first cruiser. 1974 C&C 30 vs. 1978 catalina 27

[SouthShore61]

So Im reaching the critical moment of purchasing my first cruiser. For the most part I want to overnight and weekend around cape cod, nantucket and the vinyard. (I live south of boston). I do however want the option of cruising to the bahamas ultimatly in the next few years. Its down to a catalina 27 and a C&c 30. Im just trying to get some overall opinions and feedback before I decide to haul them and get them looked over. My price range pretty much stops at $6,000. This leaves me room in my budget for storage and work that isnt too major. The catalina has a yanmar diesel that works well and the catilina an atomic 4 gasoline both run well, apparently; I've yet to see for myself. The largest boat Ive saild is an O'Day mariner. Its been a few years. Im finally trying to rekindle my love of sailing. My fiancee and I intend to liveaboard next season. Im open to any thoughts, opinions, and suggestions. Thanks!

[cpt_757]

Hello, I like C&C 30!!
But Catalina is all American boat!!


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[Vasco]

Get the one with a diesel. Your post says the Catalina has a diesel and the Catalina has an Atomic 4. It can't have both. If you're going to cruise in a couple of years the Atomic 4 will kill you re gas going down the ICW.

[SouthShore61]

Sorry about the typo. The c&c has the atomic 4 and the catalina has the yanmar.

[cpt_757]

I would go Yanmar.


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[Jim Cate]

Both boats are on the small size for a couple to live aboard, but the C&C is roomier by a decent margin. Also a somewhat higher build quality by most standards. Your immediate plans don't seem to rule out a boat with an Anemic 4 (oops, old habit!) in my opinion. I did a lot of coastal cruising in a Yankee 30 with one, and also a trip to Hawaii and back to SF. Sure, a diesel would be nicer, but lots of great voyages have been accomplished without one.

Predicating your boat choice on a "perhaps" trip down the ICW in a few years is silly. First, there is no reason you could not do it with a petrol engine, and too, it is pretty likely that your plans will change by then. Life has a way of getting crosswise with cruising plans, even for experienced cruisers!

Jim

[Island Time O25]

Tough choice. On one hand C&C 30 is roomier and more conducive to cruising and perhaps a better built boat. On the other Catalina 27 has a diesel which is by far would be better long term and maintenance wise, not to mention safety wise. You didn't say which boat has what draft. That may be a clincher considering your ICW and Bahamas plans. Personally all other things being equal I'd go with Catalina.

[robert sailor]

The C&C 3O is a wonderful sailboat. It will out sail the Cat 27 by a large margin and its a lot stiffer. Having sailed these boats I would take an older C&C 3O offshore if it had been well looked after. The Atomic bomb is a wonderful gas engine that anyone can maintain, yes it would be nicer to have a diesel but your buying a sailboat and in my experience there is little to compare between these 2 boats. Now a caveat..In the end a survey is the real decision maker because if the Cat 27 is in sweet condition and the C&C is a bit of a dog then reverse everything I just said. Good Luck!

[hamburking]

The C&C30 is by far the better boat. High quality build, and twice as big below as the catalina 27. The 30 is also well known to be a stiff, solid, go anywhere boat. I met up with one in Antigua that had just crossed the atlantic with no troubles.

However, the yanmar diesel is a far superior engine over the atomic4. If you are planning to go any kind of distance, the diesel engine gives massive range over the gas engine. To put some rough numbers to it...the yanmar likely uses 1 litre of fuel (or less) per hour at cruising speed, while the atomic will use 1 gallon in the same time. If you get the 30, you'll spend your whole time searching for marinas and stowing gas can on deck everywhere.

So, in conclusion, get a C&C30 with a yanmar diesel...they made lots of them, just gotta find one.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Predicating your boat choice on a "perhaps" trip down the ICW in a few years is silly. First, there is no reason you could not do it with a petrol engine, and too, it is pretty likely that your plans will change by then. Life has a way of getting crosswise with cruising plans, even for experienced cruisers!

Wise words Jim.

I've been preparing for my "trip of a lifetime" to the caribbean. And then my wife up and left me. Now, the trip seems like a waste of time. My boat has been sold, and I just live day by day now. All my dreams left with my wife.

Jim, you are so lucky to have Ann. I hope you cherish and spoil her. I was so busy with everything else, I forgot to do that, and now I realize that everything else was unimportant. There are always more boats.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by hamburking

The C&C30 is by far the better boat. High quality build, and twice as big below as the catalina 27. The 30 is also well known to be a stiff, solid, go anywhere boat. I met up with one in Antigua that had just crossed the atlantic with no troubles.

However, the yanmar diesel is a far superior engine over the atomic4. If you are planning to go any kind of distance, the diesel engine gives massive range over the gas engine. To put some rough numbers to it...the yanmar likely uses 1 litre of fuel (or less) per hour at cruising speed, while the atomic will use 1 gallon in the same time. If you get the 30, you'll spend your whole time searching for marinas and stowing gas can on deck everywhere.

So, in conclusion, get a C&C30 with a yanmar diesel...they made lots of them, just gotta find one.

Here's the deal: Boats below 35 feet are dirt-cheap and waiting will only improve things.

The C&C 30, especially if the deck cores have been kept dry, is the superior sailing boat, is better in a blow, and more fun to sail. The Catalina 27 is pretty tight and is more "middle-middle". Like the very popular Catalina 30, it's the Dodge Caravan of small weekend cruisers and that's its market. The C&C 30 is a club racer with cruising capacity. Neither boat has a deep enough rudder, in my view, but you can't have everything.

I've rebuilt an Atomic 4. Maintenance is easy and the engine is user-friendly and quieter than a diesel at cruise speeds of 5 knots. Unless you are motoring for 75 NM in a row, there's nothing wrong with it when it's mated with a good fan and is properly torqued down. It's nominally 30 HP, although the direct drive version is 18 HP (but gives more torque, so that's a plus in tight dockings). You can hang a 55 amp alt on it and carry a bigger battery bank which you can keep charged. You can carry a single 5 gallon jerrycan of gas (obtainable everywhere) and add 50% to your range...but it's a SAILboat, remember.

If the idea is to go elsewhere, you'll learn more on the more seakindly vessel, which is the C&C 30. If the type of engine or your range under power is your primary concern, just save up for a trawler with a Cummins or Caterpillar in it turning a vast wheel. A last consideration for any old boat is access. I know I can work on five of the six sides of an A4 in a C&C because you just remove the companionway steps and there most of it is within arm's reach. On a Catalina 27, the little Yanmar is buried deeper. How are your back and knees?

[Classicsailboat]

Keep looking, those are 40 year old boats and you will probably be stuck with it, for a few more dollars you can do much better, make a priority list, if living aboard size would seem to be important, you can get an outboard to do double duty as main propulsion and as a dingy motor, there are many,many,many,many old boats out there.

[Cheechako]

Definitely the Catalina with the diesel. Readily resellable too. 30 and 27 are pretty different boats though. Does the old C&C have a cored hull? I would avoid that also.
For liveaboard, especially if you are working, the bigger the better. A 1974 anything is reaching the point of not sellable, keep that in mind. Add to that the gas engine and you are stuck with it. A Catalina usually is sellable.
The C&C 30 went thru some rudder design changes and the '74 had the original type swept back stalling rudder.
"In an attempt to find the ideal bushing for the rudder post, various types were incorporated into the rudder tube over the years;"

[Classicsailboat]

Remember, the buyer and seller make an agreement and that is the market, don't get fooled into thinking you are getting a deal on any boat, a good deal is only in the eye of the beholder. There are so many boats of that vintage for sale that many have given up trying to sell, a friend just junked a Grampian 30 because he couldn't sell it at any price, and it had an almost new diesel.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Classicsailboat

Remember, the buyer and seller make an agreement and that is the market, don't get fooled into thinking you are getting a deal on any boat, a good deal is only in the eye of the beholder. There are so many boats of that vintage for sale that many have given up trying to sell, a friend just junked a Grampian 30 because he couldn't sell it at any price, and it had an almost new diesel.

Yep. It takes a while but great deals are out there. A few years back I looked at an Islander 30 with:
-new yanmar engine
-new roller furling
-new wire rigging
-new main and genny (Chinese)
Could have had it for $5k. The boat did have blisters and the owner was honest about that.