1990 C - 30 Purchasing help please!!!!

[James Kirby]

I curantly own a 22 foot balboa and will be upgrading to a catalina 30 for sure. I found a 1990 for sale in RI with a fin keel and the tall rig. I has the 23 hp dsl with only 96 hrs. I was wondering if i can have any sugjestions good and bad on this model yearthanksJim

 

[Steve Magennis]

Buy It

Get a marine survey done first, and if the boat is in good shape and the price is reasonable, buy it. 1990 was either the last year of the Mark 2 or the first year of the Mark 3. Personally, I prefer the Mark 2 (as I own one), but either is a sound boat and will give you years of sailing pleasure.The tall rig was produced for lighter wind areas (like the Great Lakes and the East Coast) while the standard (dare I say it, SHORT) rig is primarily sailed in windy areas (like S.F. Bay). The R.I. area seems to be a light wind area, so the tall rig would be suitable. The fin keel points higher and sails faster than the wing keel model. Unless you intend to sail in shallow areas, the fin keel (at 5'3" draft) will make you happy (especially if you ever intend to race it).Best of luck

 

[Steve W]

survey the engine

Sounds like a great boat. I would have the engine inspected by a diesel mechanic and have him perform a compression check. Engines with extremely low hours vs age of 9 years could mean the rings may have not seated well. It may have sludge build up internally if it did not run a full operating temp for long periods of time. When I bought my boat the mechanic only charged $125.00 for the inspection, and he saved me about $800.00 in engine repairs that the boat surveyor missed. Helped me negotote a much better deal. Not trying to scare you. The engine is probably fine, but the peace of mind would be worth the cost of the inspection. make your offer contingent on the sea trial, boat survey and engine inspection. If he finds anything scary, you are off the hook. Good Luck.