Catalina 315 vs Dehler 29

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This thread is tad bit ranting more than inquiring, but still, feel free to enlighten me on the issue. I couldn't help but notice that the CE rating of 315 is A while 29 is rated upto B. I've gone through their specs and compared them throughly. To be honest, I couldn't find the reason why 29 would be inferior to 315 in rough sea conditions in any way. What am I missing here? Is there something that I overlook, or the CE certifications are meaningless bureaucratic details? Can Mother Nature be categorized by red tape?!

[Aldebaran17]

I do not know the Catalina, but I have sailed the Dehler 29. So, your question made me curious.

If you just compare a few numbers, you can see the difference:

Cat Dehler
Total weight 4627kg 3700kg
Ballast 1814kg 1120kg
Draft 1.91m 1.88m
Beam 3.35m 2.99m

The Catalina has more beam, more draft, more ballast ratio (39%) than the light weight Dehler. On the paper the Catalina maybe considered as CE A. In real life? I doubt it.

The Dehler is a fast, active sailing boat. As said above I sailed her a while ago with great fun. And I sailed against her with less fun, since my old Dehler 34 (year 87) could barely keep up with her.

The Catalina is heavy, has more beam, so it is probably slower, but has more room below.

Your choice: sailing agility versus living quality.

Frankly, I'd try to avoid CE cat A conditions (more than BFT8, more than 4m wave height) with both boats. Both boats should - in my opinion - be rated as CE B, the Catalina may make it barely on the paper. From my experience: a Dehler with a third reef in the main, and a tiny fore sail can handle more than I consider as comfortable or reasonable.

Manfred

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Originally Posted by Aldebaran17

The Catalina has more beam, more draft, more ballast ratio (39%) than the light weight Dehler. On the paper the Catalina maybe considered as CE A. In real life? I doubt it.

I cannot agree with you more; I think it's just redtape. Still, total weight and ballast numbers are significantly different.