to restaurants down south for direct prices, and coming home with a freezer hold full of salmon, and selling fish down in Seattle or Portland and taking fall off to go hunting, and winter off to go skiing.... live life on my own terms... aint afraid to try. sure beats wondering what if... im 30, and not planning on getting old behind a desk. been fixing boats and commercial fishing since I was 17. this world is only getting smaller for a guy like me, the cities are expanding, and I have no desire to live anywhere other than some sleepy fishing town, sailing is an addiction I got in highschool via dinghy racing but....

for now, im building my boat and thinking about converting an outboard C-27 to an inboard

[LeeV]

Wow, what a jump from a C 27 to a 40-60 foot steel schooner!

Admirable reconstruction, owing much to your current employment and situation; it would have cost an average person much more, so that’s good. My one question would be if you chose to start with 1k, how are you going to make the leap to a 40-60 foot steel schooner? You have funds set aside, or you’ll try to find one in similar condition to the C27?

I like your overall plan!

[AZUS]

Lots of thumbs up to you!

I'm at the other end of the cruising spectrum, hiring almost everything you mentioned. That's why appreciate guys with the skills and vision to do it and do it right. Keep us informed of your adventures, please.

I have a good friend in Sicily, where our boat lives in the winter. He's an English guy whose dad was an old salt who made wooden boats, and that is what he learned to do from a young age. His similar adventure was to find the hull of an old S&S-style 35-footer in GB for next to nothing. He put sweat equity in it (even harvested a tree, floated it down the river to his marina, and used it to make his mast and spars!). He now lives in Sicily, cares for others' boats for the winter and sails his during the summer. A great life.

Good luck!

[duefocena]

Congratulations on all the things you have done to your Catalina.
Opinion on going diesel is you won’t regret it. When that outboard is porpoiseing as you go to windward in large seas and the water intake is sucking dry air your little diesel would be chugging along contentedly. The $3,500 total might double but you’ll be safe and so will your vessel.
Lots of Catalina’s here and no one complains that theirs is a diesel.
Don’t overbeef your chainplates.

[Greg Mason]

A great story, and hopefully a great journey. I too did most of my own work, and I appreciate the satisfaction of a dream coming true. The reality is those hours must be of some value, as they cannot be replaced, and the vessel when you are ready to move on will still be a Catalina 27. Live out your invested value and dream and plan, that can never be taken away.

[Bawlmer]

The 27 is a great boat and I looked at a lot of them when I was boat shopping. If 3500.00 is all you spent to make your boat livable and seaworthy then you did really well. Not counting your time you now have a 4500.00 boat. Unless it does not interfere with your writing plans it may be wise to sell it (I am sure at a profit) and look at another 27 with a diesel. There are many well founded 27s out there and with the knowledge you gained from this one the next would be much better. You may want to keep your radar however as that is not a typical accessory on a Cat 27.

[ferrailleur]

fantastic and inspiring story.... Congrats

[MIRELOS]

My first boat was a Catalina 27, great memories, very capable boat. Looks like you are the right person for this project, congratulations and enjoy.

[GrowleyMonster]

Good luck with your $1k boat, and I mean that sincerely, not sarcastically. It is very possible that you will be at least close to your anticipated budget, doing everything yourself. The Catalina 27 is a very nice singlehander and the tall rig makes it a reasonably fast boat for what it is, particularly inshore. Serious cruiser, not. Can you cruise in her if you insist on it? Absolutely most definitely. You get a lot of bang for the buck out of a C27 or its close cousin the Cal 2-27, one of which I bought for $2k with 10 sails and lots of extra goodies and modifications, but a non starting Atomic 4. Comparing the two, the only thing where the Catalina falls off is the vee berth isn't nearly as big as on the Cal.


Yes, the Catalina 30 is a great boat, for most folks a better choice than the 27, but that just helps keep demand for the 27 in check and keeps prices for it rock bottom low.



I agree that a small inboard diesel would very much be a welcome upgrade. But things can get complicated with that, and you lose a lot of space down below, too. Think hard before you start cutting and grinding. All the other upgrades are great but I will say that tiller steering offers a lot of advantages for this size and type of boat, especially for singlehanding. For one thing it is easy to rig for self steering without a fancy pants rube goldberg bunch of flappy vanes and levers and trim tabs and stuff. Wheel steering makes the boat feel like a big kid's boat though, yeah. And no tiller sweeping back and forth across the cockpit is good when you have guests.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by Chinook92

im planning on getting a 40-60 foot steel schooner with a freezer hold and a commercial salmon trolling permit, and spend my summers sailing from Washington to south east Alaska, loading up on silver and king salmon, selling what I can as I go to restaurants down south for direct prices, and coming home with a freezer hold full of salmon, and selling fish down in Seattle or Portland and taking fall off to go hunting, and winter off to go skiing.... live life on my own terms...

Well, I sure admire your independence and determination. One comment, at some point you will want to look into fish seller licenses to allow direct sales. Oregon and Washington both offer a limited fish sellers license which is intended for direct "off the boat" sales. They are fairly expensive for non-residents, however. Good luck with your plans.

[lady sophie]

Google Patrick Childress...

[ebsail]

I dunno- You can buy 3 - 15 HP electric start extra long shaft 4 cycle outboards for the cost of the same 15 HP diesel, parts only. I pushing 5000 lbs with a 6 HP extra long shaft Tohatsu and it would take some really big chop to get it to ventilate. Worked well for 2 years. Very high swells don't seem to cause any problem The extra long shaft works quite well and you don't need a folding prop either, just raise the engine.