1981 Catalina 30 advice

[fireant]

Well I found another Catalina.
Interior is in a much better shape then almost all boats I looked at.
Over all it looks good. BUT.... Engine ran out of oil and its frozen.
The guys wants $12,500. I know he excepted an offer of 10,500 that fell thru.
The buyer backed out after looking at the boat. From what i were told by the broker.

How hard is it to replace the engine, Its a universal diesel.
Is it hard to find a used engine? Where can I look for one.
I also understand that as soon as you move things around I will open a can of worms that would be needed to put back in. Which would mean more money.
Or how about installing an outboard?
Is it worth it to even think about this boat?

The problem I come across every time. Is that if the engine is good, the sails worn out or the interior is a mess, many times its both.
Other times it had great sails and rigging but the engine wont start and the interior need major work. Its pick one of three.

Thank again everyone.

[LLCoolDave]

On a good day this Catalina 30 might be worth $10,000 with a working engine. I'd offer maybe $2000 and throw on an outboard if youre just day sailing.

They made about a million of these boats so don't settle for a crappy one.

[fireant]

Dave Where can I find the bracket for the outboard?
I rather keep an inboard but all I really want is a boat to practice with but still nice that you want to walk in it.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by LLCoolDave

On a good day this Catalina 30 might be worth $10,000 with a working engine. I'd offer maybe $2000 and throw on an outboard if youre just day sailing.

They made about a million of these boats so don't settle for a crappy one.

THIS^ If the sails and other things are really good maybe 5-6k, as you say sails are expensive too. Then you can put a new Universal in and have a great boat. They still make that engine right?

[fireant]

How to tell when the sail are good ?
I know the obvious like tears and rut of the cloth. But are there any other signs to look for?
I understand that rigging rusts and fall apart. I been looking for that and that the lines don't look frayed
Every time I go out there I learn something new. Very steep learning curve if I may say so.

Thanks every body

[Don C L]

That's a really steep price for a C30 with no engine IMO. Here is a link to Catalina Direct for outboard mount.
https://www.catalinadirect.com/index....searchResults

oops, well when you get there just put in "outboard mount" in the search. I'd go for the biggest one there.

[Knotical]

Last year I saw a 1988 C30 in excellent shape with new electronics and a newish 2 cyl Yanmar for 16k...keep looking.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by fireant

Well I found another Catalina.
Interior is in a much better shape then almost all boats I looked at.
Over all it looks good. BUT.... Engine ran out of oil and its frozen.

The engine ran out of oil? On its own?

This was glaring ignorance and/or gross lack of maintenance on the part of the Seller.

This is a boat that was not properly cared for in the most basic way.

I agree with Knotical. Keep on looking.
LittleWing77

p.s. Oh, and ballpark estimate for engine replacement (including engine) is about $10,000.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by fireant

How to tell when the sail are good ?
I know the obvious like tears and rut of the cloth. But are there any other signs to look for?
I understand that rigging rusts and fall apart. I been looking for that and that the lines don't look frayed
Every time I go out there I learn something new. Very steep learning curve if I may say so.

Thanks every body

-Is the fabric really limp, no stiffness left?
-Check the stitching , especially in places that drag across rigging etc. How worn is it? are threads comeing apart? etc
-Cringles (eyes) is there any tearing around them?
-The slides on the mainsail are they torn or worn in that area? The head board where the halyaard attaches... how does it look?
-Shape is difficult to ascertain except under sail. But if there is a lot of dark marking, dirt etc it can be an indication of how used it is.

A nice sail with little use will be stiff, very white/cream and clean

[fireant]

Thank you Cheechako, That is a lot of helpful info.

Littlewing the way I understand is that the owner passed away. He used to sail it every weekend. That was two years ago. His Family kept the boat thinking they would use it and its his memory. They didn't really use it much. Had to spend lots of money every month, so they put it for sale a couple of months ago. while showing the boat to a buyer at some point going out of the marina the engine stopped. I guess the new owners /Kids had no idea what they are doing.
I'm keeping my eyes open for a boat.

Thank you

[fireant]

I seen a Catalina where the mast was compressed. There was a crack at the top on the inside . The door wont close. I found some repairs that were done at the bottom in the keel but the repairs weren't done properly as i could see cracks.
I guess it compressed about 1/2 -3/4 inch from looking at the door.
How bad is that and how complicated is it to repair?