What to look for in a mid-80s Cat 30 Tall Rig?

[OS2Dude]

I'm going to look at a few Catalina 30s in a few days. Is there anything I should look out for? Any issues they tend to have that I need to be aware of?

I will want to add a wind device (If it does not already have one). Do they have a conduit in the mast for wiring? How hard is it to run a cable to the top of the mast? Where & How would you get it out of the mast at the base?

What about engine/rudder, etc?

Thank You!

 

[The Garbone]

Pretty broad questions.

As for putting wiring up the mast. It can be done but from the factory C30s need to have the mast unstepped to run a new cable thru the step. They came with a junction in all the wires the step and the deck sealed. My 78' mast had no conduit from the factory, just some foam butterfly's to reduce noise.

With the mast up it would be a pain to wire. You would need to drill an access hole at the base and then a thru hole in the coach roof. Climb the mast, haul up a long fish tape, fish it down inside the mast fighting it past all the butterfly's and spreader bolts, wires and halyards. Fish it out of the access hole, attach a messenger line and pull it up inside then us the messenger to pull down your new instrument cabling. Fun fun fun.

 

[barnstormer]

I'm going to look at a few Catalina 30s in a few days. Is there anything I should look out for? Any issues they tend to have that I need to be aware of?

I will want to add a wind device (If it does not already have one). Do they have a conduit in the mast for wiring? How hard is it to run a cable to the top of the mast? Where & How would you get it out of the mast at the base?

What about engine/rudder, etc?

Thank You!

I have a 1987 Cat. tall rig bow sprit and these boats have numerous issues such as compression post rot at top of keel, alternator bracket upgrade, trailer connections at engine and cockpit controls and waterlogged rudders are probably the worst of the problems. Leaking windows and hatches along with stanchions are also in the mix of things to fix but your talking about a 28 yr old or so boat and they need work. That said I still enjoy my boat and only have general maintenance since I or the p.o. have addressed these issues over time. If you can do the work these boats can be a real value but if not they can be a pain in the wallet. Good luck with your search.

 

[Spindrift NH]

Look for loose lag bolts holding the engine mounts to the engine stringers. They are lagged into a block of wood within the stringers, that wood rots and no longer holds the engine in place.
I believe in 1988 they corrected the keel/stub attachment by removing plywood from bilge area. Pre '88's are subject to the "Catalina smile"
And as Barnstormer said, the compresion block will probably be rotten and need replacing if not already done.
Despite these problems, which can be repaired, these are great boats. We've enjoyed ours for three years but are now selling to purchase a 36.

 

[Bob4203]

Hey Chris,

I sail a 1988 Mark II Catalina 30 out of Sunrise Cove Mariner on Lake Lanier. Can I assume your going to have the boat pulled for a survey (Aqualand Yard?). If so check the cutlass bearing on the shaft post, rudder play and of course evidence of osmotic blistering which is more prevalent in fresh water. I am not sure what year(s) you are looking at (is it the 1985?), but if you go onto the INTERANTIONAL CATALINA 30 ASSOCIATION website, you can get a rundown of the changes to the vessel through the model years (Mark I, Mark II and Mark III). Earlier models has keel bolts that rusted and hence the leeching of rust and the infamous "catalina smile" at the keel/hull interface. As stated before here, the compression post support in the bilge is known for rotting and therefore causing the deck to slump at the mast support area. Check if the door to the head opens and closes freely. The R&R of the post support is an expensive repair and to me a deal buster! Add, leaking windows, rudder post bearing issues, older electrical harnesses, engine linkage issues, etc, etc, you have much to inspect and consider. Adding a wind indicator would be the last thing on my list when looking at a purchase.

Good luck

Bob

 

[Spindrift NH]

Hey Chris,

The R&R of the post support is an expensive repair and to me a deal buster!

Bob

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a cat 30 with a rotten compression block. It's really a fairly easy repair and can be done for about $100 in parts. I installed a stainless screw jack on mine two years ago and it has worked great.

 

[barnstormer]

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a cat 30 with a rotten compression block. It's really a fairly easy repair and can be done for about $100 in parts. I installed a stainless screw jack on mine two years ago and it has worked great.

Really like the screw jack fix you did!

 

[Spindrift NH]

Really like the screw jack fix you did!

Thanks, though I can't take credit for the idea. It's worked out great and was easy to install. The hardest part was getting the old one out and removing the old thickened epoxy.

 

[hvbaker]

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a cat 30 with a rotten compression block. It's really a fairly easy repair and can be done for about $100 in parts. I installed a stainless screw jack on mine two years ago and it has worked great.

Where did you get the parts? Did you unstep the mast?

 

[OS2Dude]

Thanks to all

Pending the survey, we will be the owners of a Catalina 30 on Thursday. Not the TR we looked at originally. Another (Non-TR) came on the market in MUCH better condition. We're looking forward to lots of nice days on the lake!

(Pretty Girl, currently out of LLSC for those of you on Lake Lanier)

 

[Spindrift NH]

I got the parts from McMaster-Carr. I did have to have some mill work done at a metal shop but that really wasn't a problem.
I did not unstep the mast, I took the weight off the compression post with a 4x4 and bottle jack.(sorry, I don't have any pictures of the bracing)

 

[Bob4203]

Congratulations Chris....................what did you end up with? LLSC is a nice spot to be, central to everything on the lake. Their must be 30+ Catalina 30's on Lake Lanier. If you want to charge into the brand quickly, I suggest you subscribe to "Mainsheet", which is the magazine for Catalina and features all models, updates, gatherings, races, etc. Their is an opening for the position of Commodore of the Fleet on Lake Lanier for the Catalina 30's, which means trying to get every owner together, organizing, communications, etc, etc. A very huge challenge!! Tons of support here.

See you around....

Bob
1988 Mark II
"Breezin II".

 

[hvbaker]

I got the parts from McMaster-Carr. I did have to have some mill work done at a metal shop but that really wasn't a problem. I did not unstep the mast, I took the weight off the compression post with a 4x4 and bottle jack.(sorry, I don't have any pictures of the bracing)

Thanks.

 

[JAM3]

What are the sizes of the parts? Thanks.

 

[Diybrad]

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a cat 30 with a rotten compression block. It's really a fairly easy repair and can be done for about $100 in parts. I installed a stainless screw jack on mine two years ago and it has worked great.

Hey Spin,

Do you happen to have the measurements of your top and bottom plates including the thickness and are they stainless or aluminum? Also, is that a 1 x 6 inch piece of stainless all thread?

I just dug out my partially rotted block yesterday and I bought the Catalina replacement block. After seeing the area I am not comfortable with putting more wood back in. Once I got the bottom of the block dug out I would guess about a gallon of water came pouring out.

 

[Spindrift NH]

It's been a while since I made that repair and I've since sold the boat but I do know that the the threaded rod is 1" diameter s.s. I think I purchased one foot of it. The plate was aluminum 1" thick, 6" wide and about 16" long. When cut the top and bottom were each about 8" long. I had to do a couple fittings and have the plates milled smaller with each fitting.

 

[Diybrad]

It's been a while since I made that repair and I've since sold the boat but I do know that the the threaded rod is 1" diameter s.s. I think I purchased one foot of it. The plate was aluminum 1" thick, 6" wide and about 16" long. When cut the top and bottom were each about 8" long. I had to do a couple fittings and have the plates milled smaller with each fitting.

Thank you for the info. Do you recall if you busted out the hard white filler that was directly between the block top and fiberglass pan. It appears there was some above my block and it is slightly slopped.

 

[dj2210]

Thank you for the info. Do you recall if you busted out the hard white filler that was directly between the block top and fiberglass pan. It appears there was some above my block and it is slightly slopped.

Diybrad - you can look at mine if you want- I replaced my compression post block with a jack similiar to Spindrift. I'm at watts bar lake, Blue Springs marina.