A couple of Catalina 30 questions

Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
At what year did Catalina change it's design and reduced headroom in its boats?
Not a specific year but rather when they introduced the Mark II ersions of each size of the boats. The C36 might have been a year ahead of the C34, where the C30 fit in I don't know. Generally early to mid 90s. On the C34 they removed the cowl vents and made the overhead a tad lower, for example.
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
The change from MkI to MkII was made in 1987. You can get the exact hull number from the C30 web site along with a lot of other info.
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
According to the C30 association the Mk II began production at hull #5025 and Mk III began at 5820
 
Nov 3, 2017
2
Catalina 30 Berthier
Now I can go hunting for the right one! Thanks a lot. I'll get back once I pin down the winner :)
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Clarification: definition of Mark II for the C34 and C36 was the change to the open transom with the wider cockpits, and no deck color choices other than gray. No Mark IIIs were ever produced for these two boats.

The C30 may have made more "Mark -steps" so I'm guessing for the 30s that would be between the IIs and IIIs rather than the Is and IIs.
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
Let me give it a shot and jump in while here.
I have been looking at many C30 recently. I love the boat and am really getting interested in making a purchase. I have visited and examined MKI (79, 81, 82) and MKIII (95). I am 6 foot tall and not at all comfortable at ducking in the cabin. Since I am retired and looking forward at spending many days at a time aboard, I need a minimum of headroom. The MKI I visited were fine in the main cabin, just even in the galley (head rubbing) and too low about everywhere else. I can cope with that as long as I get some headroom where it matters the most and one bed long enough for me and wide enough the admiral and I.
However, the older boats I visited were needing too much TLC for what I was prepared to give, so I went for a younger boat, a 95 MKIII. Strangely enough, it did not have the headroom I was expecting in the main cabin. And matters got even worse everywhere else... It was a no-no for me.
So, here is the help I need from you folks owners of C30. At what year did Catalina change it's design and reduced headroom in its boats? I find that decision counterintuitive since people are getting taller and taller (my son sure is proof of that...).
I have a Mk II and am 5'-11". I do not have problems moving around down below except for at the mast beam at the bulkhead that separates the saloon from the head. There is also an acorn nut that attaches to one of the bolts that holds the traveler to the deck that used to cause lots of pain on occasion. I eliminated that problem by recessing it into the liner so that the headliner is now flush.
 
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Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
During my search for a C30 I talked to a broker in CT who had been a Catalina dealer. We talked about a couple of C30s he was brokering and he asked how tall I was. When I asked why he said the headroom was reduced a few inches when they went to the flat floor in the MkIIs.
As to a MkII or MkIII, mine was advertised as a MkII. Then @jssailem noted that according to sailboat data.com my boat was probably a MkIII. While on a call to Catalina Yacht about a part I asked them what separated the II and III. The guy on the phone said changes would be implemented one by one over the course of production and when enough had been made they changed the model designation. He said he uses sailboatdata.com which lists model start by hull number. According that I have a MkIII.
I like Hayden's idea of recessing those two bolts. I know I'll stand tall one of these days and hit one.
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
...I like Hayden's idea of recessing those two bolts. I know I'll stand tall one of these days and hit one.
If you do it right it will drop you to your knees! :confused: I found out that I was able to recess it when I went through the process of drying out my deck.
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/wet-core-repair-without-major-surgery.187846/ When I removed the traveler I found that the one through bolt is just pulling against the fiberglass head liner and that there is about ½” of air-space between the head liner and the actual composite deck. I ended up cutting a 1”ø hole through the head liner and used a fender washer, and two flat washers with a nyloc nut to the underside of the deck. I then covered the 1”ø hole with a chrome hole plug. The end result looks very Skookum and now I do not worry about adding and extra hole in my head.
hole_plug.png
 

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Aug 4, 2015
41
Catalina 30 Gibralter Boat Yard
I'll jump in on this for the simple fact that I have a O'day 25 and just bought a 1977 Cal 30.
My wife is MUCH happier on the boat. Way more stable in the water. We were out yesterday in 15 knot winds with whitecaps (Lake Erie MI). We were making 6.5 knots and she fell asleep in the cockpit. Need I say more?

P.S. Anybody need a beautiful, well equipped O'day 25?
 
Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
Ward take her out on an Oyster and then you'll find out what she really likes. We did that a few years before we bought our first boat and she still remembers 15 years ago and what color settee she saw on that boat. We have been on two other Oysters since then and she always comments on the first one she ever saw. [We didn't buy an Oyster, but we bought a lot bigger than I ever thought we would and my wife hasn't ever said we should have gone smaller.]
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,039
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Great feedback from 2 O'Day 25 owners for sure! I have the same wife issues with the 25 too, the 25 is fun for my daughter and I for sure and I really enjoyed it on the light wind days we always get here. My biggest issue is do I upgrade to another lake boat or keep the old 25 and rent a larger boat on vacations.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,039
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
@Ward H I am keeping my eyes open for the right one. Really need to find one here in the right condition as shipping it kills the deal.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
shipping it kills the deal.
Look in Florida then sail her home. You get an adventure and you get to explore your new boat. You do not need to go the whole distance all at once. Coastal jumps in manageable 5-6 hour trips. If time is an issue, look at stopping after a coupe of days, park the boat for a week or so, then go back and sail another couple of days. Many ways to avoid the shipping costs and make memories.