|
Gentlebreeze--
I just posted on the thread you son started on "Buying a Boat." I bought a 2003 Catalina 350 at age 55. I retired a year and a half ago and will be 60 this August. The 350 was launched a week ago and we are beginning our fifth season with the boat.
I bought the boat with the idea that it would be my last sailboat (I previously owned a Catalina 22). I have been sailing for nearly 18 years, and had been compiling a list of things I'd like to have on a boat. The 350 really came close to what I was looking. I figured that 35 feet was about as much as I could handle by myself, but the boat has gotten "smaller" over the years as I gained more experience. I do single-hand frequently and, with the auto pilot and an electric winch to raise the main sail, I am able to do so without much problem.
I bought it with the idea of primarily cruising the Chesapeake Bay, with some coastal cruising. The Chesapeake Bay is so large that one could spend a lifetime cruising and exploring it. I sail out of Annapolis. Currently we do mostly day sailing, with a few two- to three-day cruises each season. We want to extend those cruises to a week or more, but with four kids close by, five grandkids, and a beach home in Delaware, the boat has some competition.
The 350 is not fast, but with a fully-battened main (most folks opt for the in-mast furling main) and a 150 genoa, she moves along smartly in good air. Very roomy and comfortable down below, with a nice pedestal berth in the forward cabin and a large transverse berth in the aft cabin. I often bail out for the aft cabin when my wife starts to snore too loudly.
I purchased Hull No. 84. They are approaching Hull 500 now, so they've been building about 100 boats a year. There is a good owners' website and most folks seem to be very happy with the boat. My wife in particular was very skittish on the 22-footer, especially in stronger air when we were heeling, but she is very comfortable on the 350. It's a lot of boat for the money, yet very easily handled, in my experience.
Yachtworld.com currently lists two 350s for sail in Texas and five for sail in Florida.
|