thinking about a Cal 36

[miatapaul]

Hello,
I am thinking about looking at a 1969 Cal 36. She looks to be in good shape, and is set up very simply, not lots of updates, but well maintained. I like a simple set up, and plan on living aboard. It has pressure water, but only cold, not a big deal as I know I can add a hot water heater, big issue is I can't find much out about these boats. One thing I am looking at the line drawings and can't tell if there is any kind of shower pan or can one be added? The one I want to look at looks to have only cold pressure water going to the head sink, so if I ad a Hot Water heater, how much work would it be to add a shower? I am still trying to decide if I want to make the trip to look at the boat. It is a couple of hours away. I know the layout will not be an ideal live aboard, but I want a good sailing boat as much as a place to live. For the time being I will be on the Hudson river north of the City.

 

[Alan Gomes]

The Cal 36 should be a great sailing boat. Bill Lapworth really knew his stuff!

One potential structural issue I'd be concerned to investigate is the condition of the mild steel beam that takes the compression of the mast. This is not easy to inspect, unfortunately. If it is significantly rusted, which is certainly a concern for a boat this age, you are looking at a major repair. Find a good surveyor who can give you a definitive answer on this for the particular boat you are looking at.

The following link just turned up in a very quick Google search. There may be others for the Cal 36, and there certainly are for other Cal models of this vintage, since this method of supporting the mast compression was used in several different boats in the Cal line (e.g., Cal 40, Cal 29, Cal 34, etc.).

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cal/67193-cal-36-compression-beam-pictures.html

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice boats. If you add a water heater, most boats with them have slide out shower heads as part of the faucets in the heads. You’ll also need to add a separate shower sump, since draining into the bilge creates bad odors. You’ll need to change the faucet in the galley, too, and run separate hot water hoses. I replaced my heater in August, found a great price on a Seaward 6 gallon for $236 (saw other prices online as high as $386!!!). It seems to be a very useful addition. Good luck.

 

[svcalcutta]

We lived aboard our 1966 Cal 36 for 7+ years and sailed her up and down the East coast several times. Great sailing boat!! Fairly basic as a liveaboard, though. There may not be enough room under the cabin sole in the head for a shower pan and sump pump. The main issue we had was with engine alignment. The V drive is a bear and alignment issues can lead to through-hull problems at the shaft log which could sink the boat.....if the boat is in reasonable shape, what you give up in liveability will be made up in sailing superlatives.