Should I run away, find out more, or jump on this? Catalina 30

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Only buy this boat if you are capable of doing most of the restoration work yourself. If so, and if you enjoy that kind of thing then you might go for it. If, on the other hand, you plan to have most of the work done by others, forget about a boat of this age and condition and buy newer, much newer.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
No idea, but for me a 30' boat is a big boat and comes with big boat cost no matter if it is $5k or $500k. There are just big ticket cost, hauling, raising/lowering the mast, slip fees, etc. I went down this path when we decied to move up from a 25' to our 310. We went much newer and ready to sail because like you with my kids we wanted to be out on the water not at the dock. Have you considered a trailer sailed to start with? I don't think you boat sounds bad, but is a lot of projects and issues to address that could very well take a lot longer to fix then you realize. Don't want to kill your buzz, but I learned fast with my kids they want to help, but when ever project takes multi trips to complete they quickly lose interest. But getting out and getting them sailing each time with new roles and skills keeps that enthusiasm going and that was what made it the right approach.
 
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Jun 13, 2021
5
Catalina 30 Alameda
Thanks for the great feedback on this thread. I spoke with the seller again to get clarity on a few items. The leak in the bilge is coming from the dripless coupling and leaks about 1 drop every 5 seconds. He says whenever he does run the bilge pump to run it out, whatever water that is left in the hose drips back down into the bilge because it is below the waterline. I'm taking this to mean the bilge has been constantly wet for the last 5 years. See pic below which looks to be post purge.

IMG_6633.jpeg


I learned a few more things as well.

The engine is a Universal M3-20 diesel and appears to be the original engine for the boat.
The head flushes (manual pump), but does not refill with water.
This boat is the shoal keel model.

I ran some estimates on the known projects that I'd consider working on DIY, and it looks to be at least 120 hours of effort (not including big projects I would hire out for - bottom job, rigging). Seems like the best next step is to have a "real talk" with the kids and if everyone really wants to put in that kind of effort I'll get an inspection - at least get a dive cleaning and rig inspection.
 
Jun 11, 2004
1,621
Oday 31 Redondo Beach
Sounds like you are on the right track.

The bilge looks clean and the keel bolts/nuts don't look excessively rusty so that's a plus.

I'm not familiar enough with dripless seals to know if the leak is something that can be easily corrected or if it a disaster waiting to happen. I'm sure someone else here will chime in in that.

At the risk of a little thread drift, is your 120 hour estimate based on looking at a task and saying "that should take about x hours"? If so you should probably double or triple it. At least that's my experience and the experience of many of my boating friends. I don't say this to dissuade you, merely to point out what I think commonly happens when I estimate how long a project is going to take. Maybe that's just me and my friends though. Perhaps others here can give you their experience with time estimates.
 
Jun 13, 2021
5
Catalina 30 Alameda
At the risk of a little thread drift, is your 120-hour estimate based on looking at a task and saying "that should take about x hours"?
Yes, that is the general gist of my estimating process, except I broke the larger jobs like refinishing the top deck down into individual steps and I have 2 helpers, but ultimately decided that the added help will be counterbalanced by the added communication needs, but hey, at least we're working on something together. I estimated 64 hours of work for refinishing the top deck, which in my mind means it will take about a month's worth of free time (some evening work + weekends).
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Cool, that bilge won't bother me, the bolts look very long like replacement but I'm not a 30 owner. My 310 are maybe 2-3 threads above the nut.

I also doubt very much water accumulated from the dripless either, that rate sounds right but I'd want to see a manual for the manufacturer of it. There is probably some leaks in the deck penetrations, which is common on older boats. Again not a deal killer and if the cabin is dry and no water leaks on ports and bulkheads that is far more important to me.

For my boat my bilge pump is always on auto when away, so don't follow the owner there. Also the head isn't filling with water because either the switch is in dry or and or the intake valve is closed. Owner should know this. Finally you keep talking about diver, be far better for the yard to do a quick haul, power wash and inspect in the cradle then put back in.

@phobucket Read this, it is what I did.

 
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Likes: RoyS
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
A dripless coupling is not supposed to drip at all. This will require being out of the water to repair.
When you want to paint the bottom is a good time to address the coupling issue.

It is great to ask buy in from your kids. But my experience leads me to not be disappointed if on the 5th or 6th day of sanding and painting that the trip to the boat may be a solo trip.
take and share pictures of your progress.