Hello, I am a graduate student in communications doing a research project on Catalina boats and was interested in knowing from some owners their Catalina stories. I would like to know why some of you chose to buy a Catalina sailboat, what motivates you to sail, how you got into sailing, what your life is like now, when do you sail. . .just some basic information about yourself that would really help me on this project. I would be greatly appreciative if any of you would care to share your stories with me, as to why you became a Catlina owner. Thanks, Nicole
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R
Roger
it fits
Nicole: I've been sailing since I was a toddler, having come from a family of sailors on the East Coast. My wife & I have had a succession of boats here on Lake Travis in Austin, TX; moving up to a Catalina 27 in '94, and now to a Catalina 30. We aren't racers now, but I was in high school - now we are cruisers who love both the peace of a quiet evening sail and the mild excitement of a good beat in a stiff breeze. We really just love to be on the water - especially during the heat of the Texas summers, and find that sailing is the best way to share time on the water with our 2 kids. We do have a small "stinkpot" that we use for skiing, too, but really don't enjoy the experience of slamming into the waves, spilling our drinks, and listening to the engine roar for it's own sake. Gimme a "blow-boat," any day. We recently moved up from a C-27 to our '84 C-30, choosing it over other 29 - 32 foot boats. We looked hard at a Freedom 28, a real beauty of a blue-water yacht that was in the same price range as the Catalina. It was built to a significantly higher standard than the Catalina, but the Catalina is MUCH roomier and we don't need a blue-water boat on Lake Travis. In short, the C-30 met our needs better, giving us lots of room and a forgiving and sea-kindly sailor for a good price. It's not the fanciest, but it fits us well. Roger & Lydia Noble S/V Amazing Grace, C-30 #3725 Lake Travis, Austin, Texas
Nicole: I've been sailing since I was a toddler, having come from a family of sailors on the East Coast. My wife & I have had a succession of boats here on Lake Travis in Austin, TX; moving up to a Catalina 27 in '94, and now to a Catalina 30. We aren't racers now, but I was in high school - now we are cruisers who love both the peace of a quiet evening sail and the mild excitement of a good beat in a stiff breeze. We really just love to be on the water - especially during the heat of the Texas summers, and find that sailing is the best way to share time on the water with our 2 kids. We do have a small "stinkpot" that we use for skiing, too, but really don't enjoy the experience of slamming into the waves, spilling our drinks, and listening to the engine roar for it's own sake. Gimme a "blow-boat," any day. We recently moved up from a C-27 to our '84 C-30, choosing it over other 29 - 32 foot boats. We looked hard at a Freedom 28, a real beauty of a blue-water yacht that was in the same price range as the Catalina. It was built to a significantly higher standard than the Catalina, but the Catalina is MUCH roomier and we don't need a blue-water boat on Lake Travis. In short, the C-30 met our needs better, giving us lots of room and a forgiving and sea-kindly sailor for a good price. It's not the fanciest, but it fits us well. Roger & Lydia Noble S/V Amazing Grace, C-30 #3725 Lake Travis, Austin, Texas
J
John Langsenkamp
Catalina
Nicole, We have a Catalina 36. We love her so. She is a great cruising boat. But we won't take her on a blue water cruise without a few upgrades. She is not design to do that. She is a great coastal cruiser and especially good at weekly cruises etc. Catalinas also have good resale prices. Previously I raced Thisles, Snipes, Lasers. I was also fleet captain for Indiana University. My first cruising boat was a O'Day 25. I was hooked on cruising. Our next boat will probably be another Catalina. Possibly an 40 or 42. Hope this will help you with your assignment. Keep us informed on your project. Langsey C-36 #129 Hoosier Daddy
Nicole, We have a Catalina 36. We love her so. She is a great cruising boat. But we won't take her on a blue water cruise without a few upgrades. She is not design to do that. She is a great coastal cruiser and especially good at weekly cruises etc. Catalinas also have good resale prices. Previously I raced Thisles, Snipes, Lasers. I was also fleet captain for Indiana University. My first cruising boat was a O'Day 25. I was hooked on cruising. Our next boat will probably be another Catalina. Possibly an 40 or 42. Hope this will help you with your assignment. Keep us informed on your project. Langsey C-36 #129 Hoosier Daddy
M
Myrna Antonich
Roominess
My husband and I have about 25 years of sailing experience and until a couple of years ago, it was all on friends boats or through charters. (We had never sailed a Catalina in all those years either). Then we joined a Yacht/Lease Program for two years (similar to time shares). We were able to use the same boat (C&C) time after time and it was cheaper then ownership. However by the end of the second year, we felt constrained by the need to schedule so far in advance. It was tough to just find oneself free for the weekend with good weather and also have the ability to just know the boat would be available. We decided to start looking at buying our own. We looked at all sorts of brands, went to the Boat Show in Seattle, talked to a lot of dealers. Initially we wanted to buy a used boat versus a new boat. A lot of the extras are already on and the "break-in" period is over. Of all the boats we looked at, we decided the Catalina 380 was the one for us. My husband is 6'5" and so we were looking at head room when down below and because of his length needed a berth that he wasn't cramped in for sleeping. We also wanted something that is a good sailor. We found that the Catalina 380 fit the bill. It's head room in the main saloon is 6'8". The stern berth is a king sized bed and both sleeping berths have regular mattresses instead of foam pads. The storage space is so much better then other boats of similar size. We looked and looked and looked for a used 380. There were none to be found. Catalina has only made this model since 1995 and it seems that the ones in our area who bought the 380 weren't about to sell it. There was one in British Columbia and one in Texas, but their price was almost as much as a new one and we weren't sure about buying across the border. Besides they both had wing keels and not a fin keel, or we would have pursued it. Every dealer we talked to said the there just were no used 380's on the market and that spoke well of the customer satisfaction of this particular boat and model and any resale value potential. Another plus for the Catalina boat is the construction. The 380 is a heavier built boat, much more solid and feels good when under heavy weather. She is also a good sailor and very forgiving of those "crew people" who don't always adjust the sails just right. Course, because she is a heavier boat, it takes a bit more wind to get her going. But we have sailed ours with 5-6 knots. Didn't go too fast, but then if we wanted to go fast we would have bought power. By the way, we ended up buying new and the "break in" period is frustrating. I think that is mainly because of us having to learn so many new things at once. We decided that as long as we were buying new, we would rig her with radar, gps, good stereo system, auto prop, etc. etc. But I can tell you what we enjoy most is having her at our "beck and call". We use her as a "motel" when in Seattle and as soon as the winds are not too blustery we pile on the layers and take her out sailing, even in the winter. Probably more then you wanted to know, but there you have it. Good luck!
My husband and I have about 25 years of sailing experience and until a couple of years ago, it was all on friends boats or through charters. (We had never sailed a Catalina in all those years either). Then we joined a Yacht/Lease Program for two years (similar to time shares). We were able to use the same boat (C&C) time after time and it was cheaper then ownership. However by the end of the second year, we felt constrained by the need to schedule so far in advance. It was tough to just find oneself free for the weekend with good weather and also have the ability to just know the boat would be available. We decided to start looking at buying our own. We looked at all sorts of brands, went to the Boat Show in Seattle, talked to a lot of dealers. Initially we wanted to buy a used boat versus a new boat. A lot of the extras are already on and the "break-in" period is over. Of all the boats we looked at, we decided the Catalina 380 was the one for us. My husband is 6'5" and so we were looking at head room when down below and because of his length needed a berth that he wasn't cramped in for sleeping. We also wanted something that is a good sailor. We found that the Catalina 380 fit the bill. It's head room in the main saloon is 6'8". The stern berth is a king sized bed and both sleeping berths have regular mattresses instead of foam pads. The storage space is so much better then other boats of similar size. We looked and looked and looked for a used 380. There were none to be found. Catalina has only made this model since 1995 and it seems that the ones in our area who bought the 380 weren't about to sell it. There was one in British Columbia and one in Texas, but their price was almost as much as a new one and we weren't sure about buying across the border. Besides they both had wing keels and not a fin keel, or we would have pursued it. Every dealer we talked to said the there just were no used 380's on the market and that spoke well of the customer satisfaction of this particular boat and model and any resale value potential. Another plus for the Catalina boat is the construction. The 380 is a heavier built boat, much more solid and feels good when under heavy weather. She is also a good sailor and very forgiving of those "crew people" who don't always adjust the sails just right. Course, because she is a heavier boat, it takes a bit more wind to get her going. But we have sailed ours with 5-6 knots. Didn't go too fast, but then if we wanted to go fast we would have bought power. By the way, we ended up buying new and the "break in" period is frustrating. I think that is mainly because of us having to learn so many new things at once. We decided that as long as we were buying new, we would rig her with radar, gps, good stereo system, auto prop, etc. etc. But I can tell you what we enjoy most is having her at our "beck and call". We use her as a "motel" when in Seattle and as soon as the winds are not too blustery we pile on the layers and take her out sailing, even in the winter. Probably more then you wanted to know, but there you have it. Good luck!
D
Doug Craig
We just purchased a Catalina 36 mk2 at the Atlantic City boat show. Reason: after looking at all of the boats at the show my wife said of the 36, "I absolutely love everything about that boat." It was also $150,000 less than a comparably equiped Tartan 37!
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