Catalina 25 1981

[NBSailboatowners2581]

We are planning on sanding and finishing most of the wood. But very light sanding.
Don't. That is a distraction from what you need!

Firstly. Make her as comfortable as you can
There are lot of stuff that you can do that don't cost a lot of money and will make living aboard a little more pleasant.
1. Pull up everything , clean and de-mold.
2. Leakproof the boat.
3. Get the galley as functional as space will allow, (small portable refrigerator.)
4. As you mentioned , redo the cushions and mattress,
What are your plans for showering?

Gary

For showering we have a on-shore option.

 

[dLj]

We are planning on sanding and finishing most of the wood. But very light sanding.
Don't. That is a distraction from what you need!

Excellent point! Actually this should be one of the last things done - after all the floors are done, after all the major work of getting things in and out of the boat are done – essentially finishing touches.

Firstly. Make her as comfortable as you can
There are lot of stuff that you can do that don't cost a lot of money and will make living aboard a little more pleasant.
1. Pull up everything , clean and de-mold.
2. Leakproof the boat.
3. Get the galley as functional as space will allow, (small portable refrigerator.)
4. As you mentioned , redo the cushions and mattress,
What are your plans for showering?

Great list – very good order of progress. Showers are a problem on this size boat – I'd look for a cheap hand pump sprayer typically used for spraying plants and put a shower head on it. Make a shower curtain enclosure either in the cockpit or up by the mast that can be put up and down as needed.

Gary

I quite like watching Magic Carpet. They are way past the med now. That's a pretty nice channel to follow if you have the time...

dj

 

[shemandr]

The biggest challenge of living aboard a small boat is storage. Compartmentalize every thing you can. Containers should be water proof with good locking lids. On a smaller budget plastic bags can substitute. Wetness and mildew will be a problem. Keeping stuff dry will be paramount - unless you are in an arid climate. You need to have space available for multiple uses and able to re-set the space for many uses.
I don't know the 25 but I would seriously downsize the galley. Lose the refrigerator if there is one. Go with a good cooler that can be moved around - like in the cockpit at night and in the cabin daytime.. Also lose the stove, if it exists. A grill and camping stove will server better and take up less space. See if you can set up the port potty to be like recommended by Peggy Hall - the Head Mistress (Search her posts on this site).
A good cabin table arrangement is a big asset. It can be a piloting table, a dinner table, an ironing table, folding laundry table, food prep table and on and on. Remember that most of your time aboard will be in the cockpit or deck. Optimize those spaces for your use i.e. shade, cushions, table etc.

 

[Tally Ho]

These kids live(d) on a Catalina 30 in Vancouver, BC year round. In the winter, they had a slip at the town marina (when rates were cheap and they needed electric heat) and they anchored out over the summer when dock rates were high and they didn’t need electric heat.

Shows some of the challenges living on a small boat! May be a good series to watch and learn from.

Blue Moon Life

Hello, Welcome to SV Blue Moon, a 40 year old Catalina 30. The boat is now our home and so far we love it! Thanks so much for watching!

youtube.com

Greg

 

[NBSailboatowners2581]

These kids live(d) on a Catalina 30 in Vancouver, BC year round. In the winter, they had a slip at the town marina (when rates were cheap and they needed electric heat) and they anchored out over the summer when dock rates were high and they didn’t need electric heat.

Shows some of the challenges living on a small boat! May be a good series to watch and learn from.

Blue Moon Life

Hello, Welcome to SV Blue Moon, a 40 year old Catalina 30. The boat is now our home and so far we love it! Thanks so much for watching!

youtube.com

Greg

Thank you, will be checking this out.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Good evening all sailors and boat owners,
Me and my boyfriend recently bought a Catalina 25 1981. It’s been sitting for the past 5 years at one dock location and we took it out yesterday. I have no sailboat experience but, my boyfriend does.It did great and is a wonderful boat. We are looking to live on it.

I was curious if there were any tips anyone could give for new sail boat owners. If there were any ways we could clean the inside that would be helpful. If there’s any websites or places we can go to, to get new stuff for the boat for cheap. We are looking to replace the cushions, put curtains in there, get a toilet in there some how, get some new flooring maybe, clean up the whole thing. It’s pretty dusty on the inside because the boat hasn’t been touched. There is a leak in the front hatch. We were also wondering how we could replace that. If anyone could help us out with some tips that would be great. We are a young couple just starting our adventures. I was hoping that someone could help us on some tips for us to clean this thing up and make it look beautiful and nice. I have attached some pictures in hopes that it would helpful.
Thank you for your time,
Have a great day. From, us to you.

• Cushions are expensive. Make them if you can
• Your boat likely has a holding tank for a head. See Peggy Halls section on this website for sanitation tips
• Magic eraser sponges and baking soda work miracles. Acetone is also great
• See marinehowto.com for instructions on using BedIT to fix many leaks. Far better and cheaper than marine caulk. Please dont use silicone. It's gauranteed to fail

 

[Stu Jackson]

a Catalina 25 1981

I had one of those, from 1987 to 1998, great boat.
Get to know these skippers, too:

Association Forum - Catalina 25 Specific Forum

 

[Stu Jackson]

We would like to put a fridge in there but

Sailorchic34's New Dorm Fridge - inverter driven dorm fridge
Sailorchic34's new Fridge - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

 

[Stu Jackson]

My favorite marine store: ACE Hardware.

 

[dLj]

My favorite marine store: ACE Hardware.

That's a good one. The Ace hardware store near my boat has two separate sections for stainless fasteners. One section for marine grade meaning they are 316 stainless not the common 304 or worse 303 fasteners. Sometimes limited in sizes though. So then my go to is McMaster- Carr. Pricey, especially with shipping, but huge selection of all kinds of cool options... I believe you now need to create an account with McMaster but that's easy enough to do... I've noticed recently I have to log in to get prices....

dj

p.s. if looking at fasteners that claim to be 18-8 - don't. That is not a material specification and you may more likely be getting 303... It's a marketing thing...

 

[David in Sandusky]

Welcome!

Lots of good advice so for. We have a porta-potty connected to a pump out on our boat. It will hold out around 5 days when cruising. It's installed in the little space between the main cabin and the v-berth.

The store on this site can find almost anything for boats of our vintage (we have a '77 Hunter 27.)

The Catalina owners website is a good suggestion. And Catalina has a good reputation for supporting their boats over the long run. But most boats made back then share problems and hardware sources, so advice on this site is good for all makes.

Fair winds and following seas on your new adventure!