We have been sailing for years on small boats, most recently the Flying Scott. Now we would like to move up. Have heard many great things about the Catalina 25 and would like to purchase one. What do we look for?
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Place for help
You might want to try the Catalina 25/250 assoc. http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2
You might want to try the Catalina 25/250 assoc. http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2
Catalina 25 Shopping - What to look for
A few years back, I wrote down a couple of short articles on what to look for when shopping for a Catalina 25. These articles are available at the following websites: http://www.catalina25- 250.org/tech/tech25/summertm.html http://www.catalina25-250.org/tech/tech25/summert2.html Catalina 25's came in 4 "generations", that I call the Mark I,II,III, and IV. The Mark I covers all Pre-1982 Catalina 25's. These came with swing or fin keels and an "L" shaped dinette or "traditional" interior. The Mark II's are the '82-'85 boats. These had an important upgrade to the fuel storage, taking the gas tank out of the lazarette and putting it in a separate vented locker. The Mark III's are the '86-'87 boats. These had the flush-mount cabin windows and choice of Swing, Wing or Fin keel. Last and best are the Mark IV, 1988-1991. These are The Ultimate Catalina 25. The big upgrade here is that the swing keel and bilge trunk were eliminated, giving the boat about 5" more headroom than all earlier models. The total production of Mark IV's was about 250, of which about 50 are inboard diesels. All mark IV's are either Wing or Fin keel and I think all were made with the "traditional" interior. At any rate, I have never heard of one with a dinette. I highly recommend you concentrate your search on the '86-'91 models years. The Mark III and IV Catalina 25's are definately nicer than the earlier models.
A few years back, I wrote down a couple of short articles on what to look for when shopping for a Catalina 25. These articles are available at the following websites: http://www.catalina25- 250.org/tech/tech25/summertm.html http://www.catalina25-250.org/tech/tech25/summert2.html Catalina 25's came in 4 "generations", that I call the Mark I,II,III, and IV. The Mark I covers all Pre-1982 Catalina 25's. These came with swing or fin keels and an "L" shaped dinette or "traditional" interior. The Mark II's are the '82-'85 boats. These had an important upgrade to the fuel storage, taking the gas tank out of the lazarette and putting it in a separate vented locker. The Mark III's are the '86-'87 boats. These had the flush-mount cabin windows and choice of Swing, Wing or Fin keel. Last and best are the Mark IV, 1988-1991. These are The Ultimate Catalina 25. The big upgrade here is that the swing keel and bilge trunk were eliminated, giving the boat about 5" more headroom than all earlier models. The total production of Mark IV's was about 250, of which about 50 are inboard diesels. All mark IV's are either Wing or Fin keel and I think all were made with the "traditional" interior. At any rate, I have never heard of one with a dinette. I highly recommend you concentrate your search on the '86-'91 models years. The Mark III and IV Catalina 25's are definately nicer than the earlier models.
Oh Well, I Disagree with Larry
We had a C25, 1981, full keel #2459. The traditional setup is the very best. Put the table up, and pop the top and have great party room down below. Can't do that with a dinette. Anything OLDER than an '86 is a GREAT buy. The "improvements" they made aren't that great, just find one with a separate gas tank storage place, rather than putting the gas tank down below. They started that in '81 contrary to earlier reports, because we had one. Good luck, great boats, you'll really enjoy a C25. Stu
We had a C25, 1981, full keel #2459. The traditional setup is the very best. Put the table up, and pop the top and have great party room down below. Can't do that with a dinette. Anything OLDER than an '86 is a GREAT buy. The "improvements" they made aren't that great, just find one with a separate gas tank storage place, rather than putting the gas tank down below. They started that in '81 contrary to earlier reports, because we had one. Good luck, great boats, you'll really enjoy a C25. Stu
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