Love affair with 309's

Siamese · Dec 26, 2010

I don't think there's definitive answer to your questions. My 309 is a wing, and I'm satisfied with it here on Lake Michigan. We get some formidable weather and waves here, but basically I'm coastal sailing. My previous boat was a 26 footer with a fin keel. I really don't notice that my 309 suffers for having a wing, but I have no doubt that the fin is superior. We like our wing for the obvious reason...there's a 1.5 foot advantage when we find ourselves in skinnier water. We could easily deal with the extra depth of the fin, but we're satisfied with the compromise for the sailing we do. You already know that fins are better, and wings are a compromise. And the Catalina 309 is a recent design from a good manufacturer, so it's wing keel can be expected to be at least as good as the wing keel from other makers.

With regard to being a blue water boat. It's not. Most obviously, it's not laid out like a blue water boat, in terms of its tankage and interior design. But it's a fabulous design for weekending and vacationing. It's not how you'd design a boat for crossing oceans.

Blue water boats are like pornography. I've never heard a really good definition for either, but I know it when I see it. So, is the Catalina beefy enough for "blue water" use? First, as a manufacturer, what would be the point in designing a boat that's tough enough for frequent blue water use when your intended customers are overwhelmingly coastal cruisers? The beefier hull, bulkheads, spars, etc. would cost much more and you'd no longer have a boat for the masses. Do you want to sell a 100 boats a year or 2?

I can say with certainty that the 309 is a good, well built coastal cruiser. The question then, is whether a good coastal cruiser makes a good blue water boat. Even occasionally. And there, opinions will vary.

thendel · Dec 28, 2010

309 Love Affair

I'm in Sydney and got a new 309 (my pre-retirement present to myself) 2 years ago. Mine has a wing keel, dodger, bimini, power windlass and ultra-leather covers (it was the "demo" boat at the Sydney Boat Show) and in just about all aspects I love it. I finally stopped working about 4 months ago, and am just getting to spend the time on it that I've wanted to.

On the + side the wing keel allows access to my river mooring where I sometimes have only 300 mm underneath at low water. Handling doesn't seem to be an issue at all - maybe if you were a die-hard racer you might notice a bit of leeway but for normal practical purposes it's a non-issue. The in-mast furling is terrific (though you have to keep the slack out of all lines when using) and the spaciousness below dicks is brilliant, though locker space could be better - I'm looking at enclosing the shelves above the saloon seating to add storage. I guess the mattresses could be better, but for the money they're OK.

In terms of performance she sails really well, even with the loose-footed main. I find that mine is quite wind sensitive and is easily over-powered in 20+ knots, so I reef early and still get 6-7 knots with no effort and she points at 30-35 degrees in just about anything. Helm is neutral as long as I pay close attention to sail trim, so single-handing is a pleasure (when sometimes you might want to lock the wheel and attend to something for a couple of minutes - by the way, one of the features I really love is the folding Lewmar wheel that came with mine as it makes access through the cockpit a breeze.
Access for maintenance to the donk is one of the really great features.

Electrics are good. I've had no issues with my Raymarine stuff though I don't have a chart plotter or autopilot yet - if it becomes a problem I thought of changing it all to the Tak-Tiks wireless products. I'm going to fit one of those copper-electrode anti-foul devices, so as part of all this I'll be adding solar panels with charge controller etc. I'm looking at mounting these above the bimini myself (but the fittings and home fabrication - luckily my background is in engineering and I have a lathe, TIG welding and all the kit in my home workshop). Other than that a change to LED lights, upgrading the fridge insulation and AGM or other modern battery types will be on the cards when the time to renew comes around.

On the - side the Yanmar 20hp that was standard doesn't get to to max revs (but maybe my bottom/prop hasn't ever been quite clean enough). Prop walk is also a bit of an issue with the fixed 3-blade screw so I'm seriously considering a folding unit which should help performance and reversing/handling. Another thing that is a pain is that the dodger is exactly at eye height for me and I'm not getting my legs lengthened at this stage of the game. There are plenty of trivial things that I want to change, but that's half the fun of owning a boat!

All in all I love her. If my missus takes to it as well as I hope she will I might think of upgrading to something a bit bigger (40' or so) but for the moment it's everything I want. If you're in Sydney get in touch and we can go for a sail on one of the world's best harbours.

Love affair with 309's

jamel

.

Siamese

.

thendel

.

jamel

.