We have looked at a 1987 Catalina 30. The interior is in mint condition. However, I have never sailed on a Catalina and would like to know how it sails and if anyone owns one what, if any, are the things they don't like.
- Status
What's not to like?
Or at least that's what you'll get from the folks on this forum (Shoulda gone to the Hunter forum for a longer reply list)... Here's my opinion: C-30's are the most boat you can find for the $ period. Are they fast? No. Do they point well? No. So if you are not racing, nor in a hurry, go for it! For the long list of caviats to my opinion on sailing characteristics, here they come...
Or at least that's what you'll get from the folks on this forum (Shoulda gone to the Hunter forum for a longer reply list)... Here's my opinion: C-30's are the most boat you can find for the $ period. Are they fast? No. Do they point well? No. So if you are not racing, nor in a hurry, go for it! For the long list of caviats to my opinion on sailing characteristics, here they come...
wiring harness upgrade?
I have an '87 30 and love it. My only suggestion as to the boat you're looking at is to check and see if the main engine wiring harness has been upgraded. Seaward putout an improved harness for our boats and I just made the change last week. I swear the engine actually runs better (it's probably my imagination!) I also replaced the entire engine control panel. Total cost was $350, but I'm happy with it. The easiest way to see if your boat has been upgraded is to see if the engine control panel has a volt meter or an amp meter. If it's a voltmeter, then the previous owner upgraded the wiring harness. If it's an amp meter, the upgrade has not been done. The old control panel had really my only pet peve about the boat: the alarm lights were not very bright and the actual alarm was VERY hard to hear if the engine was running. The new panel has a VERY loud alarm and bright alarm lights. My old tachometer was kinda wiggy and the new one is rock solid. The 30 is a great boat....you'll love it! Jim
I have an '87 30 and love it. My only suggestion as to the boat you're looking at is to check and see if the main engine wiring harness has been upgraded. Seaward putout an improved harness for our boats and I just made the change last week. I swear the engine actually runs better (it's probably my imagination!) I also replaced the entire engine control panel. Total cost was $350, but I'm happy with it. The easiest way to see if your boat has been upgraded is to see if the engine control panel has a volt meter or an amp meter. If it's a voltmeter, then the previous owner upgraded the wiring harness. If it's an amp meter, the upgrade has not been done. The old control panel had really my only pet peve about the boat: the alarm lights were not very bright and the actual alarm was VERY hard to hear if the engine was running. The new panel has a VERY loud alarm and bright alarm lights. My old tachometer was kinda wiggy and the new one is rock solid. The 30 is a great boat....you'll love it! Jim
Just bought one last Feb. 04
I just bought a 1987 cat 30 in miami last feb.. I really like the boat and if you want to go faster than 6.5 -7 knots then you better look futher. Mine has the upgrades mentioned and I would like to know if your nav. table is like the 87 or the 88 couse mine has the 88 interior. It was built in the 10 month of 87. The table has a lift top instead of the box cabinet like in the 87 model. It's a great boat for the money if you like interior volume and comfort.
I just bought a 1987 cat 30 in miami last feb.. I really like the boat and if you want to go faster than 6.5 -7 knots then you better look futher. Mine has the upgrades mentioned and I would like to know if your nav. table is like the 87 or the 88 couse mine has the 88 interior. It was built in the 10 month of 87. The table has a lift top instead of the box cabinet like in the 87 model. It's a great boat for the money if you like interior volume and comfort.
We bought an '88
We bought an '88 last spring. We wanted a MKII and started looking at the 87's figuring they would be the best value. One thing I did find out is that prior to hull #5398, the 30's had wood in the keel sump which eventually leads to the Catalina smile and eventually the fix ($$$ and mess -- search archives for "catalina smile"). That made me upgrade my search for a '88 after hull #5397. There are many good boats out there, so if there appears to be anything wrong, check out more boats. Overall, we love the boat, lots of room for the kids and good sailing characteristics.
We bought an '88 last spring. We wanted a MKII and started looking at the 87's figuring they would be the best value. One thing I did find out is that prior to hull #5398, the 30's had wood in the keel sump which eventually leads to the Catalina smile and eventually the fix ($$$ and mess -- search archives for "catalina smile"). That made me upgrade my search for a '88 after hull #5397. There are many good boats out there, so if there appears to be anything wrong, check out more boats. Overall, we love the boat, lots of room for the kids and good sailing characteristics.
Hull Number
It is stamped on the stern, upper right. see explanation from IC30A.com "According to my paper work the hull identification number is "CTYN0773M77L". What does that mean?" The hull numbering, as required by the USCG, contains 12 characters; 3 groups of four. The first four are manufacturer and size, i.e. CTY for Catalina Yachts and "N" for 30, "L' for 27, etc. The next four are the serial number of the boat (only the C22 exceeded the four spaces allowed with 16000 boats built-we dropped the "1" at the front). The last four are the year of manufacture and/or model year. This coding changed over the years. If your boat has the old number system. The first "M" means modified. The next two digits are the year built. The final "L" is the month "July" in the modified system. The later system started with an "A" which is Jan, "B" is Feb, etc. The second number is the year built (4=1994) and the last two numbers are the model year (95=1995) C30 # 049 was built in Woodland Hills in 1975. C30 #315 is a 1976. Your C30 #773 is a 1977 . As you can tell by the jumps in the numbers, Frank was cranking out a lot of C30's back then. Your members can e-mail me at catalina@catalina.net if they want to know what year, etc. their boat is. David Graas, Customer Service, Catalina Yachts
It is stamped on the stern, upper right. see explanation from IC30A.com "According to my paper work the hull identification number is "CTYN0773M77L". What does that mean?" The hull numbering, as required by the USCG, contains 12 characters; 3 groups of four. The first four are manufacturer and size, i.e. CTY for Catalina Yachts and "N" for 30, "L' for 27, etc. The next four are the serial number of the boat (only the C22 exceeded the four spaces allowed with 16000 boats built-we dropped the "1" at the front). The last four are the year of manufacture and/or model year. This coding changed over the years. If your boat has the old number system. The first "M" means modified. The next two digits are the year built. The final "L" is the month "July" in the modified system. The later system started with an "A" which is Jan, "B" is Feb, etc. The second number is the year built (4=1994) and the last two numbers are the model year (95=1995) C30 # 049 was built in Woodland Hills in 1975. C30 #315 is a 1976. Your C30 #773 is a 1977 . As you can tell by the jumps in the numbers, Frank was cranking out a lot of C30's back then. Your members can e-mail me at catalina@catalina.net if they want to know what year, etc. their boat is. David Graas, Customer Service, Catalina Yachts
Wiring harness
The upgrade is not an enhancement, it is a safety issue. The old connectors can and DO corrode. The boat can start itself when you're not there, and create all sorts of problems. The C30 is a great boat. Many other Catalinas in that size range and years of manufacture had the same old harness. The wiring harness referenc has been posted so many times here - try www.c27.org, tech tips. All should be replaced, asap. Stu
The upgrade is not an enhancement, it is a safety issue. The old connectors can and DO corrode. The boat can start itself when you're not there, and create all sorts of problems. The C30 is a great boat. Many other Catalinas in that size range and years of manufacture had the same old harness. The wiring harness referenc has been posted so many times here - try www.c27.org, tech tips. All should be replaced, asap. Stu
great
I have owned a 87 Catalina 30 tall rig for 4 years. It is a great boat. The universal 21hp engine has never failed and maintenance is easy due to the location. The boat is easy to single hand and handles severe weather well. The Hood yacht system roller furling on my vessel is no good. It appears to be a poor design. Mine has siezed and I am having difficulty finding bearings. I would recomend the boat to anyone. Just keep in mind the depth of the water if you obtain a tall rig with a deep keel.
I have owned a 87 Catalina 30 tall rig for 4 years. It is a great boat. The universal 21hp engine has never failed and maintenance is easy due to the location. The boat is easy to single hand and handles severe weather well. The Hood yacht system roller furling on my vessel is no good. It appears to be a poor design. Mine has siezed and I am having difficulty finding bearings. I would recomend the boat to anyone. Just keep in mind the depth of the water if you obtain a tall rig with a deep keel.
More than yesterday but less than tomorrow...
I'm getting to know her better and better everytime we go out and I manage to get more out of her on each outing. Loving her more and more! It is our second season on our C30TRBS 1987 and we just got from two weeks cruising on ...and the feeling we had upon our return home was simply: "What a great boat!" We faced some interesting conditions (25-35 knot winds with choppy seas for Lake Ontario) and she performed greatly. She's no racer but she's a great cruiser and anyone who comes on board can't believe the space down below...nor can we, for a 30 footer she's outstanding. If we had do to it all over, we would definitevely pick the same boat but would perhaps consider an 1989 to ensure that the upgrades and changes mentioned by other forum members are done (Wiring harness, keel support etc.) Have fun on your C30, we sure do! G
I'm getting to know her better and better everytime we go out and I manage to get more out of her on each outing. Loving her more and more! It is our second season on our C30TRBS 1987 and we just got from two weeks cruising on ...and the feeling we had upon our return home was simply: "What a great boat!" We faced some interesting conditions (25-35 knot winds with choppy seas for Lake Ontario) and she performed greatly. She's no racer but she's a great cruiser and anyone who comes on board can't believe the space down below...nor can we, for a 30 footer she's outstanding. If we had do to it all over, we would definitevely pick the same boat but would perhaps consider an 1989 to ensure that the upgrades and changes mentioned by other forum members are done (Wiring harness, keel support etc.) Have fun on your C30, we sure do! G
84 C30
We bought our 84 C30 last November. I raced small one designs 30 years ago and really like the stability of the C30. When my wife and I started looking, we happened to see a C25 and a C30 in adjacent slips....the beam on the 30 sold her. A friend went with us last January in 20 knot winds and loved every minute of, he said it was the perfect size boat for Galveston Bay. He commented that the C30 had more interior room than his Moody 36. My only problem, I still react to steering directions as though it had a tiller rather than a wheel...want to go to starboard...turn right just like in the car, aI try to turn to port...hold over from the tiller. This is called driver error and not a problem. Great boat for the money, size and amineties.
We bought our 84 C30 last November. I raced small one designs 30 years ago and really like the stability of the C30. When my wife and I started looking, we happened to see a C25 and a C30 in adjacent slips....the beam on the 30 sold her. A friend went with us last January in 20 knot winds and loved every minute of, he said it was the perfect size boat for Galveston Bay. He commented that the C30 had more interior room than his Moody 36. My only problem, I still react to steering directions as though it had a tiller rather than a wheel...want to go to starboard...turn right just like in the car, aI try to turn to port...hold over from the tiller. This is called driver error and not a problem. Great boat for the money, size and amineties.
Watch the compression block
I have an '87 and I love the boat. The only major problem I have had with the boat was the compression block in the keel (supports the compression post and mast) rotted, and the mast pushed the deck down. Check the block for rotting. If it is rotted, check if the deck has compressed. It can be fixed with time and effort, but do it before the damage is done. In '88, from what I have seen, they did a better job of covering the block so it wouldn't get wet from bilge water.
I have an '87 and I love the boat. The only major problem I have had with the boat was the compression block in the keel (supports the compression post and mast) rotted, and the mast pushed the deck down. Check the block for rotting. If it is rotted, check if the deck has compressed. It can be fixed with time and effort, but do it before the damage is done. In '88, from what I have seen, they did a better job of covering the block so it wouldn't get wet from bilge water.
Great boat
We bought our 1987 C30 #4821 for the Lake Michigan conditions...light winds become heavy winds, no waves become 4-6 foot waves. The boat handles great. I tend to singlehand which was also a prime requirement. If you can find a Mark III, the walk through transom looks appealing to me. Otherwise, no complaints.
We bought our 1987 C30 #4821 for the Lake Michigan conditions...light winds become heavy winds, no waves become 4-6 foot waves. The boat handles great. I tend to singlehand which was also a prime requirement. If you can find a Mark III, the walk through transom looks appealing to me. Otherwise, no complaints.
- Status