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Old 05-02-2009, 07:37 PM   #21
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If You want to know about sailing a catalina contact capt. woody ( lattitudes and attitudes magazine) I met him in rangaroa when he was on his 27' Tell him Mark from last penny says hi.
You know, I thought he'd started out in a Catalina 27 but later when I was looking into that, I thought I came across info about his use of a larger boat that was perhaps a Cal? I didn't bring it up here, because I thought it wasn't a Catalina but rather a different brand that he did his cruising on. He did have the great attitude that you could cruise on just about anything and go with what you have if that's all you can do--just get out there cruising.

His early stories of cruising on that boat of his were some of the stories that I was thinking of as reasons "not" to cruise on a small Catalina as I recall he had many equipment failures and at one point stated he'd rebuilt the entire boat. He wrote one very entertaining story about re-attaching the keel after it broke loose that really was very similar to my dock-mate's experience with his Catalina 27. As I recall, Woodie got the boat dirt cheap and it probably needed much work but he decided to go cruising on it and then later discovered all this work it needed. Entertaining reading in the old Lats & Atts for sure.

Different boat/different folks:

I just met two different couples who live aboard or have lived aboard a Catalina 30 here in San Diego.

The couple who presently have one are also in search of a larger cruising boat and they're miffed because each time they find a boat in the 40' range that they think will work for them, they go look at it and discover it doesn't have the kind of inside room that they really like which their Catalina 30 does have. They're a bit frustrated by this, for sure, but keep looking. The husband says maybe they'll just take the Catalina 30 cruising but that wasn't what they'd originally planned at all.

The other couple have a Hardin ketch that's something like 42' or so. They lived aboard their Catalina 30 for a couple years but wanted something a bit roomier for living aboard and thus bought the Hardin. I think they liked sailing the Catalina more than the Hardin and since they were inexperienced sailors when they bought the Catalina 30, they were happy with it's simpler sail plan for sure.

Fair winds

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Old 05-03-2009, 04:01 PM   #22
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The question for any particular sailor evaluating these two very different types of boats then becomes do you want to try to outrun the weather, or sit through it "comfortably".
I have a difficult time letting such a comment go by, especially with regard to a 30-foot boat.

Weather systems do not behave as predictably as television "weathermen" would have us believe. They speed up, they slow down, they stall. When they are moving, they seem to move at about 10 to 15 knots. I don't know of any sailboat in the 30' range that can sail or motor at 10 knots, let alone 15 knots. For many weather systems, severe weather is often preceded by lack of wind, further frustrating running as a survival strategy. For short passages, a quick boat would enable sailors to take advantage of short weather windows, but for larger systems, it is appropriate to expect getting caught in heavy weather and being prepared to ride it out.

That does not mean that I would seek a heavy cruiser. SV Watermelon was a medium to light displacement "racer-cruiser" which, on long passages, would arrive several days earlier than a heavy cruiser of the same length. Under most circumstances she was an easy boat to sail with just the two of us, and we learned to be conservative in how we trimmed our sails and stowed our gear and provisions to best balance her. But outrun weather systems we didn't, and we didn't expect to.

Our power cat is also light and nimble. It isn't an ocean crossing vessel, but with the ability to zip along at 12 to 16 knots, we can take advantage of short weather windows to keep out of bad weather or to continue our voyage. If that is what you mean by outrunning weather, well, yes, a quicker boat can do so.

I think however that cruisers should be very careful in their decisions to try to outrun a forecasted weather system. To me, cruising is about stopping and smelling the roses along the way, and it is rare that we wouldn't take advantage of any excuse to stay in an anchorage for a bit longer.

Fair winds,

J
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Old 05-05-2009, 05:43 PM   #23
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If you want a wonderful bluewater boat that is small--find a Rawson 30! They're great, solid, and can go anywhere you'd like to take them. We were privileged to own on for two years and can attest to the seaworthiness of the design. Further, they're often inexpensive (may require some "fix up") ranging in price from $5K to $35K depending upon condition, electronics, etc.
What do you think of the Yankee 30. I see bunches of them for sale from the 70's at very competative prices and I have read a couple places where people have rated them in the same class as the Rawson 30 in the same price range. Comments?

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Old 05-06-2009, 01:49 AM   #24
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What do you think of the Yankee 30. I see bunches of them for sale from the 70's at very competative prices and I have read a couple places where people have rated them in the same class as the Rawson 30 in the same price range. Comments?

Kevin
It is likely a very nice boat as it's a Sparkman and Stephens design (don't know the boat but looked online starting here with the owners' group) but there are a couple BIG differences between the two boats:

The Rawson 30 has a full keel, small cutaway at forefoot, and keel hung rudder, whereas

The Yankee 30 has a much more modern keel and a skeg hung rudder.

We chose to look ONLY at boats with keel hung rudders when shopping for a cruising boat. Personal choice regarding structural integrity of the rudder/keel and less likely to foul the prop on something.

The Rawson 30 has a relatively low aspect rig of the type which does well in high winds but doesn't do so well in light winds (you'd need a spinnaker, etc), whereas

The Yankee 30 has a high aspect rig of the type which does very well in light winds but means you'll be carefully reefing more frequently.

Don't have a real personal choice here--"medium" is just right for us

And there are important construction differences--

The Rawson has an old-fashioned solid fiberglass hull (no core) whereas

The Yankee has a balsa-core hull with solid reinforcements around (factory installed) thru hulls.

Preference for us would be the solid fiberglass hull for longevity and long life performance at a cost of having a bit of extra weight (but no mushy balsa after 30-40 years...)

I'm sure there are other differences that you can see from the layouts, etc. But, that's what I saw when I took a quick look.

Fair winds
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Old 05-06-2009, 04:40 AM   #25
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just go, man, go. Don't talk about it till you're gray. Don't wait till you have "enough' MONEY. MAKE TIME AND GO. If you don't you'll wish you had and all you'll have is a regret.

Just don't drive hard and remember to pick your weather windows for passages. Heave to when prudent and take good care of your gear. Make some milk runs and avoid the capes. There are lots of places to see and a limited amount of time-(your lifetime.)

Take Off, EH?

bill

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Old 05-06-2009, 05:20 PM   #26
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just go, man, go. Don't talk about it till you're gray. Don't wait till you have "enough' MONEY. MAKE TIME AND GO. If you don't you'll wish you had and all you'll have is a regret.

Just don't drive hard and remember to pick your weather windows for passages. Heave to when prudent and take good care of your gear. Make some milk runs and avoid the capes. There are lots of places to see and a limited amount of time-(your lifetime.)

Take Off, EH?

bill

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Old 03-24-2011, 07:36 AM   #27
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This classic Catalina 30’ is easy, fun and safe sailing and an excellent live-aboard.
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Old 03-24-2011, 04:49 PM   #28
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I owned a Catalina 30 for years. I never had a problem with her. I raced her when I could and did well. They are not slow boats. I have a wife and two daughters and I found plenty of storage space for weekends and longer . I had her on a lake so I can't say how they would do offshore. I plan to sail around the world some day and thought about taking the Catalina 30 and read everything I could find. In the end I sold her and bought a larger more seaworthy boat that now sits in my yard and I work on every weekend. I still believe I am going at it the right way but for two people going to the Bahamas or the Virgin Islands they are quite capable of it, I would not try an ocean. . You can pick one up cheap if you look around. Watch the weather and try it. It beats working on the boat in the yard!

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Old 04-02-2011, 09:10 PM   #29
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The simple answer is YES.

Jim
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Old 04-13-2011, 09:30 PM   #30
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Yes. You can. I have a friend who added new backing plates and took his 27 (much less boat than the 30), down the coast from the Vancouver BC area to Panama and through the canal and back up to Florida. Catalinas are good solid boats. They lack some of the details that you would find on more expensive boats (less teak and hardwood inside), but they are capable little boats. I almost bought one in Seattle that had just returned from a few year trip to the Sea of Cortez and back via the water.
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Old 04-13-2011, 09:33 PM   #31
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Also I believe that the Catalina 27 is listed in John Vigor's "20 small sailboats to take you around the world" book as on of the options. I see that as a pretty damn good endorsement.
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Old 06-05-2011, 01:59 AM   #32
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"under rated?" No, many folks think highly of the Catalinas--just not for cruising. I know many people who love their small Catalinas for what they are--an inexpensive boat that is great for the Wednesday night harbor races and great for weekend trips and mild coastal cruising. They are by no means built to withstand the rigors of long passages involving ocean crossing and someone who pushes one into real cruising service is likely to be disappointed as these boats won't hold up over time to the punishment of the long distance cruising environment. It's just not what they were built for.

One can easily get a better small cruising vessel for the same money as a Catalina. If one already owns a Catalina, I'd still suggest selling and getting into a different small boat designed for cruising. If someone hands you a Catalina 30 on a silver platter, fully outfitted for cruising with every bell and whistle...maybe...nah...just sell it--they're easy to sell since everyone knows what they are and they're a respectable boat--and take the money to find a real cruising boat.
We put 10k miles on our Catalina 38, Ca, to Mx to FP to Samoa. She survived a tsunami getting knocked off her stands and a hurricne. A C36 made the same trip we did.
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Old 02-01-2016, 05:38 PM   #33
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I sailed from San Diego to Salinas Ecuador on a Catalina Capri 26. This boat, checked all through the rigging, with proper equipment for blue water sailing showed to be a very smooth and fast boat. In rough and with proper storm sails, the Capri is very stable and handy. I did a fine single hand sailing and definitely, the blue water sailing is not up to the boat but the sailor. A sailboat is made to float and to go. So, with the proper equipment for sailors safety, for comfortable sailing and the proper equipment for comfort (Cooking, food preservation, etc. ), whatever boat is good.
The Capri has a fine space inside and I found, the Catalina 30 is about the same just some bigger. What is important on the 26 Capri. Don't waste any space inside with an in-border. A 9.9 HP Yamaha will be enough even in storm (tested).

Now, the final words are always up to the sipper. Each skipper has his preferences....

Good wind, John
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Old 02-04-2016, 10:23 PM   #34
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Boats are like cars. Some are made for the city, some for the country, some for off-road and some for racing through the deserts of Africa. If you try to use a boat for a purpose it was not designed for, you may be courting trouble.

Ocean crossings are tough on both people and boats, and the boat needs to be made for the job. Adapting a day sailer may make it a better bet, but it will cost and, at the end of the day, it will still be a day sailer.

I love Catalinas, Hunters and Bennys. They make great boats for a variety of purposes including blue water voyaging, The human component must be top class for crossing oceans....but the human needs the backing of a top class boat, designed for the job.
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Old 03-02-2016, 07:55 AM   #35
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I think both things should go hand-in-hand. We will need a good boat as well as a good skipper!
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Old 03-02-2016, 07:31 PM   #36
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I don't see why not.
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Old 04-08-2017, 02:19 AM   #37
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Frankly I don't remember how it all came about exactly. I vaguely remember talking to a customs officer on a phone. She was saying it wasn't necessary to call in each time. I perhaps missed her saying "if I got a visa". San Diego ticked me off. It really must have been all a misunderstanding. I told them the lady in Neah Bay said I didn't need to clear? It's all fuzzy. They called and no one could vouch my story. still have the $5000.00 notice to pay "artifact." And the sold called clearance papers I thought I needed to enter Mexico were never asked for in the end. And thank you Auzzie for the heads up on the eBay items.
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