Late-Model Catalina Build Quality

[jcmatthews3]

Thanks, I appreciate your candor. I am sure the larger Catalinas as yours are much more capable for off shore work than a C-30. I did help deliver a C-34 from Key West up to Ft. Lauderdale and we encountered some adverse weather enroute. I was a little nervous about the rigging and with the engine being underpowered. For that reason I do believe upgrades as you said may be nec if doing serious offshore sailing. My biggest concern with the C-30 is hinged mast stepped instead of keel stepped. That alone has kept me from purchasing another. I am single handling so I can't get too large however. Anyway, thanks much.

[Joli]

I've never really heard of any quality problems with Catalinas. They are pretty much everywhere and seem to last.

[sailstoo]

As long as you're looking at Catalinas, have you considered any of the MacGregors? Pretty good bang for the buck there and they're also decent coastal cruisers.

[jcmatthews3]

Had a Venture 25 when first started sailing. Didn't like at all. Very light, no stringers so glasswork was not very good. Nothing against them but just did not feel like they were well-built. OK for an inland lake but would not want on coast,

[davegnvl]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Of course, to cross an ocean, I would do a series of modifications, but I think that my boat would perform as well as the many other Catalina 42's that have crossed oceans.

We are looking at getting a Catalina 400 MkII and plan on mostly coastal cruising the first 3-4 years, but eventually to do some ocean crossing. What modifications are necessary to make it a good blue water boat?

[bewitched]

Originally Posted by davegnvl

We are looking at getting a Catalina 400 MkII and plan on mostly coastal cruising the first 3-4 years, but eventually to do some ocean crossing. What modifications are necessary to make it a good blue water boat?

I don't believe any modifications are necessary.

However, I have made some modifications to my mk1 42 that have made a significant difference to my longer term cruising needs. Food for thought:

- I added a removable inner forestay and checkstays so I can fly a staysail, which I do regularly offshore.

- I have a solid bimini over the helm station with intergral dingy davits / solar panels etc - I sail in the tropics, shade is not just a nice to have

- I cut out the chain locker molding and glassed the lid shut. The chain locker is a stupid design, reduces the space available for chain and the horizontal windlass that drops chain 2 inches onto to a shelf is just nuts - jams constantly.

- I put a vertical windlass on deck, dropping chain through a hauser into the bow section (glassed in a box up front where the cain locker molding used to be - has doubled the volume available for chain)

- changed the puney single bow roller for a more substantial double one.

- upgraded from 8mm to 10mm chain (or whatever the imperial equivalent is). 8mm is a bit on the small side for a boat of this size in my opinion.

- not sure if this is an upgrade by a previous owner of standard, but there is a 50 gall. watertank in addition to the 2no. 25 gal under the floor. This is good for cooking / showering for 2 people for a month.