New Catalina 275

[shnool]

By the way I'll take a stab at the ratings looking at the weight, and the specs.

Portsmouth:
88ish (mostly due to waterline). F0 Might rate slightly better because of the huge ASYM.

PHRF:
185 again might rate slightly better due to sprit and asym.

Sue me if I am off by a couple points. I'm also going to say, this thing will get killed in a W/L course, but a rectangle, or triangle course it might do real well. Since PHRF courses are all going the way of triangles, I bet this will do well. I'll say it again.. I like the boat, it'll sell well, and I'd love one for beercans, and our local stuff. I know it'd do well.

 

[HERSH]

Looks like a big Colgate 26 ...

Hershey

 

[Chris Capri 22]

WOW! Thanks for the pics James. Looks like Catalina finally arrived in the new millennium. Of course the peoples' sailboat manufacturing market heads had a heavy hand in this latest design, hopefully the racing folks at Catalina can strip this down to a more formidable machine. Question is; is there any racing folks at Catalina? They ruined the Capri line with the 26. Now they have an opportunity to remedy their mistakes.

It's obvious that this new derivative is a mainsail powered design due to the lack of deck winches and jib car tracks. I like the idea of a bowsprit and furling screacher but it still has it's limitations on a short course in light air. It better be damn fast for $75K. Races are still won going uphill.

Those lifelines look pretty tall for hiking. Might have to get extra long ones that will sag without cutting off your air supply.

All in all though I do like it. Giving Catalina's ability to adapt I think they have a really good platform to work with. I'm sure the 275 Sport will resonate well with the general populace and if they really want to open this thing up to the racing market they won't have far to go.

How about a 275R? No Galley, no head, and a lifting Keel for trailering or a Fin Keel option? What about a Tall Rig!

Man I can't wait!

Chris
Fandango TRFK

 

[dave_ren]

Am I the only one that likes the blue gel-coat?
I think it looks nice on the that Capri 22.

Shnool beat me to it. I think the blue gull looks pretty cool now. I'd be afraid it would look this cool in about 20 years...

 

[aviatorjames]

Another pic of the new 275...

 

[shnool]

blue hull looking better, but not much... I like the spin, wouldn't mind that one on mine!

 

[aviatorjames]

I think the stability-test photo from the front, really shows a modern look.
She's definitely got a lot of freeboard... maybe another thin strip up near the rail would help?

 

[HERSH]

Was that a stability test ? Or did the guy get stuck and the tide went out ?

Hershey

 

[Kunzig]

I have to say, most boats grow on me. If I was a guy that had to have the next new thing, or a guy that had to have something that stuck out (think of the new (stupid looking) cars), then maybe CP275 would do.

But so far, the CP275 does nothing for me, racer or not. It kinda looks like it should be 2 or 3 feet longer??

 

[SpiderPig]

I have to say, most boats grow on me. If I was a guy that had to have the next new thing, or a guy that had to have something that stuck out (think of the new (stupid looking) cars), then maybe CP275 would do.

But so far, the CP275 does nothing for me, racer or not. It kinda looks like it should be 2 or 3 feet longer??

There are a lot of boats in that space and this is just Catalina's version. There is one for sale in Kenosha for 75k.

It has the nice big cockpit that I like about the Capri and other Catalinas. Beneteau for instance has small cockpits but larger area down below. Some other thoughts.

- The Galley was stuck in the side and a cooler? Really, a cooler? Why put in running water and then just have a cooler and not a fridge.
- The dining table is also the main berth. That means for extended trips you have to put away and then re-assemble your bed every day. Not fun.
- The bags in the forward berth look cheap and tacky.

Why would I buy this instead of a FT10? There isn't any incentive or anything great about the boat. Its an attempt to have the 22-25 cheap owners upgrade into a larger boat. I spend 3k for my Capri22. Not spending 75k for that as its not much better.

I completely agree that with 2-3 more feet, they could have had a much nicer boat. However they would have lost on the target market of the under 30' crowd. Either way, I don't see this as making much headway.

Take a look at an older Beneteau 285. Compare the features that they can get into a similar sized boat. I suspect they are about the same speed. http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1988/Be ... ted-States

 

[Curt]

Comparing the Beneteau 285 to the Cataling 275 is like comparing apples to donuts. Not even in the same food grup. The 285 has little cockpit space and plenty ( great layout, multiple sleeping options, galley, nav station) below deck. There are hundreds of boats like that available at very attractive prices. Personally my needs are exactly the opposite, big day sailing cockpit space, easy handling and a place to get out of the weather or spend a night or two. Kind of like the the Capri 22 only bigger.

I prefer boats that are either extremely traditional or very minimal in appearance. The 275 appeals to my minimalist side and "looks" like a boat that would meet my needs. It sure was comfortable in the cockpit. As I said, years down the road, gently used and at a greatly reduced price. If there are other boats ( other than the Colgate 26) similar in layout to the 275 I am unaware of them but woudl like to hear about them.

Cheers,
Curt

 

[aviatorjames]

I'm with you Curt... two completely different types of sailboat.
Although I am not in the market, the 275 has a lot going for it if I was...

-wing keel: trailerable without the mechanical complexity of a lifting / swing keel
-porta-pottie option: sooo much easier, simpler, cheaper, lighter etc... than a marine head
-huge cockpit: size matters! and this is where we spend 90% of our time sailing
-simple rig: very important for stepping / rigging on a regular basis

The down side for me from a practical standpoint are...

-heavy: would require a bigger truck than I want to own
-table / berth: unfortunate to lose the table when going night-night

It's so fun to look at so many different designs...
It always makes me very happy to already have what I have!!!
Capri 22 !!!

 

[Kunzig]

James I think I've said it before, I love sailingtexas.com

So many different boats you can study through photos and the specs the owners list.

I bet I have spent 30 hours going back and forth.

 

[shnool]

I'll say it...

S2 7.9 (26 footer)... Yes the design is dated... but lifting keel, 5'8" headroom, porta pottie, or marine head options, outboard or inboard options... faster than a Capri 25, stout for offshore work, trailerable, but no sprit or asym.

The builder was considering starting to build them again (due to the recent popularity in PHRF), said once they get pre-orders for 10, they are at like 8, they might do a limited run production again.

My take? If S2 were to release it again, if they added a sprit, same options as before, but also included a Masthead kite (optional asym or sym)... the boat would sell as fast as any 26 footer would.

If there were ALSO to lighten the boat some, open the transom, and make the centerboard light, with a bulb keel... they'd have a pretty hot performing cruiser.

 

[aviatorjames]

I agree... the S2 looks like a very nice yacht.
Good designs always endure the test of time.

 

[aviatorjames]

The 275 flier...

 

[Kunzig]

I still feel Catalina needs to do a Big Photo shoot (action) on the water for this boat! There has to be a good angle... somewhere.

I haven't seen anything yet that makes me even want to get on one. I look at the photos and keep saying "really is that the best you can do", let alone the price, we won't even go there.

Rob

 

[aviatorjames]

I agree completely...
Get a couple of boats out in some really good sailing conditions
Hire a professional photographer to take some high resolution pic's
Plot some actual performance polar data

 

[SpiderPig]

I agree completely...
Get a couple of boats out in some really good sailing conditions
Hire a professional photographer to take some high resolution pic's
Plot some actual performance polar data

If you care about performance, don't buy a Catalina. J/Boats have lots of well performing boats like the J/70 or J/88. It would be faster and actually a 1-design unlike the Catalina built boats. Sure, a J/88 is twice the price but Catalina doesn't build race boats hence no polars.

 

[aviatorjames]

Yes, a polar might open them up to scrutiny & comparison they don't think is good, but...
The sailors that only care about speed have already written the 275 off anyway!
For the more practical buyers that are actually looking for a nice all-around yacht...
A polar would at least show that Catalina cares about what she will do with the wind.

The reason I bought a Capri 22 is that all the things it can do, it does them all quite well.
...it may not do any of them "the best" ...but it sure does a lot!!!
(nothing I'd rather own right now)

There are most definitely buyers that will see the 275 in the same way.
And I think there will be a lot of happy owners.
I wish them great success!

Now, about those photos Catalina, you can't do any better than eight tiny pics...?!?!...