Question for Catalina 30 owners

[Brian D]

I would have posted this on the Catalina Owners forum, but it said it was for owners of Catalina boats. So I respect that.I was chatting with a fellow sailor at my marina on Sunday. He owns an '89 Catalina 30. It looks more like a '06 the way he has maintained the boat. So I did a search for the Catalina 30 on Yachtworld just to look. I see that there was a minor change to the interior in '87.Is there a particular year that the Catalina 30 was at its best? Or maybe worst? Some times I read that a particular product was better in such a year and so on. So I was wondering if the C30 had its year.Thanks.

 

[mortyd]

catalina 30

catalina did gradual changes over the years, but sometime in 1991 did some major upgrades (one sailor's opinion) the biggest being a walk-thru transom, then a few years later catalina consolidated all the changes in the mkiii. all of this is reflected in the market prices. i never heard anybody say any one of the changes was negative, so all things considered the newer the boat, the better the boat, and the more expensive the boat.

 

[Dave19621]

'89 a very good year

I agree with Mortyd for the most part; the 30's design was improved over the years, so newer boats generally offer more than older ones -- at a price. (Bear in mind, though, that Catalina largely stopped upgrading the design after the Mark III came out in the early '90s so boats built thereafter are just newer -- not significantly improved.) There were also some major problems in the early years with wooden spreaders & the electical harness, most of which have probably been fixed by owners at this point. What I found when I looked at 30s a few years ago was that many of the best improvements had been made by 1989 (T-shaped cockpit laid out for a wheel, wing keel option, upgraded engine to 21 HP, forward-facing nav station, most lines led aft -- but not the walk-through transom), yet the price of an '89 was significantly lower than '90s boats and a lot lower than MkIII boats. So for my budget the '89 was a great buy. I haven't been disappointed.

 

[Brian D]

Thanks...

So there isn't really a good or bad year for a C30. Just some things have changed or have improved upon the design. Cool.

 

[Bob]

Mark II is my favorite

Brian,Their are many differences through the production years. If you get over to Catalina 30 International Association through this webpage and you can literally get a chronology of changes through the years and models. From tillers to Atomic 4 power, deep keel, shoal keel, wing keel, on and on it goes evolving over time. What's the best? I guess its the one your the proud owner of and can afford the most! We bought a 1988 Mark II that in comparison had many interior refinements over previous models and came with the "T" shaped cockpit, winged keel, upgraded electrical panel, traveler, etc, etc. Take the time to see many of the models if you have the chance and see for yourself what best suits you. Many love the dependability of the Atomic 4 and even enjoy the tiller arrangement with the older models. Others might desite the newer Mark III with the split transom. Either way, the 30 is a great vessel that for its size offers alot of room, good manners and has made its way into "Hall of Fame".BobBreezin II

 

[CM]

We have an 89

We have a 1989 Catalina 30 that we love. It is really perfect size for our family of 4 (me, wife, 10 and 7 year olds). It is really a well thought out design. When friends go below, they are amazed that she is only 30ft. What space !! We have the 25xp engine. It has been very very reliable. Three things I would change if I could: 1. have a walk through transom. 2. round the corner of the ceiling above the quarter berth (hit my head a couple of times). Well I guess I would only change two things. It is not a Hinckley but than again it never claimed to be...........CM