Weight difference 375/387

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Sep 30, 2009
11
Catalina Catalina 400 home, North Channel, Lake St Clair
Hello.. Does anyone know why there is such a difference in weight between the 375 and the 387 wing keel models? The 387 is longer, and the 375 is wider, but the 387 is 3000 lbs heavier. They both have very similar mechanicals. The 387 has a 1100 lb heavier keel, but that still leaves 2000 lb. Any ideas?
Jane
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,067
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Because they are two completely different boats, drawn (designed) at different times.
 
Sep 30, 2009
11
Catalina Catalina 400 home, North Channel, Lake St Clair
Hi Stu... Thanks for your help... So getting to the root of the difference.. the hull is thicker? Deck is constructed of different materials? So the 375 uses end grain balsa on the deck. Does the 387 use plywood instead? Is freeboard higher on the 387? I am interested in specifics.

Subtracting the keel gives a weight of 12,300 lbs for the 387 and 10,300 lbs for the 375. That is a whopping 20% weight increase from the 375 to the 387 for plastic, metal and fabric for two boats so close in size from the same manufacturer. Curious to know if anyone knows where the difference in weight comes from.

One can see weight differences between equivalent size boats of say a Beneteau and a Hunter. Because we see the light weight construction techniques used by Beneteau.
Any ideas?
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,067
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
OK, let's try again. One boat is 10 years or so older, the 387 was an evolution of a number of different Catalinas of the 38 size range (NIC the old C38, a completely different boat designed and built 30 years ago). There were the C380 and C387, pretty similar. The hulls were wide and high, the "condo" look, if you will. Winnebago look if you won't. The C375 was designed as a "replacement" to the C36. A horrible choice in my mind, 'cuz the C36 is a classic and shouldn't have been tried to be replaced. Anyway, the down below layout of the C375 is a larger version of the C350.

Here's a discussion of the C375 when it first came out, please also read the links with more photos. http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4232.0.html

Finally, Ken Juul, Past Commodore of the C34 IA, has written and just had published in Mainsheet magazine a comparison of ALL of the Catalina boats, which include all of your statistics. You may want to find a copy of that to save you some effort.

It's lighter because it's newer.
 
Sep 30, 2009
11
Catalina Catalina 400 home, North Channel, Lake St Clair
Thanks for your opinion Stu. I cannot imagine how anyone would compare a 34 or a 36 to a 375. They are so totally different... I don't know why Catalina or anyone else says the 375 is a replacement for the 36.

Maybe from a maketing standpoint, but not from an implementation standpoint. The way I see it, the 350 and 375 are big brothers to the 310 and little brothers to the centerline 42.

Chances are, if you like the 309/320/340/36/387/400, you will not like the 350, 375 or the 310 and vise-versa.

So reguarding the weight difference.. does anyone else know why there is such a difference?
Thanks
 
Sep 30, 2009
11
Catalina Catalina 400 home, North Channel, Lake St Clair
After a little checking, I find that the relatively new 350 and the old 36 are almost the same weight at 14,000 pounds. The 36 is a bit longer, but a bit narrower.

The dimensions are similar as the new 375 and the old 387/38. However, the 375 is lighter at 16,500 than the 387 at 19,500.

The older 440 and the new 445 are nearly the same length and width and weigh nearly the same.

Given this, it seems the correlation in weight between old Catalinas being heavier than new Catalinas is questionable. Other similar sized Catalinas show similar weights for size independnt of age.
Anyone have any ideas?
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,067
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
1. I cannot imagine how anyone would compare a 34 or a 36 to a 375. They are so totally different... I don't know why Catalina or anyone else says the 375 is a replacement for the 36.

2. The way I see it, the 350 and 375 are big brothers to the 310 and little brothers to the centerline 42.

3. Chances are, if you like the 309/320/340/36/387/400, you will not like the 350, 375 or the 310 and vise-versa.
I understand you keep asking about weight, but that's not all. Most Catalinas come in 10% overweight in reality compared to published data.

1. I agree completely. But Catalina said the 375 is the replacement for the 36 because that's their decision. Probably says so on their website, too. Don't ask me why, it's just a much better 350, as I noted in my earlier link to the C375 reviews.

2. No, because the 310 was designed for a specific purpose: two people cruising, smaller table. It's kinda a one of its kind idea and the owenrs who bought them to that purpose love them. Shares a hull with the old C30 IIRC. Neither the 350 or the 375 are little brothers to the 42. They have NOTHING in common with the 42, nor are they sisters other than the potential comparison of the layouts. The 350 is a large volume boat, the 375 is sleeker, much sleeker. Again, I refer you to the earlier review link.

3. Close but here's the comparisons we've received from our owners:
a. 309 (same as old C30), 310, 34, 36, C38 - old model, maybe 375, , 400, 470, 42, 445 - thse are "sailing" boats with interiors made for sailing
b. 350 - in a class by itself, a nice boat with a different purpose, 320, 380, 387, 389 series of 38s that Catalina made (the old C38 is a completely different boat)
c. 440 - is a liveaboard sailing boat, a completely different concept than all of the others
 
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