$8000 for a catalina 30 tall rig

sailcruiser · Nov 17, 2011

What is the condition of the hull? If brand new condition maybe. If not keep looking. In this shape I'd want a survey and by the sound of it you'd waste several hundred bucks. The boat sounds like its in disrepair. Are here any parts for the motor? You are looking at at least a couple grand in sails and more if the motor is toast. There are a lot of cheap nice boats out there. Not knowing details (year etc) its hard to guess but the early to mid 80s appear to be listed in the $15-17k range in good condition reportedly. Personally I'd be more inclined togolook at a boat like this: (no relation or knowledge of this boat just from ad alone). Fresh water is a big plus.
http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/24745

Generally expect to spend 80-90% for a boat in good condition and less as things decline.n I wouldn't pay 8k for a hull/spar unless it was beautiful with new through hulls and everything else. Here OSA boat out here that will fit your budget that snt a nightmare if you're patient.

SC

cat30 · Nov 17, 2011

$8000 boat

i bought 1976 cat30 hull no. 285, for $10,000 knowing i would need new/used equipment to bring the boat up to where i wanted it. i probably put $10,000 into it spread over several years, new genny, roller furler, canvas, electronics, winches etc. because i didn't have $20,000 up front- i used the boat the entire time i was "fixing" it up including 2-3 week trips in the summer.
still haven't finished my "to do" list after 7-8 years. She isn't pretty but i'm working on it.

shipwreck66 · Nov 17, 2011

A lot, meaning there quite a few near you, are always on the market. Sadly, many get behind on maintenance and they start going to seed pretty quick. You can easily drop $3500 repowering with a decent inboard, and you do want an inboard. The bigger the boat, the bigger the sails, gonna cost $$$$. And once you go below and start looking at electrical and plumbing, woodwork, cushions, etc. etc. etc. I saw a guy on Texhoma last summer sold a beautiful C30 for $10K, so non projects are out there waiting. Wait. I paid about 8 for my C27 and it was in fantastic shape with a new bottom job, just gotta find the right seller at the right time.

jrowan · Nov 18, 2011

I too would pass on that one. I paid about 9200 for my 1980 & she was in good, sound running condition, she just needed some cleaning up & electrical upgrades. Read the many posts from us on just how many pitfalls & huge amount of time, money, blood sweat & hopefully few tears spent on these fixer uppers. Usually U wind up paying about 25% more on the rebuild then what it would cost to buy one in good shape to begin with. But if its the only way that U can break into the big boat market then sometimes U can only buy what U can afford. That said, look hard for any original gate valve through hulls. They're junk that can sink your boat if they fail. Look for compresion post rot, bad turnbuckles and rigging, rotted wooden spreaders, etc. Unless you're real handy with diesel engine rebuilds and replacement, its hard to learn on the job. My favorite part of a boat is hunting down the next "good deal." Don't settle on the 1st boat U see. There's a lot of fish in the sea!

jimgreen8c · Jan 7, 2012

Just bought a 77 Catalina TR with a brand new diesel for 4,000. It needs new interior upholstery and we had to buy a new sail cover. It was a great buy, but we had looked at another really clean boat for $8000. For the money you're spending, you don't need to settle for junk.

Jackdaw · Jan 8, 2012

All good advice so far. One other thing. And maybe you know this..

Get ready for some serious cost increases. Projects will cost 10x on the 30 vs the 22, and for may things you could do yourself on the 22 will require professionals on the 30.

Oh and in my option there is NO REASON to buy a project mass production boat in this economy. You could easily spend $10K to make that $8K boat a $10K boat. Look for a good one. Cat30s are all over the place.

Guess that's two things

jrowan · Jan 18, 2012

Just food for thought. I recently had the opportunity to buy a 1984 C 30 fixer upper for only about 7 k. Seemed like a real bargain. That is until I saw her in person, & the state of disrepair & neglect she was in. Its hard to see how such a great sailboat can be so abused. The size of the catalina smile & delamination at the keel to hull joint was over an inch wide & 6 feet long. Total mast compression post base rot & plywood keel base rotted out. The engine was seized up & haden't run in years. It was really sad, and even though I thought of buying her cheap as an investment, I just couldn't see dumping 10 k or more into that boat, just to make up for someone else's abuse & neglect. My C 30 was 5 years older, and only had the 11 hp diesel as opposed to this boat's 25 hp, but I still wasn't willing to take the risk to sell what I'd already worked so hard on to restore. I figure that if I sell my baby, its gotta be for a bigger boat, a serious live aboard or "blue Water" cruiser.