novice

[dan]

I just purchased this 30 ' er and know that she hasn't been hauled in two years . I have three questions ; what kind of bottom paint should I use. how do I know how tight to tension the shrouds an d stays? and last what is the color # of the gel coat ? This is A 1980 standard how ever she has had good care and recent up grades.. Thank for any info...dan

 

[Brian Pickton]

Paint and Rig tension

Dec.31, 2000Dear Dan,For bottom paint I use and recommmend Petit's Trinidad red which, the last time I checked, had the highest copper content in the industery at 77% solids. The blue is also excellent at 70+%. I alternate colours on haul outs to monitor when the paint is running thin. With the red we have gone as long as 4 years and 5 months between needing paint. Friends of ours on Maralga spent over 6 years touring Europe and crossed the Atlantic and back on one paint job. We found that Trinidad offers excellent resistance to hard growth and really prevents slime from growing at the waterline.Of course there are other paints that work well but I would need to see some impressive results before I would switch paint.On rig tension tensioning is in large part a function of the size of the wire used in the rig. My advice if you don't already have one is to get a rig tension gauge from a chandlery (or borrow one from a friend ) and follow the recommended tension guide provided for your size of wire.On the gelsoat number I can't help you but I'm sure a Catalina owner can wade in and provide that info.Fair winds,Brian Pickton of BeneteauOwners.netAboard The Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia

 

[Bob Camarena]

Local Knowledge

Bottom paint recommendations are highly localized. Fresh vs. salt water, warm vs. cold water, hard growth vs. slime, racing vs. non-racing, frequent vs. infrequent bottom scrubbing, etc. all add up to some paints working better than others in particular areas and for a particulare type of use. Where I sail, in northern California, the paint I would use in the fresh water, Delta area where I keep my boat would be different than what would be best in SF Bay. Ask around and a pattern should emerge. I'm sure that there would be a difference between your relatively cold-water area and a warmer water area like San Diego. Another thing to consider is whether the new paint is compatible with the old or if you're going to remove the old paint completely.

 

[Howard Morton]

A bit more local knowledge

Dan:Brian's response is spot on. Trinidad is the best stuff you can get, at least for central Calif conditions. I've seen lots of cases where it was in amazingly good shape after two or more years. His response on tuning is also good. For a bit more on the subject, go to http://www.tcsn.net/bosun/c30/rigtune.htm.Finally, most (but *not* all) Catalina 30s have white hulls and white topsides, with accenting non-skid. I have also seen tan hulls/topsides (usually with brown non-skid) and pale blue hulls, often with either pale blue topsides and darker blue non-skid or with white topsides. The colors for nonskid are legion. Some of the more common are a very light tan, a gray, and a light blue. I'm sure there are others. Hope this helps.Howard