If it were mine....
Haul-outs are not cheap, and depending on the yard, yard time is not cheap either.
Some decisions don't have to be made until boat is actually pulled. Decisions such as day rate or monthly rate. A lot will have to do with the condition of the boat. Yard time is cheaper than marina time, however when I lived in Rockport a few years ago, a good marina was impossible to get into.
Your first item ought to be signing up for a waiting list for the nicer marinas. There was one that always had a few slips available. It is shallow and the boats take a beating in there. Very dumpy looking place.
If I were young like you, I would be looking at Island Moorings Yacht Club and Marina In Aransas Pass (islandmoorings.net). GREAT PLACE. I spent a lot of time there hanging out. I was boatles at the time. Marina has deep water channel, fairly well protected, well, as far as south Texas can be. It has nice showers, lockers, Pool, HOT TUB and really looks impressive. After all, when you visit your boat, you will spend some time there. It is a really kewl little tourist town with the neatest clubs and restaurants, lots of p...never mind, Its a really fun place with a free ferry. about a 5 minute ferry ride. You can really get into trouble there, fun , fun, fun.
OK, back to your boat.
When it gets hauled, have it pressure washed immediately and scraped. Once the hull has been scraped, the next order of priority would be to check your rudder shaft, prop shaft bearing and through hulls. I wouldnt even think of touching the 'through hulls' and sea cocks until out of the water. You probably will also change out all of your hoses. Inspect your boat good for anything else that can be done easier out of the water. Put 'blisters' on the very bottom of your priority list.
Give yourself a few days for a full assessment of estimated time and make a rough schedule. If you dont, you will be in the yard for ever. One of my motto's is " strive for excellence, but settle for completion".
Now, when it comes time to assess your hull, check for obvious signs of deep scars, abrasions where gelcoat has been scraped off and any fiberglass damage and the 'Catalina smile' we talked about.
Adressing those issues is too detailed for me to get into right now.
If blisters are numerous and after a few repairs, you will have a better handle on time. Give yourself a time limit to work on blisters, say for instance 5 days. After the 5 days, shut er down, prepare to botom paint and be on your way.
Since this is your first haul-out and your first sailboat, use a relatively inexpensive bottom paint. Not the cheapest, but something down there. Plan on hauling out again next year. There are things you might want to do next year, maybe need another through-hull or seal up and glass over an old one, and get back to repairing more blisters.
I'm sure I missed a few things. Get on the Catalina Owners Website, I'm sure they will be a great help. Just make a post that you are new to sailboats, you bought an older boat and you are having your first haul-out. They will give you lots of advice from Catalina 30 owners.
Tony B
