Beginner

Tim C350 April IV · Sep 30, 2009

"Do I have to worry about the boat capsizing in rough water?"

No, you don't have to worry. Sailing is much more fun if you don't worry.

Can the boat capsize? Sure, any boat can capsize. Will a Catalina 387 or 400 (or any of the other fixed keel Catalina models for that matter) capsize? It's highly unlikely in anything short of extreme, extraordinary circumstances, but it's possible. On a positive note, if a sailboat with that big, heavy ballast keel turns turtle, it is going to pop back over so fast it will make your head spin.

In regular practice, the farther a ballasted sailboat leans, the more it wants to pop back upright, and the further it leans, the less force the wind exerts on the sail trying to push it over. The boat finds a balance and you get used to it.

Go take a couple of sailing lessons, get a feel for how sailboats handle, and then pursue your dream.

Good Luck!
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle

Stu Jackson · Oct 1, 2009

Well put, Tom. Taking sailboat lessons especially on both smaller boats and then on the boat you choose will go a long way to establishing and maintaining your confidence and thus interest in sailing.

In most cases it is the waves rather than the wind that create dangerous conditions for sailboats. Like anything else in life that's new to you, do some reading. Google "Heavy Weather Sailing" and see what's out there.

Stu Jackson · Oct 1, 2009

Lady Jane said:
Stu how does the 34 handle. We were advised to look at the 387 or the 400 if we are going to sail on the ocean.

Jane, the C34 is "mahvelous" sailing on the Bay and in the ocean in rough stuff. Bigger boats may be more comfortable. Remember a thread on our C34 website about how a dockmate who bought a 387 kept coming back to his friend's C34 saying I shoulda bought a C34.

Look, it's simple, before you buy because "somebody told you" do some of your OWN homework and research. Do you like the boat? Can you dinghy away from it and still be in love with its looks? Do you like the layout. Do you like the size of the berths, not simply the quantity of them. Is there a good support Association website, like the C36 and C34 groups. Do you like two wheels at the helm. Can you get to the dipstick easily. Lotsa things to think about beside what somebody told you.

Banooma · Oct 2, 2009

Lady Jane, Those recommendations are great, but depending on your intended use, something that big may not be as practical as something a little smaller, even if your intention is to sail on the ocean. Of course, that could mean anything from a few hours on the ocean on a hand-picked gorgeous day, or it could mean trying to cross the ocean through the Perfect Storm. If your ocean outings are more likely to be fair weather day sails, you might be content with something significantly smaller than the ones you're looking at. I enjoy taking day trips into the ocean in my 28 (but wouldn't navigate my inlet in my previous much lighter and smaller Hunter 23), and know people who have launched from the beach and sailed out in the ocean in little Sunfish. Some other considerations to gauge the conditions you're likely to expose yourself to in this boat might be the nature of the water in the inlet (are the waves big and choppy?), how deep are your local waters and how conducive are they to a big fin keel (which offers a little more stability, especially on the ocean) on a 387, or even the draft of the wing keel? Since most of my sailing is on the bay, and I have to navigate the shoals of the bay before I get to the ocean, it was much more important to have a shallower wing keel. With my boat, I can leave my marina in any tide, but people with bigger boats and deeper drafts sometimes need to wait out the tide before they even go out through the channel. The notion of learning to sail on something smaller is very sound, as I believe it allows the sailor to develop a true feel for conditions, responses, and how a boat responds to them. Good luck in your search, and have fun!

Skipper · Oct 4, 2009

If you are looking for a long range, blue water cruiser, you need to look at boats designed specifically for this assignment. Catalina would probably be fine usually, but it's when you get into extraordinary\possibly unexpected weather that you may have problems. Capsize would be the least of my worries in a larger boat. Equipment failure is more likely, including rudder, rigging, sails, electronics, seals, wave damage, etc etc.

Next: Forget basic sailing lessons - At the novice level, with your cruising intentions, first discover whether or not you like sailing. Go out with friends or a captained charter. Then launch into a full-blown year-long sailing curiculum, with on-the-water training and classroom intruction, including advanced navigation, etc. Then sail your new boat solo for a couple of years, at least once a week. Read, practice, and educate yourself thouroughly during this time. Then plan your world tour. This will be the only way to be prepared when something does go wrong, or be able to anticipate\avoid somehting going wrong, regardless of boat choice.