Catalina 34 vs 36?

[jimm22n]

Hi Everyone,
I’m Jim and I love to sail. I learned to sail in small day sailors; 420, Laser, and 14-17’ day sailors in Norfolk VA in the early nineties. I’ve had an FJ-14’, two fixer uppers Catalina 22 & 27 neither of which did I actually sail, and a very nice Catalina 25. Now I have a nice fiancée in my life and she wants, you guessed it, a sailboat!
Our goal will be hanging out at the marina on the weekends and some local sails. We are in Corpus Christi TX. She and I hope to do “The Great Loop” in aprox 7 years when we both retire. I’m 6’3” and we want something big enough to be comfortable but easily controllable. We’d also like an aft cabin, walk-thru transom, and a wing keel for the loop should we actually go.

My questions are what are the differences between and merits vs. negatives of the 34’ vs. 36’ models?
Thanks,
Jim

 

[Stu Jackson]

duplicate post

 

[Northernstarr]

When I was looking I found the boats very similar and looked at both boats. I went with the one I found within my budget that was in the best condition. It happened to be a 34 in great shape....a better boat for less money than the 36 I looked at!

 

[jimm22n]

I had not considered the Catalina 34’ or 36’ since I was sure the Hunter 34’-37’ would be my boat because it has my 6’3” headroom. The problem is the Hunter seems to be of “lesser quality” than the Catalina. I’ll be here reading up on what info is available. I’m fond of Catalina simply because they seem to be the all around better boat. Thanks and I’ll be reading and learning.

 

[Claygr]

I would post this on the C34 and C36 owner's sites. You'll get a bunch of replies. The boats are pretty similar in sailing characteristics. The C36 is a tad bit faster under sail because of the longer waterline but a C34 tall rig has nearly the same sail area as a C36 standard rig so you need to compare boat to boat if that makes a difference to you. If you want an open transom, you are looking at Mark II boats of either model. The Mark II boats have similar engines - Universal M35s, so that's pretty similar. Keep in mind that the owner's stateroom in both boats is really the v-berth, not the aft cabin. The C34 has a huge v-berth for the size of the boat - it is a king across at the widest part. The aft cabin is not nearly as big. The biggest difference to me is in the internal lay-out. The C34 has the head immediately to port as you come down the stairs. Many people prefer that because it makes it easier to access underway. The head in the C36 is forward of the salon. On the other hand, the C36 has a u-shaped galley to port as you come down the steps. The galley in the C34 is to starboard and you have to access the aft cabin through the galley - a PIA, in my opinion, if you have kids or guests going in and out and you are trying to cook or wash dishes. That's not an issue if there are just two of you.

I would say go take a look at both boats and decide which you like best. If there is no strong stand-out, go for the boat you find in the best condition for the money you can afford to spend. Mark II boats of either model are not easy to find so it may come down to a question of how long you are willing to look.

Good luck!

 

[Stu Jackson]

This has already been discussed on our C34 board:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4991.0.html

 

[Claygr]

One aspect I should have mentioned is that great owner's association and website with the C34. The C36IA also has a good site and helpful owners but I have not been on it that much to compare. But I can say it would be very difficult for you to find an issue on a C34 that has not been diagnosed and addressed on the C34 website, usually with pictures and step by step instructions. Our C34 was our first boat and I cannot possibly exaggerate how useful the owner's site was to us as we learned boat ownership.