Cal-30 of 1961 design. Restore?

[dcstrng]

I'll align with TrentePieds and add -- condition is nearly everything. There are tons of classic-plastic out there at very reasonable prices -- so there is no sense chasing a wreck when you can look a bit further -- on the other hand if this is sound, is the design you like and you enjoy tinkering (and have the tools and skills -- these are bigger issue than it may seem at first glance), then these can be loads of entertainment both before and after you get her in the water.

[Beau.Vrolyk]

The original Cal-30 is a GREAT BOAT! My opinion is from having raced on them for over a decade in the '60s and early '70s. They are boats which are dearly loved in their native California waters.

Now that you know my opinion, I'll tell you why I think so. It's not hard. With a PHRF rating in S. California (where they have had more experience with this design that any other PHRF committee) the rating is 192. This is pretty generous. If you're thinking of racing her, she should easily sail to this rating with good sails and a reasonable crew. While she will never surf like an Olson-30, she will do a great job of sailing to her rating or better.

Like all the early Bill Lapworth designs, the Cal-30 is well mannered and well balanced. You won't be dragging the rudder sideways to counteract weather helm. Upwind the Cal-30 will track like a meter boat compared to modern designs and will kick the tail of most 30' sloops from the '80s and '90s. She will not be as fast down wind, but is easily controlled because she is old enough to have been designed by Lapworth to the CCA rule and not the control-offensive IOR rule. This means a LOT less rolling around and desperately trying not to round up or round down while sailing down wind. What this means is that the Cal-30 will be sailing to about 98% of her maximum speed without punishing her crew. This is not true of IOR or IMS based designs.

Finally, the secret weapon of the Cal-30 is heavy air. It's surprising that a Southern California boat would be so very good in heavy air, but she is. Upwind she doggedly slogs through whatever you send her way with her ample beam providing good form stability. Downwind she won't plane like a modern boat but will surf nicely down waves in complete control. A true lady.

I think she'd make a great cruising boat and could take you around the world if that was where you wanted to go.

[Don C L]

Thanks for chiming in Beau! How is Mayan? For some years many moons ago she was just a few steps away from me at the end of Marina 2. Hope all are well!

[Beau.Vrolyk]

Don,

MAYAN is doing very well. We’ve loved her very much.

Cheers,

Beau

[CaptainMurph]

Sorry to reply to this so late, but I've been off the Forum for many months.

I have an original (1965) Cal 30 and love her (Amalia).

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions.


capnm@mascom.com

[NormanMartin]

CaptMurph and Beau.Vrolik:
Thanks so much.

As a reminder, pictures of the Cal are at https://appliedsailing.blogspot.com/2017/02/

What do you think? A tenable project?

We had a lot of fun doing the Yankee 30, Winsome, which we blogged between April and August of 2017 in appliedsailing. During that time, the Cal 30 caught my eye.

Thanks,
Norman
Harwich, MA
Averisera

[Don C L]

If you are enthusiastic about what you will have and what the boat will do for you when she's sailing again, then it's worth it. That's my measuring stick anyway. If it were me and I had a container with tools and materials parked next to her, I'd do it! Speaking as one with a similar vintage boat I'd scrutinize the rudder stock. I believe it is solid bronze like mine, and is probably fine, but should be checked. The hull itself is probably fine and just needs a bottom paint job. I have heard of other folks' having their bronze fittings turning pink, but mine are still all fine, including the ancient through-hulls.

[GrowleyMonster]

Abandoned boats often have dodgy paperwork. Getting registration/title or Certificate of Documentation, or insurance, can be difficult with some boats. I had a booger of a time at that, with my recently purchased Bruce Roberts. So make sure that the paperwork is all there.



A full restore, I wouldn't bother. Fitting her out for family weekend sailing is probably very doable and worthwhile. If the deck doesn't feel spongy then all is good in that area. If there are any leaks topside, though, you most probably have some water incursion into the core. Take care rebedding topside furnishings that you fix the problem and not add to it. I much prefer to move chainplates to the hull, myself. That boat probably has plywood bulkheads and by now they will have lost considerable integrity though likely still strong enough to do the job. I just prefer them outboard. The rigging will possibly be original and way overdue for changing, even for inshore sailing. Wood grabrails, hatch sliders, etc will need changing. Check the mast, especially at the top where the forestay is attached, for electrolytic corrosion. You may have to move attachment points or even cut off the top several inches of mast. Fuel tanks will be galvanized or aluminum. Possibly they sit on wooden cribbing with steel screws sticking up and in contact with the tank. Happened to me on my Cal 2-27, resulting in a tank full of gasoline in the bilge. Be proactive on the fuel tanks, is my suggestion. Go plastic. I would not go with bladders, with a gasoline engine.


Speaking of, the Atom Bomb is actually a pretty neat little engine but yours is getting awful long in the tooth, even if it is freshwater cooled. If it is raw water cooled, consider repowering proactively because it is gonna let go pretty soon. An outboard on a GOOD mount would be okay for inshore sailing, certainly, and the new 4 strokes run great and are pretty dependable. I never had a two stroke start easier than my GFs little Tohatsu, which always fires on the first pull when warm, second or third when cold.


Want to keep the Atomic? Okay, here's what you NEED to do. First, install an electric fuel pump with an oil pressure cutout switch. Moyer Marine is the go-to for all things Atomic. The problem with the stock fuel pump is when the diaghram fails, it pumps gasoline into the crankcase. Not good. Another major upgrade is electronic ignition. Makes life much easier when you don't have to always be drying the points and stuff. Tuneups are simpler, too. And get the knurled extended screws for the carburetor. If there are zincs in the cooling system then change them cause they are surely toast, and have spares. Spare impellors too, change the old one, and change annually. Don't wait for it to fail, because the rubber vanes can find their way into the engine. If you are not used to gas engines in boats, get in the habit of running the blowers before starting and even keeping a blower going while running. Change fuel hoses even if they look okay. Cheap proactive maintenance. Atomics are not very fuel efficient but that's not a dealbreaker depending on how much you run it.



If you decide to repower, a Beta 10 or 14 can be had that matches nicely to the old Atomic mounting. But who wants to pay $8k for an engine to put in a $1k boat? I would get a little 4 stroke outboard and maybe a new Atomic (Moyer now has newly cast blocks!) or a used diesel. Then again, if the outboard is all you need, pull the engine and fuel tank, and you got a lot more room for something else.

[NormanMartin]

Hey growley. Thanks. Most of those things we've thought about. We will put the boat beside the house and Mrs Martin will want it floating pretty soon!

I'd start with a dumpster and get back to basics. As for the engine, replace it. No questions. Outboards are too ugly. I will toy with electric as an option.

Going to look again tomorrow.

[CaptainMurph]

Norman: I looked at the pictures and it takes me back 5 years to when I first started working on my boat.

Once you get everything out and give it a good cleaning, you'll find there is an amazing amount of space below to allow you the flexibility to configure as you like.

I've made quite a few improvements to mine over the years; working at West Marine and getting wholesale pricing on everything has certainly allowed me to over-improve in some ways. But, I value every improvement!

Be very careful about whatever repairs you make because everyone will try to convince you that nearly everything needs attention or to be replaced. That is not necessarily true.

The website at Moyer marine should be one of your first stops since everyone there is very helpful and you will find that the Atomic 4 can be a trusted friend, safe and very reliable if you deal with any of the known issues.

Putting on the electric fuel pump kit isn't a bad idea, but I still have my diaphragm pump which got an overhaul this summer. A new coil (read all the threads about the primary circuit resistance required) and an electronic ignition is a very good idea. If you decide to overhaul the carb, it is a very easy task.

If you have the original sail plan, you will want to look into making sure you have at least one (preferably two) reef points since the main with the original 14' boom make for an easy overpower and legendary amount of weather helm once you are above 18K of so of breeze.

I'll try to keep looking in here at least weekly, so keep us abreast of what is up with your renovation.

Murph

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by NormanMartin

Hey growley. Thanks. Most of those things we've thought about. We will put the boat beside the house and Mrs Martin will want it floating pretty soon!

I'd start with a dumpster and get back to basics. As for the engine, replace it. No questions. Outboards are too ugly. I will toy with electric as an option.

Going to look again tomorrow.

Electric can be a very good option if you know you will never need to motor for long periods. For just ins and outs it is marvelous. Plus, you got a great big 48v bank for powering house loads. I use 8 GC-2 golf cart batteries from Sams Club, in series. That's pretty cheap storage, that. $85/each. Instant on, no warmup, no worrying about if the engine will start. Very quiet. Non polluting. And you get to smile when other boats pass close by while you are obviously motoring and point out that your exhaust is not spitting any water. Check out the electric boat yahoo group if you are really interested.

[Beau.Vrolyk]

Norman,

Here are some thoughts on your Cal-30 idea:

First, in the photos I noted that there didn't appear to be any rust stains on the stainless steel chainplates. That means that the deck around them is probably not leaking. this is a great sign. Also, those same chainplates don't appear to have any stains around the bolts, again great news if true as it means that there wasn't any water dripping on the stainless. These old Cal boats will almost always have rust on the stainless if there's been any water on them.

Second, I'd strongly suggest checking deck around the fittings. I can't tell from the pictures, but in one it seems that someone may have put some sort of headliner into the cabin top. I don't believe any of the boats had such a headliner when built. As a result, it might indicate a problem with the deck above the main cabin.

Third, the first generation of Cal-30 had a hull that was massively overbuilt. Bill Lapworth was still distrustful of this new-fangled fiberglass stuff and specified scantlings which were absurdly strong. This means that there is probably very little wrong with the hull. I don't recall the deck being plywood core, but it it is you'll want to check for delamination.

Fourth, the rig on a Cal-30 is absurdly simple. You could you use any of a number of standard masts from a more modern design and simply cut it to size. That said, most of the Cal-40s I sail on now are still using their original rig, so you may get lucky with this one.

Finally, if I haven't mentioned it before, the Cal-30 is a VERY competitive boat going upwind. She has more beam than most Lapworth designs and with a relatively low wetted surface for boats of that era, she chugs along like a little steam engine. When sailed conservatively, she is extremely easy to handle and will sail quite nicely with a 100% jib. You'll only need an overlapping jib if you feel the need to race. The last characteristic is that these lovely old boats will really surf. You'll need to empty all the junk out of her, but once you do she'll hop on waves and ride them for 5 to 10 seconds. I know your local area isn't well known for long large swells, but out here in California these boats are notorious for sailing far beyond their rated speed on broad reaches and runs when the wind is above 20k and the swell is larger than 6-8 feet; which is all summer long in Santa Cruz.

I would think this boat is well worth fixing up!

Happy Holidays,

Beau