Questions about living aboard a Catalina 30

Stu Jackson · Oct 31, 2014

www.catalina30.com, they also have a Yahoo group.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...rd-boats-loans-are-now-impossible-132838.html

Hogheaven · Oct 31, 2014

answers to:
1) plenty of sites to look at and find in your area. Just google catalina 30 for sale and choose the site(s) you like best.

2) will be hard to get a loan on a boat over 20 years old. In your range you will find most will need some work. Around 25 to 30K you should be able to find a 80's boat with all systems in working order.

Good Luck,
Nels

John R · Nov 1, 2014

I had one

I had a 1982 C 30. It was a nice boat, but...

The engine was raw water cooled, meaning that there was no heat exchanger; the raw water circulated around the engine. Since this boat was kept on the ocean, this meant it was salt water. At one point the engine gave up the ghost and, without warning, all of a sudden started spewing oil all around. This happened right after I'd sold it. The new owner told me it couldn't be repaired; would have to be replaced. I figure the salt water just ate away at the engine itself.

The other thing is that it had a lot of blisters, which I was told was common to the early '80s C 30s.

The Garbone · Nov 1, 2014

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/45797

Old boats are a lot of work.

dj2210 · Nov 1, 2014

I purchased a 1990 C30 for 22k in TN and got a loan through my credit union. That was the easy part. Put about another 2k in accessories (electronics,frig, lights, lines, sail hardware etc) and did all work myself. If you buy inland for a fresh water boat just make sure it's on a river system to get to the gulf with. We have several folks that take there boats to the gulf and beyond.

mortyd · Nov 1, 2014

keep in mind that you really can't fool insurance companies or banks. if you lie, and there is a big claim, they will find out you lied, and bye bye coverage or loan.

jrowan · Nov 4, 2014

Mortyd is being a lil' harsh. I think if you look hard you can find an older, early 80's C-30 for around 10-12 grand that will need a little love & TLC. But you will not be able to get a conventional loan on a boat that is more then 20 - 25 years old. If you get really lucky you might be able to find an seller who is willing to owner finance on a newer, more expensive C 30. I bought my 1980 C-30 which needed a haul out, engine service & interior refit for around $9,500. She was a good solid boat that just needed updating. But in all honesty, if I were looking for a live aboard boat, the C 30 would not necessarily be my first choice. Bigger is better when it comes to live aboards. But you can only buy what you can afford, & the C 30 is a good compromise. Good luck on the hunt & post pics of what you buy.

mortyd · Nov 4, 2014

i wasn't eacting to anything except hiding from the bank that you would live aboard.

Tom J · Nov 4, 2014

Hooks said:
Ugh dont wanna know it will be hard to get a loan ��

What are blisters?

Lake ponchartrain is brackish so hopefully wont have those saltwater problems

Tried google. Still struggling finding any local ��

Blisters are pockets of moisture trapped between layers of fiberglass in the hull, below the waterline, a common problem in some older boats.
I'm not sure if a bank would even care if you were going to live on the boat. An insurance company might even prefer that you live on the boat. In any case, you will need a survey done, so plan on that.
If you would be living alone on the C30, she should be big enough. My wife and I live aboard part of the year on our C310, which has a bit more room than the C30, and we are very comfortable.

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Nov 5, 2014

Like TomJ, my wife and I have been seasonal liveaboards for the last 3 seasons on our Catalina 310. This year we sold the house and took the plunge into full-time liveaboards.

For a couple or a single person, a 30-foot boat is doable. At the marina we are currently in there are a number of people in 30-foot or smaller boats. The guy to our port lives in a 25-foot sailboat (Albin 25 Deluxe Sail) and the guy to our starboard lives in a 28-foot power boat. There are at least 3 other couples on this section of the dock in 30-foot sailboats and the guy directly behind us has been living on his Catalina 310 for 13 years.

You will find most people will have some sort of shore side storage. Some rent small storage units, some will buy an old van and make it into a storage unit at the marina. We rent a small 5'X5' storage unit. It's about half full. We keep our off-season clothes in it. Also, I have a lot of spares, supplies and tools.

As far as liveaboard boat loans, we have one. They are not that difficult to find and the cost is the same as your typical boat loan. We also have liveaboard insurance. This costs us about $1000 a year. Regular insurance was around $600 a year. You will have to find a liveaboard friendly marina. In this area there are a few options but most marinas are not liveaboard friendly, especially in the winter. But you won't have that problem

.

As far as the boat, what is your budget? This will dictate what boats to look at more than anything. If you like the Catalina 30s, I would recommend you try to get one newer than 1987 and possibly early 1990s if you can. The "Catalina Smile" affects pre-1987 boats, although you might find a pre-1987 boat that has this fixed already. Pre-1990 boats, IIRC, still have the wooden compression post base issue and trailer hitch wiring. Again, you could find a boat with these corrected already.

Any way you go, the Catalinas are a great boat for the price and offer some of the most space in their size ranges. Our friends got a 1989 Catalina 30 for under $10K. It needed the compression post base replaced but he only paid $2,600 to have that work done. Probably could have done it for under $500 if he did the work himself.

As far as boat searching, I go with Yacht World, Sailboat Listings and Craig's List.

Good luck and fair winds,

Jesse

Brewgyver · Nov 13, 2014

JK, could you expand on "trailer hitch wiring"?

The Garbone · Nov 13, 2014

In the older C30s Catalina used the same untinned wire used in trailer wire harnesses even having a 4 way flat at the mast base. The wire is inbedded in the liner and since not tinned rots away. On my 78 only 2 stock light fixtures worked unless it rained, then none. We have basically rewired the entire boat, which really is pretty easy and well worth the time.

Brewgyver · Nov 14, 2014

Hooks, if you really prefer the 27, there are quite a few wheel-steered 27s around. There's one on CL in the So Cal area. You should also check some of the larger marinas for lien sales. You could very possibly save enough on a decent 27 or 30 to make up the shipping costs.
Here's one in L.A. Harbor that has some good deals

Brewgyver · Nov 14, 2014

Here's a 27 with wheel steering, diesel inboard, furling jib and a RIB with OB for $8k!
http://http://ventura.craigslist.org/boa/4754998346.html

Floating Dental Student · Nov 16, 2014

Hooks,
I have been living aboard for 4 years on my '89 Catalina 30 on the southern shore of lake Pontchartrain. I bought her in Carabelle, Fl and sailed/motored her the 360 miles to Nola in order to attend dental school. It was probably one of the best decisions in my life. I sail her at least once a week and have done many weekend trips to the northshore, cat island, ship Island and Biloxi. When I bought her I utilized sailboatlistings.com mostly to locate vessels and had to make a trip to Galveston and another as far as Tampa...I ended looking at 14 or so Catalina 30s and Pearson 30s in the 12-30k price range. I would take 50-60 photos as I inspected each vessel and made a spreadsheat with all of the specs so I could easily compare them. You are on the right path looking for a boat along the gulf coast as I learned that shipping even short distances can cost $3k+. Dont get impatient and especially dont let emotion sway your decision. Private message me if you are ever in nola and want to grab a beer.
Ben

Stu Jackson · Nov 16, 2014

Brewgyver said:
JK, could you expand on "trailer hitch wiring"?

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5078.msg44056.html#msg44056

If the boat has a Universal M25 engine, beware the original alternator bracket, which needs to be replace. Covered in detail also in that link.

Bob4203 · Nov 17, 2014

Living Aboard a sailboat..............

Yes, I recall that same passion about living aboard when I was younger. I can tell you from experience that despite some of the drawbacks that come with living aboard, the memories will last a lifetime. I will be brief in saying that at the age of 31 I quite my job, took a two year son and wife and sold it all to buy a 35 foot sailboat (Coronado 35) to experience the live aboard lifestyle. It lasted over 3 years, but even now at the age of 67 I look at those days as many of my best and the experience as the greatest and most fulfilling ever. Yes, we experienced groundings (the 35 had a draft of 5' 6" so try that in the ICW at low tide, hurricanes, a rudder failure, etc, etc), but it was worth it all.

So I will not go into the pluses and minuses of the Catalina 30, but the passion you now possess that is driving you to the live aboard lifestyle. They say that "you only go around once", "life is not a dress rehersal" and so on and all these are true, but in retrospect it never regretted the decision to part with my possessions and move aboard. It was rather easy!!

Pursue your desire to live aboard and take it all in........you can live on any boat if you have the will and desire as we often witnessed.

JUST DO IT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:dance:

Bob
1988 Catalina Mark II
Georgia