Talk me into a Catalina

Tedd

.
Jul 25, 2013
745
TES 246 Versus near Vancouver, BC
Jalepeno:

Thanks, that's all great advice. My plan to get a 'bigger' boat (i.e., roomier inside, not necessarily LOA) is tied to a plan to retire over on Vancouver Island, probably up-island a ways. So moorage cost will be somewhat cheaper than in the Vancouver area. We bought a trailarable boat in the first place partly because we can't afford moorage around where we are now.
 
Jul 9, 2018
65
Catalina 25 Lake Monroe
I'm a new sailor and recently purchased a 1983 Catalina 25 and one of the things that amazes me about it is how well it has held up. Of course with any sailboat, it's about how well the previous owner maintained it. But, this boat is extremely structurally sound with only a few really minor leaks when hit with a deluge of rain.

The other thing I like about it is that it is extremely easy to find parts for.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Congratulations @JetLaggedChef.
You found and earned the opportunity to enjoy a solid boat.
Minor repairs will make this boat truly yours. Best of luck. Keep us engaged in the process. We love seeing an owner make their boat theirs.
 
  • Like
Likes: JetLaggedChef
Mar 6, 2008
1,078
Catalina 1999 C36 MKII #1787 Coyote Point Marina, CA.
The expense increases exponentially. The insurance cost, higher property tax, higher slip cost, the maintenance of added electronics, you will no longer be climbing the mast since it is taller, additional and longer runnnning rigging, higher cost of overnight docking, larger engine, more filters. No I am not trying to talking out of it. For me, I estimate 5000.00 per year.
 

tjar

.
Aug 8, 2011
166
Hunter Legend 35.5 Tacoma, WA
We too started out with a Mac 26D. But after many skinned shins and bumped heads, the admiral declared, "We need a bigger boat!" So, the search was on. I considered several brands, but eventually decided that I wanted a Catalina 34. The admiral insisted that it have a walk through transom, so that limited the choices. But, I soon found there weren't a lot of Catalina 34s available in the Puget Sound that were in decent condition.
Our broker, who happened to be a Hunter dealer, asked if I had considered a Hunter. I said that I wasn't interested in a Bermuda rig, but the age of boats I was looking at didn't have Bermuda rigs. She showed us a couple of boats and the admiral was sold. They were roomier, with more natural light inside, and had the walk through transom. We've spend 2 weeks at a time in the San Juan Islands and around Puget Sound and have been very happy. I wouldn't consider it a blue water boat, but it seems to be perfectly suited for the type of cruising we do. There is also a very active Hunter owner's organization in Puget Sound.
 
  • Like
Likes: Mikem
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Tedd,
We had a 26c for 15 years. Leo used to moor next to us when we were at the Scout Camp. After much search, and given the local geographic requirements, we settled on a Catalina 270. The differences between the 270 and the 28mkii are actually few, but meaningful. The access to the head, and the aft berth in the 28 is better, although the steering gear cover in the berth of the 28 is a hip buster, an inch or two less so than the 270. The 28 has an oven. None of the boats we've chartered from Coopers had operational ovens, so the muffin pan we own has yet to be experimented with. The cockpits and seating arrangements are more or less the same. The 270 is 1000 lbs lighter, and narrower to the point of being road legal in Alberta, and barely so in BC. We took the 26c to the coast a large number of times and attended a few of the early rendezvous, until those pesky M and X guys started showing up :)
There's a very nice 28mkii in Oak Bay, have a look at
sailgigi.ca
This boat was extensively photographed as a template for my dodger.
Coopers has a couple of 28's, "Escape" is in Granville, and we've chartered that boat a number of times, and there's a 28 in Sidney. Charter one of them for a couple of days, even if you don't stay out, it'll give you a very good feel for what the boat is really like.
 
  • Like
Likes: Will Gilmore
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I know. Easy isn’t it. :biggrin:
You read the story about how they came up with the company. :beer: And Marketing guys.