1980 catalina 30 purchase.

[AJARNSTEVE]

Purchasing an old 30' and ask your input:
would you:
1. keep alcohol stove or replace with propane?
2. install microwave and or refrig.? why?/not?
3. get handheld or stationary GPS? why?
_________________________________________________
4. best way to re-cover cabin cushions for lowest cost-best value?
5. is there a smaller wheel? the wheel seems too big in the cockpit. Who prefers tiller instead?
6. Boom vang necessary? don't have one now.
any advice will be appreciated and or answered. Boat/sailing in Maine.
.

 

[wonkodsane]

1. Propane
2. I am holding off on the microwave and fridge. If my landlord's mortgage fails and I end up living aboard, I'll put them in. You can really only use them on shore power unless you've got a genset or a seriously upgraded power generation setup and battery bank.
3. Using openCPN (and the NOAA charts) with a puck type GPS on a netbook. ~$350 and I can use it for stuff other than just navigation. One problem is visibility in sunlight. I may eventually buy a $200 Pixel Qi e-ink screen and upgrade the netbook.
4. Bad Obsession (user on this site) will tell you to recover them yourself. Ours are still in pretty good shape, so we'll wait a bit.
5. The wheel is *very* different from the tiller, but I love it now.
6. I will leave this for the others.

 

[jimg]

1.Propane
2.a.No and b.maybe later
3.Handheld. Cheaper and you'll have it wherever you are on the boat.
4.I've tried in the past and wasn't satisfied with the result. So, don't know.
5.If the wheel is not hitting the cockpit seats, leave it. Anything smaller and you lose a lot of leverage and control.
6.Yes. Don't try to go sailing without the ability to control the shape of your sails.

 

[Old Skool Neil]

1. CNG if you can find it. Love mine.
2. Micro - no. Fridge - oh yeah. Mine's a Novakool ice box conversion, best money I ever spent.
3. Stationary. Interfaces with autopilot, info at the helm on autopilot display (course over ground, speed over ground, bearing to waypoint, distance to waypoint), steers to waypoint. Way kewl.
4. Regional Occupational Center upholstery class did mine at less than 1/3 the cost including a monetary gift to the class, used my project as a final exam. Good deal for all parties. Invite you to visit my profile photo album to view the finished product.
5. Prefer the wheel, especially on a Catalina 30. Bigger is better.
6. Vang is good. Unclip mine from the mast base and attach it to leeward upper chainplate as a preventer when running downwind.

 

[AJARNSTEVE]

thanks for all the feedback.
I agree with most of the replies.
prefer a stationary GPS plotter with larger screen, but expensive.
I was used to a tiller and the wheel seems strange and large, but time may change that.again thanks

 

[Twice Around]

I am a little late to the party - but here's my $0.02!

1 - Origo non-pressurized alcohol. IMO - propane is more dangerous than a gas motor! (I have the Atomic 4) - you can still get parts for the old Princess stove at "A&H Enterprises" out in California.
2 - fridge - I need to do what Neil did, but I've cruised for years with block ice. I have found that the holding tank fills up, the water tank empties & the beer supply gets low about the same time as the ice melts anyway.
3 - Fancy stuff is nice, but a $200 handheld can easily be replaced if it failed and it is portable. I also use free nav software (I can't figure out OpenCPN yet, so I am using SeaClear) on a laptop with a GPS puck.
4 - On my list. I have the 1977 blue plaid! I may do mine myself as a winter project..you will need some sewing skills and an industrial duty machine for this task..fortunately, I have one and I worked in a sail/canvas loft as a youngster.
5 - Real boats have tillers! It also allows you to keep the cockpit wide open at anchor. However, a conversion from wheel to tiller seems a little silly on a C-30.
6 - Vang - yes, otherwise you are losing half the sail on a reach, the leech flutters & the boom flails around too. Especially true if you have an old school boat like mine with the mainsheet at the end of the boom.

Good Luck with your new boat

 

[Bad Obsession]

The Catalina has a very small house bank. I have detailed a solution on here to up the battery bank. I still feel that you would want even more battery power if you were doing a reefer.

Propane is descent to deal with. Not sure what to tell you about the old alcohol stove but if it works and you don't mind it then what ever you feel.

Get a stationary GPS chart plotter, you won't regret it!

Don't Install a Microwave. You can haul one around and plug it in when needed. It fits nicely above the hanging locker (that is where I put mine on the rare occassion I have it aboard.

The Wheel is the best thing. Get a good wheel pilot autohelm and you will love it. Mine gets a lot of work but it keeps on doing a good job. I wouldn't suggest a smaller wheel but if you want to spend some money you can get a folding steering wheel. Another option is to remove the nut and take it off and store it down below when at the dock.

Here is a good one....Get a lewmar claw anchor #33 with 30 foot of chain. It fits great on the bowsprit and it has held my boat in 60 knot winds during a very violent storm.

There are so many options for cushions. Mine had new salon cushions but the V berth and the Quarter berth are original and in okay shape.

Other things you may consider are a Bimini and Dodger (worth their weight in gold). They keep the cockpit nice and shady when the sun is out and keep you dry when it is wet out.

Replace the head with a Raritan PHii head. This was a great upgrade and it was easy to do.

Add a shower sump in the bilge if there isn't one already there.

The Vang is a good thing to have on the boat, but I rarely adjust mine. I have it in an adjustment where it is working but I don't mess with it much.

 

[gpd955]

I had a '79 Catalina 30 until purchasing a 2000 310 a few weeks ago so I am very recently familiar with both sides of your questions.

1. We rarely used the alcohol stove, maybe becasue some of our friends scared us off of it. Instead we used a 2 burner hotplate and a Foreman grill on board whie dockside and a marine grill on the hook (and dockside). Made some amazing meals on all three. They will save you alot of money considering the cost of a new stove and fuel conversion. If intent on switching I would consider the location of the propane tank. If your 80 has the same locker configuration as my 79, that could be a problem. Also, you'll have to install an electronic emergency shutoff somewhere.

2. We now have a microwave and fridge. All I use the microwave for now is to boil the water for my son's Easy Mac and the fridge to store food since it is rarely opened. We used (and still use) an Igloo 5 day cooler with great success. We just left the boat after 5 days on board and did not have to replace ice the entire time. And that's with a 6 year old constantly getting drinks. A good addition for you might be a Keurig 1 cup coffee maker. Quick, cheap coffee and easy storage.

3. Whatever your preference. You could also get the mountable handheld. That way it can use the power from your batteries and also be removed for security reasons when leaving the boat and whenever you please. I've used mine as a backup when delivering other boats and also like the fact that I can take it home for computer updates/downloads.

4. Chek ebay and these sites for replacements. The p/o of our 79 had a sickening plaid cover (worse than the original) and I was complaining about it for a while when my wife discovered a full set of almost new cushions on ebay. Replaced mine for a fraction of the cost of recovering and of new ones. Personally I wouldn't skimp on these, especially the v-berth, since you may spend a lot of time down below on long trips, on the hook or at dockside. Comfortable sleep and rest is important to get the full enjoyment out of your boat. I attached the before and afters of my cushions.

5. Not much experience with the wheel except that I had a really small one on the 79 and a mid-sized on the 2000. The wheel size is kind of restricted to the type of cockpit you have. I couldn't go any bigger than what was on the 79 due to the cockpit configuration. I do like the bigger wheel though. As far as tiller goes, either/or. Just consider who else sails with you and whether or not they would be able to get used to a tiller. I know my wife probably would not like one. I attached a pic of me in front of the old wheel. With my gut, it almost looks like a wheel on a toy car!

6. I did fine without the vang on the 79 and am doing fine with it on the 2000. That's preference also and I really don't think i am familiar enough with the vang yet to give a real educated opinion. Sail it for a while without it and see how you do before spending the money.

Just my opinion and recent experience. Enjoy the 30. Ours sailed beautifully and we loved every minute with it. The only problem, which ulitmately led to it being sold, was the A4 failure. Replacing it would have cost more than we paid for the boat, so we sold her. She is still in our old slip with the new owner, who basically lives aboard. He and his elderly father love the boat and plan on replacing the A4 with an electric engine (don't ask me how).

 

[Team118]

Great Thread!

It's funny how an innocent question can generate a great thread...

I won't bother listing my preference because so many others have either given the answers I would have or have given me cause to re-evaluate my thoughts.

The only one I would comment on is the wheel. My old 22 Catalina had a tiller and it was a 6 year case of steering wheel envy everytime I say another sailboat cruise by with their high and mighty wheel. I just know that one day that would be me!

Well, I have a wheel and its great. Allows me to leave the cockpit and has greater freedom, but... the tiller definately has a better touch for the water. Instant feedback and better fine tuning control.

But there's no way you would retrograde back to a tiller. It is funny though...while a bigger wheel is better, it does get in the way in cockpit!

Thanks, I really enjoyed these posts.
Chris

 

[Seabee Chief]

I am also a little late with my reply, but here is my $.02 worth.

1.) We have the propane and love it. It may be more a little more dangerous, but use the same care as you would with a gasoline engine on board and you shouldn't have any problems. Remember your nose and sense of smell is everything on a vessel with an A4, but nothing is better than an A4. Our propane tanks are kept in the last compartment aft.
2.) We have the ice box that works great. My wifes fills a tuperware tub with water at the begining of the week and by the weekend it is frozen and lasts for days on the boat. I still may want to consider looking into Neil's Novakool.
3.) Our Stationary GPS works great. It is a Garmin 540 I believe. Very resonable at around $500. If you can afford the larger touch screen Chart plotter, go for it. But if you are staying local, a small Garmin and your charts will be fine. Use the GPS only to comfirm what you already should know from your chart.
4.) For the covers, make it a winter project. Material is realitively cheap, but if you are doing the cockpit cushions use Sunbrella material. A little more pricey, but is UV and weather resistant.
5.) We also do not have a Boom Vang just a Main Sheet on the boom. Don't really feel the need for one. If we are running downwind in light winds, we use the Asy-Spinacher.

Chief

 

[LuzSD]

I also will not repsond to all of your points due to such good posts of others but will add a few things:

Wheel: we had the standard size that came with the 1988 30. We also had large wheel envy so we got a folding Lewmar wheel and LOVE iit.

We would love to do some sort of refridgeration sometime but for the past 3 years + we take coolers that fit inside the icebox and that works perfectly. Not needed a microwave at all, though we thought we would.

Have a vang and like iit very much, loved getting rid of the topping lift.

We had our our cockpit cushions redone with sunbrella and that was a great improvement. Cool in the heat and warm in the cool. They do not hold the moisture when sailing on a wet evening. Really great money spent there.

We also changed out our lifelines early on with stainless rather than covered and that was another really great improvement.

So many wonderful things to spend money on!!

 

[gpd955]

I had to replace my CO detector so I bought a CO/Explosive Gas detector since I have propane now. It detects CNG/LPG so I figured it would reduce some of the dangers of having propane now. Just a thought that might help with any reservations you have about propane.

 

[mortyd]

boom vang - i sometimes forget to set mine and haven't noticed any difference sailing.

i conur with another responder - my dodger and biminii are the best money we have spent.

it you sail where there are lots of rocks and shallows, and i imagine maines fits, a large chartplotter would be a big help. if money is reat tight maybe opt for a b/w but get at least 10 inches. love my garmin.

if you have a rope clutch on the mainsheet replace it with a cam cleat asap. if you need to dump the main you need to dump it NOW.