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CATALINA 350 need input

16K views 48 replies 8 participants last post by  Denr 
#1 ·
I hear a lot of good buzz on the new catalina 350 just introduced at the atlantic city show. I will be heading to miamai in a few weeks to take a look. Does anybody have any input or info or comparrison of this to the 34mk11 or the 36mk11. The price should be somewhere in the middle but please tell me the good and bad as compared to the other two models mentioned above.
 
#2 ·
I have not heard anything particularly good or bad about the 350 that is actually based on owner experience. That is perhaps because the 350 is a very new design and they introduced it too late in the sailing season to have many out on the water yet.

I would be really hesitant to buy a new Catalina. From talking to owners who have recently bought Catalina''s they have noted that the boats have come with pretty expensive lists of warrantee items and that Catalina has not been standing by the warrantees. I''ve now heard quite a few different versions of this problem including two different cases with similar stories. In one, the Owner was told he was covered but to get and estimate and give it to the dealer before doing the work. He did got the estimate turned it over to the dealer and proceded with the work. He presented the bill and then Catalina refused to reimburse him.

The other was similar except that the dealer started to do the work, the warrentee claim was turned down and the dealer put work back together but refused to finish the job. I would suggest that you look at either the Beneteau 36.7 or the new 35 foot Hunter. The Beneteau 36.7 is a Bruce Farr design and is really a nicely detailed, well engineered boat. The new Hunter 35 has had very strong reviews including on water testing. The boat was designed by Glen Henderson who is a highly respected yacht designer. The Hunter features Kevlar and Vinylester non-cored construction from the stem back to the shrouds (for impact resistance) and in the area of the keel attachment.

Respectfully
Jeff
 
#3 ·
The problem with Catalina and warranty coverage is that Frank Butler, the founder of Catalina and more or less the Henry Ford of fiberglass sailboats, still handles all warranty claims personally. The end result is that hearing back from him can take months, and yes, his decisions are not consistent. I talked to a former dealer once who told me horror stories about not hearing from Butler about claims, and then getting nonsensical letters from him he obviously had dictated but not read. The dealer had to decipher the letters, trying to associate the decisions with specific boats. He said the dealers ended up fixing a lot of stuff themselves, which didn''t endear the factory to them.

The upside of Butler handling warranty claims is that he can spot problems right away and quickly make changes in the boats as needed. The downside is time and consistency. Also, given Catalina''s sales volume today, it''s very hard to imagine this system working well.
 
#4 ·
I was really impressed with the Catalina 350 at the Atlantic City Sail Expo as well. So much so that I plunked down the down payment money. I was so impressed with the interior layout and quality of the materials used.(I''m sure Denr and others will freak out at that comment). But for me and the misses, we want a cruising sailboat with great,thoughtful, and inviting interior. According to the numbers that I see, she should perform very well. Not fast for a racer, but quick for a cruiser. But no one knows for sure cause hull 1 was at the show, and no in water tests have been performed.

In comparison to the 34 or 36 I believe the 350 has it all over. With a beam about 1 foot wider then the other too, I don''t think they can compare. But that is just my opinion.

Happy Sailing!
 
#8 ·
One of my friends had a C-36 MK-ll.
One afternoon while bucking a four knot current in Woods Hole, Ma. he cut a nun
a little to close and on the wrong side and
struck a rock. thanks to the foul current, he was only traveling at one knot.ONE KNOT! (over ground).
As aresult the boat had to be hauled imediatly because she was taking on water. There was dammage to the usual places,leading and trailing edge fillet. There was also dammage to the sole and port side sette''. The cost of repair was just over 5,000 dallars. Take this to
heart.

Dennis L.
 
#9 ·
We also plunked down a deposit on the Catalina 350 shortly after the A/C show.

I am a former broker of C&C, Cape Dory, J/Boat and till recently, a Cal 2-27 owner.

We were bout to plunk down a deposit on the Beneteau 361 when we decided to check out Catalina (not knowing there was a 350)one last time..

Why the C-350? It is a Very, very, well thought out boat. There will be kids on most trips. The V Berth accomadation is important. The "comfort" factor on long trips is very important as well. "Get from point A to B in good time? Absolutley a must. Numbers say yes. Not a racer but a good performance oriented cruiser.(I was a racer... not now with small kids.)

The sea trial tests and revviews are in. A few aboard who are somewhat modest and not real flamboyant by nature could not stop talking about the ride they had on the 350 in Florida. It will prove to be one of Catalina''s strongest boats yet. Take my word for it Watch and see.

We added an autohelm 5000, two display Color chart plotter, color radar, and a bunch more.

The base price on this boat will do nothing but go up. I will post more as we take delivery and start sailing of one of the first few 350''s built sometime in May.

One note as a former dealer: A good, well respected reputable dealer is imperative regardig warrantee issues with boats.

If the dealer wants your future business and recommendations to others, these issues will be seemless to the owner, smooth sailing all the way. The dealer will work out problems with the factory. You get your boat fixed and back in your hands with minimal delay and no bad mouthing of the manufacturer. They will spend as much time as necessary with you to orient you with your new boat and see that you can handle it and operate all equipment competently and safely, not send you to the saling school across the street.

Do such dealers exist..? You bet they do.. Look hard, ask questions, take your time.. Don''t rush into anything. Stay away from the "wheeler-dealers". Focus on relationship, longevity and trust regardless of what boat you buy.
 
#10 ·
Dennis L. I guess that can happen. It''s funny you were saying that, because I was looking at a C-36 MKII (wing keel)at my marina that must have hit a rock VERY hard. There was a chunk of lead smashed in the front bottom of the endge of the keel that was much larger than the diameter of a softball. You couldn''t even try and make a dent this big if you wanted to with a sledgehammer.

Well, I then was curious to see how the keel/hull joint faired and I looked very close and the wasn''t a single sign of any damage or stress or anything. Did your freinds boat have a fin keel? Only one knot sounds fairly slow, I''m not sure I would even be trying a transit when that is all the headway I was making. Perhaps there was alot more torsional forces involved due to the tide and other factors. How much water was coming in? Was it just seepage? After looking at the boat in the marina, I am much concerned about the C-36 keel/hull joint that is for sure !
 
#12 ·
It does not matter if the price increased 5K or even 10K.....
The used boat market is flooded with Catalinas and they are for people who wants the buy the biggest boat they can afford not the best..
My personal opinion is to set a budget and then go out and buy the best boat regardless of length.Otherwise you would be much happier to buy a used 36MKII with first year depreciation already in place.
Fair Winds
 
#13 ·
I don''t know if I would say the "used boat market is flooded with ''all'' types of Catalinas". Maybe Catalinas over 5-7 years old. Especially the ones that don''t have the newer features, like the walk thru transom. Try and get a late model (1998-2001) Catalina 36MKII. Its not that easy! There are not a lot on the market and the ones that are, are not much cheaper than a new one !!.

Take a look searching on this national paper/website (Soundings)

http://boats.soundingsonline.com/adsearch.html

Some $125-$132k ! with a 1998 C36MKII at $118k. That is maybe more than the boat was new. I guess it depends what was added and the condition. But you are correct, if you are vigilant and keep looking you can probably get a real nice "fairly new" Catalina 36MKII at a good price. (I found one that was almost a steal....on the market less than a week and I made an offer, before everybody else.....he,he,he)


I love my C36MKII but sometimes some people want something different and the C350 offers that. There are alot of very nice features incorporated in the new C350 that would be nice to have on my boat. (But no boat in this size range can beat the C36 main salon...;-).

ps. BTW I could afford a more expensive boat, but I did not find a boat in the size range I was looking for (36'') that I liked better for what I do.....extended coastal cruising with a SO and 2 kids). Not the Sabre or the Tartan. I wanted a nice easy to walk through transom (kids are still little) and the observation seats and the love the way the salon is set-up. Yes, absolutely other boats have a higher quality workmanship and joinery and other things but I for what I do.....it is the "best" AND its a pretty darn good sailing boat...(nope not the best, but very stable for what it is and that''s what I wanted)
 
#15 ·
Yes typically I don''t go to that site to look . Just went & I saw 18 from 1998 on for sale in the US. But that doesn''t matter. There are over 2100 built .

I wonder what is going on with the 1998 one from Texas. Asking $140k. Maybe it has gold plated plumbing fixtures...;-)

I''m still quite amazed at the prices though . Most are still in the $120''s and $130 ranges. That is about the price of a new one commissioned !!

Whether people like Catalina''s or not the fact remains that alot of these boats (C36 for example) sell used for almost as much as when they were new and probably have one of the highest percentage of return for resale. Its supply and demand and for the money its the most boat for the dollar .(I did not say the best boat money could buy)
 
#16 ·
I am not knocking Catalinas and although that it does not match my experience helping people who are looking for a used one, I really am not refuting your claim that they "probably have one of the highest percentage of return for resale", but you can''t jusdge by asking prices on a late model boat. In my expeerience, there is generally a larger price difference between asking prices and actual sales prices on late model boats. I watched a couple late model boats over a period of time. They started out with asking prices that were close to what the owners had in them, but actually sold somewhere well below 15% and in at least two cases closer to 25% lower than asking price after being on the market for a fairly long time. Most used boats seem to sell within 10% to 12% of their asking price.

Jeff
 
#18 ·
The Catalina 350 is 25000 dollars more than the Catalina 34mk11 Can I justify spending so much more foR the 350. I WILL PROBABLY GET A BETTER RESALE ON THE 350 WITH SO MANY 34S ON THE MARKET. i AM A LIITLE BIT UNEASY ABOUT BYING A NEW 34 WITH SO MANY RESALES OUT IN THE MARKETPLACE. aNY OPINIONS?
 
#19 ·
I don''t know. I really think you should buy the boat that really makes you happy. These 2 boats are set up very different. I don''t think you should concern yourself with the resale value too much. There are a lot of C34''s but they are popular and I don''t think you would have a problem getting a decent price for a used one if it was taken care of. At least I know that is the case for the C36''s.

Remember. Go with the one that makes you smile everytime you go to her.....(same philosophy as with wives)
 
#20 ·
Well, If you are going to finance the boat,$2500 is really not much at all for a lot more boat. Most important, go with the boat that you seem to feel at home with and can create a visualization of life with the boat. Look at the pictures, review the specs, read the descriptions, (I''d say look at owner reviews but that would be a hard task right now on the 350).

Does one boat present more of an "excitment" than the other to you? Go with it.. Don''t concern yourself with re-sale right now because if you move up or down (in terms of size) within 5-8 years, you will more than likely get what you paid or close to it on either boat. And you just might not want to ever part with it at all in which case who cares about re-sale? You are not just buying a boat, you are creating a life for yourself and your boat will be a big part of it.

Let us know what you decide to do!!!
What ever it is, best of luck to you!
 
#22 ·
Larry Levine,
As I said before go to Yachtworld.com and check the used 34 and 36 Catalina''s.
And remember actual sale prices will be at least %10 lower than what you see.
If you are willing to buy a Catalina at least dont make the mistake of paying more than you have to..
Regards..
 
#23 ·
My wife and I have been looking to purchase a new boat for quite a while and we finally put a deposit down on a 350 on Mother''s Day (I tried to convince her it was my gift to her but I don''t think she believes me!) <G>

I''ve read some of this message thread and I must confess that being an engineer at heart I analyzed and analyzed which boat would be best for us and in the end... despite my best intentions, we fell in love with the 350. Buying a new boat without any significant data to support it is not what I had planned on doing but when we saw the 350 it truly drew us in.
 
#25 ·
Well, we just traveled 16 hours to see hull #14 of a 350. Some thoughts:
We were hoping this would be the answer to our boat buying confusion, it wasn''t for us. As a 6''2" male I did love the headroom, everybit of the 6''9" they advertise. With that said there were a lot downsides for a person my size on this boat.
A. the forward bed was only 79" long and with my height I need to put the pillows at the end of the mattress to fit. The width dimension there was only 29" and flaired out to 41" 15" down (pillow depth). With this said NO WAY TWO HEADS FIT THERE! Not very useable for us. If you are shorter might work, but I would think you would have to be way less than 6'' to be comfortable.

B. Head was TINY and Shower compartment was even smaller. Over 6 feet and standing up to wash would be a challenge. You could sit and make it work.

C. Main Salon For a large boat 35''5" and 13'' beam the salon was meager. The head protrudes into a good part of the salon and the angled settee does not offer great seating capacity. Although we love the litte table for two concept, the forward seat is parallel two the head door and sort of feels out of the salon. Combine this with the smaller table on the starboard side as compared to the 36 Cat and it just seemed real small.

D. Nav Area: Adequate, a little disappointed that the radio, VHF backs were exposed to the inside of the tv area. It makes for easy access but also makes it susceptible to problems.

E. Galley: OK, the front loading frig is a real get on your knees to look for something. Not sold on this feature, it obviously has some advantages over top load but we think the downside might offset them. Good storage for food and supplies. Separate freezer a real plus, don''t understand why this isn''t incorporated into the entire line. Catalina should take a page from the hunter 356 and just separate the frig /freezer compartment and add a fan to blow cool into the frig. What a nice touch!!!

F. Aft Cabin 54" x 80" OK maybe the best place to sleep on this boat for us. But with this said, the exciting thing about this boat was the centerline berth forward. To sleep aft sort of defeats the purpose of buying this boat. There are TONS of boats with Athwartship perths. The Hunter 356 is a real queen size bed 60x80. Not mention the rest of the Catalina line.

G. Other: I didn''t like the door to the aft cabin, it is cut out at the bottom centerline area so it can clear the settee near the nav station. Very narrow to walk through.

H. Hull & Deck: The non skid was different from other catalina''s we saw, almost painted on. Not the molded in pattern that we are accustomed to seeing on a catalina.

Lot''s of FREEBOARD makes the boat look big, they obviously get that headroom from somewhere.

Storage in the cockpit was excellant. Deep lockers and lots of them. I really liked the shelves built into the starboard lazzorette. Catalina should incorporate this into the rest of the line especially the 380 aft locker.

Auto Pilot: Boat is listed at 13K for displacement (some Manufactureres ? this) but even if it is low by a ton well within the limits of a 4000 Autohelm (17.5k)or Wheelpilot 30 (19k). These should work well for most applications, coastal or inland. If going offshore a 6000 would be my call. With this all said the Diamond Series Pedastal WILL NOT ACCOMODATE either of these wheel pilots. This adds a lot to the cost of an autopilot if you so desire to have one installed. I spent hours trying to figure out a way to make it work, talked to edson B4 I saw the boat, on the phone with Simrad while standing on the boat and not confident either will or could work without a major modification. This was a REAL DOWNSIDE TO US since it added $3500 to the option.

Access to Hdwe: The liner did not allow as good access to fittings as say the 36. Most are buryied or difficult to reach with tools.

Conclusion: As you probably gathered the 350 wouldn''t work well for us, I am sure it will be great for others, but the downsides for such a LARGE 35'' boat were too great. There was a silver lining possibly out of our trip and that is that we also go to spend a lot of time in a 2003 36 and although it wasn''t perfect it may do what we are looking for at a much lower price tag than the 350. I looks like we may pursue that option this week.

Keep in mind this was one couples opinion, what we have learned from this entire buying expierence is that NO BOAT IS PERFECT. If we could only take the best features of a Catalina, Hunter, Beneteau and Jeanneau we might have a real GREAT PRODUCTION BOAT. Maybe one day someone will make that boat, but we need a boat NOW!!!!!
 
#26 ·
A couple thoughts here:
Alternatives:
You might look at the Hanse 371 or 341. Both look like neat boats on paper although I have yet to see one in the flesh. A couple other neat boats in this size range is the Beneteau First 36.7 and Dehler 36.

Front loading ice boxes:
There are very good reasons that boats traditionally have top loading ice boxes. First of all when you open a front loader when heeled under way you either need large fiddles on the shelves or food will spill out. Either are real negatives. The other issue is loss of cold air. Compared to 110 volt shore units, boat refrigeration is comparatively low powered and needs all of the efficiency that it can get. When you open a front loader, large quantities of cold air pour out and so you need to rechill the compartment with almost each opening of the door. This greatly increases battery draw down over a top loader or shortens ice life.

Vee berth:
I also agree with you about the forward cabin being the ideal main cabin on the hook. many sub 38 footers seem to be treating the aft cabin as the main cabinb, but aft cabins on an aft cockpit boat rarely have the ventilation potential of a forward cabin.

Jeff
 
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