Catalinas rule

Nov 1, 2017
635
Catalina 25 Sea Star Base Galveston, TX
Catalinas
I LOVE mine. Before I bought her, I read some reviews that seemed negative, but were simply highlighting the average level of performance of the Catalina 25. Seeing as mine is the tall rig and fin keel model, she sails very nicely and performs almost like a racing boat (a bit more sluggish and could be a little faster). I've heard other sailing friends of mine say she's "The biggest small boat" they've ever seen.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
What.. Only 6 slips for sailboats... Sounds like discrimination. And to think it is happinging in Massachusetts. Oh the Horror.:yikes:..

Now that I got that out of my system.. Nice photo Tom J. Clearly your image was one taken without any bias or dog in the fight... :liar:

I like the Catalina’s I have seen and sailed. I’m about to spend 2 weeks winter sailing on my buddy’s Cat36. Now that she has a new heater we should not get frost bite.

SO :beer::beer::beer: to Catalina a sail boat builder of fun.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
What.. Only 6 slips for sailboats... Sounds like discrimination. And to think it is happinging in Massachusetts. Oh the Horror.:yikes:..

Now that I got that out of my system.. Nice photo Tom J. Clearly your image was one taken without any bias or dog in the fight... :liar:

I like the Catalina’s I have seen and sailed. I’m about to spend 2 weeks winter sailing on my buddy’s Cat36. Now that she has a new heater we should not get frost bite.

SO :beer::beer::beer: to Catalina a sail boat builder of fun.
The club does have a great sailing program for the kids, with a large fleet of small sailboats on a float.
We looked at several makes of sailboats at a few boat shows, and chose the C310 for her livability and affordability. And she sails pretty well, too.
I had to get a picture of the three zero series Catalinas when they happened to be docked side by side.:biggrin:
 
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Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
One of our new members brought a 310 into the club a couple years ago. It must have been launched by a transport vehicle because when it was time for haul-out at the end of the season, he discovered that the club beam for the crane straps wasn't wide enough for a 310. The 310 is the widest boat in our fleet! He had to leave her in the lake thru the winter until he could have a wider, stronger beam made just for his boat. Several of us saw the benefit of a wider beam on the compression stress of haul-out and chipped in to repay him for it. The club picked up the rest of the bill.
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Are there significant differences between 320 and 310 aside from being just slightly larger?
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
What.. Only 6 slips for sailboats... Sounds like discrimination. And to think it is happinging in Massachusetts. Oh the Horror.:yikes:..
This is why we live on the left coast. You can get in (and removed from) places with relative ease. :beer:
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Are there significant differences between 320 and 310 aside from being just slightly larger?
Like everything, there are personal preferences, personally, I would take a 320 hands down. The cabin area seems far better laid out.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Are there significant differences between 320 and 310 aside from being just slightly larger?
The most significant difference I saw was in headroom. My C310 has about 6' of headroom, and I think the C320 was about 6'2".
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Like everything, there are personal preferences, personally, I would take a 320 hands down. The cabin area seems far better laid out.
One reason we chose the C310 was for the cabin layout. The forward cabin is large, with a full size mattress, not a "V" berth. In addition, the forward bulkhead has a large panel that slides down, and allows excellent ventilation, and gives the boat an open feeling. Her beam is generous, and provides a lot more room than most 30' boats for a couple living aboard.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
IMG_0039.jpg
This is why we live on the left coast. You can get in (and removed from) places with relative ease. :beer:
No problem getting the sailboats in and out. The club has a Brownell trailer that hauls boats up to 45' in length, including sailboats. And the yard for sailboat storage has no overhead wires, so we store with the mast up.
The issue at this club is that most of the slips are stern-to, much like a Med moor. The sailboat slips are side-to, and there is limited space for this.
 
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Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Are there significant differences between 320 and 310 aside from being just slightly larger?
Yes, they had two very different design briefs. The 310 was conceived as a cruiser for couples.
If you go to www.catalinayachts.com and scroll down to the bottom left, there is a field for Archived Brochures and you can read the details about these two very different boats.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I have had the joy of experiencing the Catalina Owners at a Rendezvous and they are an enjoyable crowd with smiling faces and great boating stories.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
If you go to www.catalinayachts.com and scroll down to the bottom left, there is a field for Archived Brochures and you can read the details about these two very different boats.
Great resource! So it appears the 310 is made for comfort in the bow and the 320 is made for comfort in the aft cabin. Me climbing over Sue in the middle of the night to get out is not good and she won't take the aft-most location in any circumstance. But separate berths for sleeping may work best for us anyway. I wonder if the cockpit hatches leak or otherwise a problem. Headroom in 320 is a big plus for me … 6'-0" doesn't quite make it comfortable enough.

I can't tell if there is any difference in the cockpit layouts regarding sail controls. They look very similar. PHRF numbers seem to be pretty similar comparatively speaking, with lower numbers for 320 understandable due to the LWL increase. Sailing performance must be very similar despite cabin differences. All of the dimensional characteristics seem to be relatively the same. They both seem to carry the same engine? Fuel and water storage very similar.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Ahh … that's a pretty good thread! I've sailed with Ward on his 30TR and it's got me thinking … and now that Sue and I are overnighting on the boat more frequently, we find that we don't have enough room to get along really well! :( She likes the neighbor's Hunter 310 for all of it's comfy room and great cockpit. I don't really like the B & R rig and I guess that I have always leaned toward Catalinas anyway. I've gotten over my distaste for wing keel, and in our location it is a necessity and probably the only type I would find on the market.

Ted seems to say the C310 and C320 sail "different", and it seems that he is relating it to the relative beam width. However, performance-wise they seem to be almost identical, so it would seem that they must be very similar. I think Sue and I would really have to evaluate the cabin for likes/dislikes. The headroom may make most of the difference for me and it sounds like the C320 shines in that capacity.