We are looking at a 1980 30 Catalina with a 20hp Universal Atomic 4 gas engine. The salesman feels that it is under powered and in 5 foot waves it could lack the power we would want. I do not know what type/pitch propeller is on it now. I would appreciate any comments.
20Hp gas atomic 4 bad?
- Thread starter aewirth
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1. The Atomic 4 is rated at 30 HP although you'll likely never run at enough rpm to use all of that.
2. The standard 2 blade fixed prop on a direct drive A4 in a Catalina 30 is a 12x7.
3. Assuming this 30 year old engine has been properly maintained and is running well, in my opinion it has plenty of power for the boat.
4. Remember that the Catalina 30 was originally designed with the Atomic 4 in mind. The engine space is tailored for that engine.
5. The real problem of power in the Catalina 30's started when the factory departed from the A4 and installed diesels that were too small only because they fit in the limited engine space. After about 3 permutations they settled on the Universal M25 diesel which finally seemed to match the performance of the original Atomic 4.
2. The standard 2 blade fixed prop on a direct drive A4 in a Catalina 30 is a 12x7.
3. Assuming this 30 year old engine has been properly maintained and is running well, in my opinion it has plenty of power for the boat.
4. Remember that the Catalina 30 was originally designed with the Atomic 4 in mind. The engine space is tailored for that engine.
5. The real problem of power in the Catalina 30's started when the factory departed from the A4 and installed diesels that were too small only because they fit in the limited engine space. After about 3 permutations they settled on the Universal M25 diesel which finally seemed to match the performance of the original Atomic 4.
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Our boat is on a bay off Lake Ontario. The winds traditionally come out of the north, so I routinely have to drive into the wind to get out onto the lake.
Many a day I've had to slog through 4-5' waves at the head of the channel before bearing off. No worries.
Chris
Many a day I've had to slog through 4-5' waves at the head of the channel before bearing off. No worries.
Chris
Thanks,
Thanks for the info. This is a sweet boat at a great price and It is in excellent condition... (Don't tell my 73 Oday 23 that I am talking to another sailboat, she is very jealous). Also did the 80 Catalinas have a issue with the Catalina Smile?
Thanks for the info. This is a sweet boat at a great price and It is in excellent condition... (Don't tell my 73 Oday 23 that I am talking to another sailboat, she is very jealous). Also did the 80 Catalinas have a issue with the Catalina Smile?
It's pretty universally accepted that the 'Catalina Smile' is due to a wet plywood shoe embedded in the keel stump where the keel bolts compress the plywood, albeit ever so slightly. As far as I know, Catalina 30's up to about 1988 had the plywood and hence the crack. The boat you're interested in is a 1980 so you should expect the smile.
The symptom isn't only on Catalina 30's either. Any sailboat with an externally bolted fin keel and a plywood shoe in the keel stump (typical construction practice for the 70's and 80's) is susceptible. I think it's referred to as a Catalina symptom because there are more Catalina's that have it than any other boat, but remember that there are more Catalina's than any other boat by far to begin with.
There have been remedies and some are extreme. Most owners opt to manage the symptom during each haulout rather than get aggressive with repairs.
I think a bigger concern over the long run is the condition of the steel keel bolts in the vicinity of the wet plywood shoe. Your boat being a 1980, I'm pretty sure the keel bolts are steel rather than stainless. Again, there are remedies if you feel the need.
Neil, I think by 1980 they were putting in stainless keel bolts..This seemed to start not long after our boats were built..maybe as early as late 1978 from the discussions I recall in the C-30 Yahoo list and maybe chatting with Max, but I am not sure.
aewirth - what hull # are you considering? That may help to tell? Additionally, one quick way is to check the bilge to see if the bolts are stainless.
BTW - I also have the original Atomic 4 in my C-30 and prefer it over a noisy, sooty, noisy, less cylinders, noisy, rough, noisy diesel for a lot of reasons.
If you find a 1980 C-30 equipped with an original diesel, it will be the 5411, which is 11HP wide open. That motor is undersized on my step-father's Tartan 3000 at 8,000 lbs. displacement (2,000+ lbs.. less than a C-30.)
Good luck with your search...even though my boat is old and tired, (& a lot of work) I love it!
aewirth - what hull # are you considering? That may help to tell? Additionally, one quick way is to check the bilge to see if the bolts are stainless.
BTW - I also have the original Atomic 4 in my C-30 and prefer it over a noisy, sooty, noisy, less cylinders, noisy, rough, noisy diesel for a lot of reasons.
If you find a 1980 C-30 equipped with an original diesel, it will be the 5411, which is 11HP wide open. That motor is undersized on my step-father's Tartan 3000 at 8,000 lbs. displacement (2,000+ lbs.. less than a C-30.)Good luck with your search...even though my boat is old and tired, (& a lot of work) I love it!
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