Catalina 30 thoughts?

Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Looks good. How does it run? Electronics work? Sails in good shape. Deck solid, especially around the mast?
 
Aug 28, 2006
564
Bavaria 35E seattle
good price. very little info in the ad. Primary things to consider are the condition of the sails and the condition of the engine. If they look suitable, then this could be a good purchase given what I see in the pics.
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Catalina 30s built before 1989 have two major flaws, both are correctable but will take $2k-5k each to have someone else repair. These are the wood in the keel stub that leads to the famous "Catalina Smile" and wood in the compression post block that also rots. So on any pre 1989 Catalina the first question is have these been delt with already? From there is condition and maintenance.

Good luck,

Jesse
 
  • Like
Likes: Alan Gomes
Jul 22, 2011
146
Mariner Yacht Co.(NH) Mariner 28 Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Older C 30s also had wooden spreaders, which need attention if not replacement. Catalina30.com should have plenty of food for thought.
 
Jan 18, 2016
782
Catalina 387 Dana Point
Not all older C-30's have a rotted out keel stub and/or compression post block. If they didn't have a wet bilge all the time these problems were far less likely. I'd guess less likely on a freshwater boat that got pulled for winters too. A survey will tell you if it's a problem and if it is, just pick another C-30 - there's a lot of them out there. Or fix it yourself, if you're even halfway decent with glass.

The boat in the ad looks very good to me. It's got recovered cushions, which is a big upgrade from the horrid 1980 look. The diesel is a plus (1980 could have still had a A-4). Somebody has redone the electrical panel, that may be a good thing or a real bad thing depending on how well they did it. Outside looks quite nice for a 1980. I don't particularly like carpet on a boat, but lots of folks do on the curved floor of the C-30.

That curved traveler positively sucks if you like to actually trim the main whilst sailing. Sending Garhauer a reasonable amount of $$$ solves that problem.

Some other common early C-30 trouble spots:
The original chainplates, for the lowers were weak. Catalina Direct has a upgrade kit.
The rudder tube wears - pretty easy fix if the boat is out of the water. Easy to dx, does the rudder move side-to-side.
Wiring can be an issue - Catalina did not use tinned wire and water (particularly salt water) could do quite a bit of damage.
The "trailer plug" used in the engine wiring often goes bad.

Then the stuff that any boat could have - sails, engine, core rot, leaky portlights, etc....
 
  • Like
Likes: Team118
Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
To state the obvious, no one can tell the quality of a used boat from an ad. Catalina's generally are well-built coastal cruisers, but how this one has been treated over the past 38 years will be the key. I suggest that you take a look, and bring a knowledgeable friend if you do not have prior ownership experience. Considering the price, you do not have much at risk and it probably is not worth getting a professional survey (about $600). Considering that it's about a month from freezing weather, you may consider that the current owner is about to pay another $800 (minimum) in winterizing and storage, so enter that in your negotiation - either get this winter included in your deal or have them drop the price. I always suggest that you make some phone calls and come up with a budget before buying a boat. In this area, dockage will run about $1,400 for the year, Insurance will be $200-500 (depending on coverage), and budget about 10% of purchase price annually for maintenance (does not include upgrades or new sails).
 

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
That boat looks like it has had some nice work done on it but as @Parsons said, you can't tell by photos in an ad.
In addition to the areas of concern mentioned already the engine and engine to engine panel wiring.
The engine sits low so a full bilge can have it sitting in water. Common for oil pans to rust but with it in fresh water, may not be on this boat. The engine to engine panel wiring had the trailer plugs which corroded badly. On my 93 these had been removed but the replacement connections had also corroded badly so I ended up redoing the wiring again. Not a show stopper but something to note. (my surveyor missed it)

About hiring a surveyor, even on a $10k boat I would have it surveyed. He can spot these major issues for you. Better than being surprised after spending $10k and finding out you need to put another $10k into it.

One last thing, always buy the boat in the best condition that you can afford. As @jeepbluetj said, there are plenty of C30s out there so look around.
 
Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
Seems in good shape from the photos. I find that if the boat is clean the rest is probably in good shape, most of the time. (unless it is a used car lot) Just mainly check the diesel, big $$ if there is a problem there.
I still think the price is a bit high, but I am not from that area so maybe it isn't. I am sure you have room to negotiate. Winter is coming so I am sure he wants to get rid of it soon.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
As everyone has said already, it looks good in the pics. I would have expected more information in the ad about sails, engine etc. Stuff a sailor would expect other sailors to want to know about. It may be that the owner only tended to cosmetics. In which case you may have some inspecting to do.
 
Jan 2, 2017
765
O'Day & Islander 322 & 37 Scottsdale, AZ & Owls Head, ME
As others have indicated: DO NOT TRUST PICTURES!
(They may have been taken many years ago.)
 
Sep 25, 2008
464
Catalina 30 MKIII Varuna Boat Club
Also, don't forget the condition of the standing rigging, the condition of the pressurized fresh water and hot water system and leaking ports.
Good Luck and Happy Sailing...
 
Dec 12, 2019
11
Catalina 30 Pensacola
I own one. I used to own a Lancer 28 and only being 2 feet longer the Catalina has a LOT more cabin space. It sails well, should be good to learn on. I grew up sailing on the Saginaw Bay. My mom was a waitress at the Saginaw Bay Yacht Club when I was 9, so I used to ride my bike down there and hang out. Some old guys asked me if I wanted to learn to sail and I enthusiastically said "Yes SIR!" so he handed me a mop and had me clean his boat. LOL That led to being taught the parts of the boat, what line controlled what, manning the helm, navigation (using parallels and dividers. No GPS back then)...
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem