We are looking at a 1976 Catalina. I noticed there is little room to walk about the top deck to raise the sails, lower the anchor, etc. With the bevelled edges, it just seem secure. Does anyone have any thoughts?
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1976 Catalina 27 Deck Surface
We are looking at a 1976 Catalina 27. We've had a Catalina 22 and a Hunter 34. The walking spaces along the safety rails seemed to be flatter than this one.
We are looking at a 1976 Catalina 27. We've had a Catalina 22 and a Hunter 34. The walking spaces along the safety rails seemed to be flatter than this one.
Observation correct; but workable
3B, I've owned a '75 27 Tall Rig for 3 years. You're correct; there is little side deck space, and relatively little foredeck space on the 27. That's one of the tradeoffs for owning a relatively small, easily handleable, stable craft with a relatively spacious interior cabin. I don't find deck angles off horizontal to be an issue; I don't slip with normal care. Our sail handling lines are all run aft to the cockpit on top of the cabin, so I'm almost never on the foredeck unless it's for an emergency repair. The roller furling line does come along the side deck on the port side, so it's hard to use that side without avoiding taut lines. The cabin top is strong enough to hold weight, so you can walk on that to move forward quickly. And, there are plenty of hand holds - shrouds, stays, masts, etc., so I've never felt insecure. Toughest task with this set up - dropping and retrieving the anchor. Since Catalina did not design in an anchor locker forward, mine is stowed in a cockpit locker and hauled forward each time. An anchor hanger off the pulpit might help, but mine is a bit cloggy with other stuff. My viewpoint - yes it's tight, but not really unsafe. Any reasonably agile adult with common sense should be able to handle this vessel.
3B, I've owned a '75 27 Tall Rig for 3 years. You're correct; there is little side deck space, and relatively little foredeck space on the 27. That's one of the tradeoffs for owning a relatively small, easily handleable, stable craft with a relatively spacious interior cabin. I don't find deck angles off horizontal to be an issue; I don't slip with normal care. Our sail handling lines are all run aft to the cockpit on top of the cabin, so I'm almost never on the foredeck unless it's for an emergency repair. The roller furling line does come along the side deck on the port side, so it's hard to use that side without avoiding taut lines. The cabin top is strong enough to hold weight, so you can walk on that to move forward quickly. And, there are plenty of hand holds - shrouds, stays, masts, etc., so I've never felt insecure. Toughest task with this set up - dropping and retrieving the anchor. Since Catalina did not design in an anchor locker forward, mine is stowed in a cockpit locker and hauled forward each time. An anchor hanger off the pulpit might help, but mine is a bit cloggy with other stuff. My viewpoint - yes it's tight, but not really unsafe. Any reasonably agile adult with common sense should be able to handle this vessel.
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