I just sold my 86 Catalina 30 and am looking at Catalina 34s and 36s of the 1980s vintage. Some people say the 34 is a superior sailing boat when compared with the 36. My main concern is handling in heavy air and performance (speed) in light air. Any opinions and rationale would be greatly appreciated. John
- Status
C34 vrs C36
We too had the very same question. Catalina builds a great product. I think the sailing qualities will be about the same for either. What finally allowed us to make our decision was finally finding a 34 and 36 side by side. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, the broker was busy closing another deal. After a couple hours walking between them, the Admiral decided the 34 was the one. Hasn't been a second thought. We have since joined the C34 Intl Assoc. The web site is probably the best available. www.C34.org Your question has been answered in varies ways several times. visit the site, use the search function. If your questions aren't answered, go the the forum and ask. Happy shopping!
We too had the very same question. Catalina builds a great product. I think the sailing qualities will be about the same for either. What finally allowed us to make our decision was finally finding a 34 and 36 side by side. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, the broker was busy closing another deal. After a couple hours walking between them, the Admiral decided the 34 was the one. Hasn't been a second thought. We have since joined the C34 Intl Assoc. The web site is probably the best available. www.C34.org Your question has been answered in varies ways several times. visit the site, use the search function. If your questions aren't answered, go the the forum and ask. Happy shopping!
I prefer the 36
John, I chartered a 34 prior to buying my 36. I think as far as sailing characteristics, they are about equal. The 36 is a little slow in light winds, but a tall rig or 150 Genny should solve those issues. What I like about the 36 is the interior layout. I think it is roomier and a better layout than the 34. However, I also think the 34 has a better aft cabin. The 36 has more of a "cave" feeling to it. The vee berth in the 36 is definitely roomier and I like having the head forward. The 36 has a "real" nav station with a dedicated seat. Other than the highlighted preferences, I think they are close to being identical boats. Almost the same water length, same engines, similar roominess in the cockpit. Either way you can't go wrong. Good luck in your decision. Les Murray s/v Ceilidh '86 C-36 #560
John, I chartered a 34 prior to buying my 36. I think as far as sailing characteristics, they are about equal. The 36 is a little slow in light winds, but a tall rig or 150 Genny should solve those issues. What I like about the 36 is the interior layout. I think it is roomier and a better layout than the 34. However, I also think the 34 has a better aft cabin. The 36 has more of a "cave" feeling to it. The vee berth in the 36 is definitely roomier and I like having the head forward. The 36 has a "real" nav station with a dedicated seat. Other than the highlighted preferences, I think they are close to being identical boats. Almost the same water length, same engines, similar roominess in the cockpit. Either way you can't go wrong. Good luck in your decision. Les Murray s/v Ceilidh '86 C-36 #560
34 v 36
You seem to be looking for the boat that does everything, GOod in heavy air and spritely in light air. Sounds like the Racer/Cruiser dilemma. First off no boat salis great in all conditions, make a choice. And like the crusier/racer deal pick one, if you want comfort go cruiser but it will be at the expense of performance, hey all that comfort weighs a boat down. I dock next to a 34 and a 380 and by in large I'll take our 36 anyday of the week. Boat for boat the 36 has more. From a sailing point of view our 36 has the fin and it out sails both the other boats hands down in anything over 11 knots. We have the standard rig with a 135 so light air is not or condition of choice. When it doesn't blow we motor or swim. To get better performance out of the boat go tall rig 150, but you will pay a bit when the wind kicks up. We sail to 22K with no reefs and she sails balanced and beautifully. As for layout we liked the open "L" shape of the interior on the 36 but the older boats have the dinnette layout, its a matter of preference. The V berth is huge and we sleep there and use the aft cabin for storage. Just my thoughts Good Luck!
You seem to be looking for the boat that does everything, GOod in heavy air and spritely in light air. Sounds like the Racer/Cruiser dilemma. First off no boat salis great in all conditions, make a choice. And like the crusier/racer deal pick one, if you want comfort go cruiser but it will be at the expense of performance, hey all that comfort weighs a boat down. I dock next to a 34 and a 380 and by in large I'll take our 36 anyday of the week. Boat for boat the 36 has more. From a sailing point of view our 36 has the fin and it out sails both the other boats hands down in anything over 11 knots. We have the standard rig with a 135 so light air is not or condition of choice. When it doesn't blow we motor or swim. To get better performance out of the boat go tall rig 150, but you will pay a bit when the wind kicks up. We sail to 22K with no reefs and she sails balanced and beautifully. As for layout we liked the open "L" shape of the interior on the 36 but the older boats have the dinnette layout, its a matter of preference. The V berth is huge and we sleep there and use the aft cabin for storage. Just my thoughts Good Luck!
I think more is being made of the differences
I think they are a lot closer in saling characteristics than you think. Darn close. Now all things being ~exactly~ equal the C34 might have a teeny tiny slight edge in lighter winds. But if it was an older C36 and a newer C34 the edge in lighter air might go back to the C36. The original C36 (and C34 for that matter) was much lighter than the boats being put out now. The newer boats have more water capacity (original didn't have front water tank) and bigger Batteries (2 4D's) and many people put on A/C and heat, etc, etc. I bet if I emptyed all the crap out of my boat, emptied my tanks, removed all the anchor chain, took out the heavy batteries etc etc then my boat would go a lot faster in the lighter air. Lighter boat is faster in lighter winds - This is well known by most racers. But the reality is that unless you you are right side by side no one will really know. If you want the C36 you could always get the tall mast also or sail with a 150 genny those times of the year when the winds are low. Another thing you could do if you want to go faster in lighter air then just add an asymetrical spinaker and it will do wonders. Most peoples sail trim makes them slower. A good sailor/trimmer in a C36 will sail much faster than an ok sailor/trimmer in a C34. My tip to you is to buy the boat (C34 vs C36) that you like the set up better. They are way too similar to be making blanket judgements on sailing characteristics.
I think they are a lot closer in saling characteristics than you think. Darn close. Now all things being ~exactly~ equal the C34 might have a teeny tiny slight edge in lighter winds. But if it was an older C36 and a newer C34 the edge in lighter air might go back to the C36. The original C36 (and C34 for that matter) was much lighter than the boats being put out now. The newer boats have more water capacity (original didn't have front water tank) and bigger Batteries (2 4D's) and many people put on A/C and heat, etc, etc. I bet if I emptyed all the crap out of my boat, emptied my tanks, removed all the anchor chain, took out the heavy batteries etc etc then my boat would go a lot faster in the lighter air. Lighter boat is faster in lighter winds - This is well known by most racers. But the reality is that unless you you are right side by side no one will really know. If you want the C36 you could always get the tall mast also or sail with a 150 genny those times of the year when the winds are low. Another thing you could do if you want to go faster in lighter air then just add an asymetrical spinaker and it will do wonders. Most peoples sail trim makes them slower. A good sailor/trimmer in a C36 will sail much faster than an ok sailor/trimmer in a C34. My tip to you is to buy the boat (C34 vs C36) that you like the set up better. They are way too similar to be making blanket judgements on sailing characteristics.
More Info
John What a horrible position to be in.
The link is to our C34 'site. You may be interested in some of the technical information available for all. The C36 website is also very good and helpful. The boats are the essentially the same in systems. In addition to the layout differences, which are obvious and very subjective, you should also consider access to mechanical and electrical systems, which differ somewhat between the two boats. Also check out the V berth and aft cabin sizes based on how YOU and your crew would consider using the boat. We bought our C34 for the aft cabin, but now use the forward cabin, it's unusually large, and much more luxurious than we'd originally thought. The other major difference is the location of the head. The amidships head is very useful, handy and comfortable while underway. It's also as far away as possible from EACH of the cabins. The earlier 80's models had the M25 engine. It requires a modification to the alternator bracket. Look through more on the link. Check out the C36 website, too, it's great. Ours is C34 #224, 1986, purchased from its only owner in 1998. We love it. Good luck, you really can't go wrong. Stu PS Everything Tom says is true! The myth that one boat sails better than the other is JUST THAT. Another urban legend. And, Tom, I'll be emptying out the 6 1/2 years of condo stuff I have on Aquavite, starting... BTW Tom and I swap tech info and we cross cultivate our respective websites. Also see www.Catalina34.com, it's a personal website with some boat comparisons.
John What a horrible position to be in.
The link is to our C34 'site. You may be interested in some of the technical information available for all. The C36 website is also very good and helpful. The boats are the essentially the same in systems. In addition to the layout differences, which are obvious and very subjective, you should also consider access to mechanical and electrical systems, which differ somewhat between the two boats. Also check out the V berth and aft cabin sizes based on how YOU and your crew would consider using the boat. We bought our C34 for the aft cabin, but now use the forward cabin, it's unusually large, and much more luxurious than we'd originally thought. The other major difference is the location of the head. The amidships head is very useful, handy and comfortable while underway. It's also as far away as possible from EACH of the cabins. The earlier 80's models had the M25 engine. It requires a modification to the alternator bracket. Look through more on the link. Check out the C36 website, too, it's great. Ours is C34 #224, 1986, purchased from its only owner in 1998. We love it. Good luck, you really can't go wrong. Stu PS Everything Tom says is true! The myth that one boat sails better than the other is JUST THAT. Another urban legend. And, Tom, I'll be emptying out the 6 1/2 years of condo stuff I have on Aquavite, starting... BTW Tom and I swap tech info and we cross cultivate our respective websites. Also see www.Catalina34.com, it's a personal website with some boat comparisons.- Status