Moving on

Mar 20, 2007
500
Catalina 355 Kilmarnock, VA
Well, I went and did it. I sold my C309 after a wonderful 7 seasons, and will be replacing it with a preowned but nearly unused C355. The 309 was a great boat, but we wanted a few more creature comforts when cruising. I plan to continue scanning this forum, and will chime in if there's anything constructive to offer. Thanks to all who helped get this forum established.
 
May 10, 2008
392
Catalina 355 Boston
Well, I went and did it. I sold my C309 after a wonderful 7 seasons, and will be replacing it with a preowned but nearly unused C355. The 309 was a great boat, but we wanted a few more creature comforts when cruising. I plan to continue scanning this forum, and will chime in if there's anything constructive to offer. Thanks to all who helped get this forum established.
Congratulations! You will love your new boat. Please join us on our google groups forum. Look forward to the input of another owner!
 
Mar 20, 2007
500
Catalina 355 Kilmarnock, VA
Thanks. Already found the Google group, and will be checking in with the C34 group as well. What is your hull #? I'll be #20.
 
May 10, 2008
392
Catalina 355 Boston
Thanks. Already found the Google group, and will be checking in with the C34 group as well. What is your hull #? I'll be #20.
I am Hull #17...feel free to PM me with any questions you may have. The C34 group has been kind enough to support us and as I'm sure you know, lots of good info...
 
Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
Congratulations !!! Just got a bigger slip so I can scratch the little bigger boat itch also. I'd love for it to be a 355 but there are none for sale here (used, I'm too cheap for a brand new boat). There is a 350 and a 36 next to each other behind my boat, the 350 hull looks so much bigger it's surprising.
 
Mar 20, 2007
500
Catalina 355 Kilmarnock, VA
Yeah - my slip was always too big for the C309 -
The 355 is a much better fit (how's that for rationalization!?!) boat I'm buying is used, but barely - only 39 hours on the clock. There's a 350 and 355 side by side on the hard at the local dealer. Though they're the same LOA, the 355 is a foot narrower in beam and has less freeboard, and it really shows when they're together.
 
May 10, 2008
392
Catalina 355 Boston
Congratulations !!! Just got a bigger slip so I can scratch the little bigger boat itch also. I'd love for it to be a 355 but there are none for sale here (used, I'm too cheap for a brand new boat). There is a 350 and a 36 next to each other behind my boat, the 350 hull looks so much bigger it's surprising.
If compare the dimensions, the 355 is actually extremely close to the 34. When we were looking for boats, one of our requirements was to get away from the higher freeboard that our 320 had. GD told me that he put his boats 'on a diet'....

You can check out the dimensions side by side with the 34 on the C34 website...
 
Apr 3, 2012
95
Catalina 309 Sydney
Congratulations on the new toy..
We're also starting to get the 7 year itch

Moving from the 309 to the 355 where do you most notice the extra space ,
I've looked at some 36 footers that seem to have smaller cockpits and saloon areas than our 309

We do a lot of club racing with 4 or 5 crew and a larger cockpit would be handy, but most larger boat also have a large table that eats up the extra space .

Also do you find the 355 as easy to sail solo as the 309 ?
 
Mar 20, 2007
500
Catalina 355 Kilmarnock, VA
The 355 is actually easier to single hand than the 309 because of winch placement (further aft), better autopilot, easier to move around the larger cockpit, etc. i mainly single hand, so that was a requirement. I don't race so can't speak to that. The cabin volume feels much larger than the 309, mainly because of better use of the extra beam. The forward cabin is more spacious with an easier-to-access and larger bunk, and the aft cabin is actually usable for sleeping if needed. Also much more (and easier to access) storage space, which was my greatest criticism of the 309.

Don't get me wrong - the 309 is a great boat for its size, but we just needed a bit more space and creature comforts.
 

Zuben

.
May 18, 2015
5
Catalina 309 Whitby
Most interesting! I just went from a 355 to a 309. We both wanted a smaller boat, easier to handle, lower costs, etc. for retirement. The main difference to me is the staterooms. The forward cabin is luxury indeed whereas the 309's is just a place to sleep. My wife and I both like the main salon layout better on the 309, and she claims she can do more and better food prep in the 309's galley. The head on the 355 is also much nicer, as could be expected. To each his own, eh?
 
Jul 8, 2015
13
Catalina 309 New Orleans, LA
Most interesting! I just went from a 355 to a 309. We both wanted a smaller boat, easier to handle, lower costs, etc. for retirement. The main difference to me is the staterooms. The forward cabin is luxury indeed whereas the 309's is just a place to sleep. My wife and I both like the main salon layout better on the 309, and she claims she can do more and better food prep in the 309's galley. The head on the 355 is also much nicer, as could be expected. To each his own, eh?
Hello there! First time poster on this forum. New owner of a 2007 C309. Closed this past Monday (7/13/15) bringing her home to slip in NOLA tomorrow. Looking forward to many discussions on this forum.
 

Zuben

.
May 18, 2015
5
Catalina 309 Whitby
Hello there! First time poster on this forum. New owner of a 2007 C309. Closed this past Monday (7/13/15) bringing her home to slip in NOLA tomorrow. Looking forward to many discussions on this forum.
Welcome! Hopefully you'll find the 309 to be as wonderful as I believe it to be. How's it going so far?

...Ron