Catalina 28 MkII : First impressions

[Hartley18]

I posted this on the Catalina section, but got no comments so I hope no-one minds me posting it again:

I'd never heard of Garhaurer gear before reading Sailnet - and now I've actually used some!

*********************

The First Mate and I took a Catalina 28 MkII out for a few days on the Gippsland Lakes lake weekend, so I thought I'd post a few "First Impressions" from someone who has never been on one before:



Very first impression: "**** she's big!"

Cockpit area: Big enough for 4 people comfortably, nice mouldings and folding table. Good stuff. Lewmar winches (16ST and 30ST) - best I've used!
Companionway/Hatch: Clear hatch is a great idea, but the water doesn't run off too easiy when it rains. Still, no too bad. Hand-holds are adequate here and non-existent elsewhere, but engine access is brilliant!
Hatches: Bomar ones - suck; Lewmar ones - great!
Galley/Stove: All good. Hot/cold pressurised water system works well. No hand holds anywhere though and nowhere to lean against.
Saloon: Really spacious for a 28-footer. No handrails is a bit brainless though. You'd be tossed around like a cork down here if it got rough!
Aft cabin: Full length and comfortable for 2 with good ventilation. Lights are in stupid positions, but otherwise it's great.
V-berth: Too small/awkward to sleep in, but good for storage.
WC: Jabsco manual toilet - good stuff. Shower & drains work well, but the shower curtain is a waste of space - water just goes everywhere anyway.
Engine: 3-cyl Universal (more than enough for hull speed) and 50ltr diesel tank - enough for nearly a weeks motoring! Doesn't anyone sail these things!?!
Holding tanks: 160ltrs water and 50ltrs waste lasted us 5 days with some spare.
Batteries: 1 x House, 1 x engine/radio. If I owned one of these boats I'd put in another house battery - there's only just enough juice for a big night on board.

Sail controls:
Gear: I'm used to Ronstan/Harken, but the Garhauer ball-race blocks are sturdy enough even if extremely ugly (each to their own)...
Boom Vang: Yes, it's got one.
Dutchman Lines: A neat idea for a newbie, but I don't think I'd fit them myself.
Mid-boom Traveller: Sucks. If you don't ease the mainsheet, the bloody thing gets jammed every time you tack. We were told these boats need the vang on all the time... we won't win any races in this!!
Furler: Didn't have any issues with the twin-foil furler.
Steering: Except when under motor, helm felt good. Amazingly manouverable compared to our little Hartley. Can be reversed into a parking spot like a car!

Overall: A good package obviously not intended for ocean crossings or nasty weather, but with a few after-market mods could be.

I hope someone finds this helpful.

[camaraderie]

Thanks for a nice post Cameron!

[sailingdog]

Hmmm... you went from a Hartley 18 to a Catalina 28... that's about an increase of 275% in boat size.

[blt2ski]

One of the ladies in the local YC has one of these. It is a nice boat for what it is designed for. Going on a larger lake that one can overnight on, sailing for me locally in Puget Sound, thru the san juans etc. A good choice for someone wanting a C30 but a bit smaller, and a better choice than the C27. Reasonably fast for its size, but not blazing fast either, then again, it is not a slug like a full keel dutch shoe either!.

Marty

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Hmmm... you went from a Hartley 18 to a Catalina 28... that's about an increase of 275% in boat size.

You-are-not-kidding!! About 275% increase in things to think about too!

Nice boat and definitely not slow - very nice boat actually - but I'm not paying +$100k for one..

[artbyjody]

Congrats Hartley nice but - but it doesn't look like the decks need any work? Enjoy her...

[christyleigh]

Originally Posted by Hartley18

Mid-boom Traveller: Sucks. If you don't ease the mainsheet, the bloody thing gets jammed every time you tack. We were told these boats need the vang on all the time... we won't win any races in this!!

I had a '96 c28 mkII for 3 years and a '99 c320 for 6 years with the same traveller/mainsheet design with no jamming problems so I'm wondering how you managed to have such a problem. Maybe the same person that told you that you needed the vang on all the time ?????? set up the traveler ?????
Yes, a dedicated starting battery would be nice but I've anchored for a week with the c28 alternating between the 2 batteries with the A - B switch and charging with the engine every couple days without a problem. Battery management 101.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by Hartley18

Very first impression: "F*** she's big!"

Just goes to show you that everything's relative. When we were shopping looking to downsize from a 40 footer, we had a 30-ish foot target.... the Catalina 28 was one of those we looked at. Our impression was it was kinda small - in fact we couldn't find a 30 footer that didn't feel that way after owning the 40 for 12 years.

Compromised at 35 feet, which still feels very managable.

It was actually much easier shopping when moving up in size!

[Cruisingdad]

Great writeup. WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!!!!!

- CD

PS Where's the BBQ? Yours didn't come with a BBQ???

[blt2ski]

Cameron,

Please correct this, I am swag'ing you leased this boat? You have not bought one, ie this one.

This boat is fast, as compared to your hartley, but in the 28'ish foot relm, on the slower side of things speed wise. But if one takes a race sled as fastest, You're defenitaly slower, but it is on the fast side for a cruiser as this boat is.

As far as huge, as faster mentioned, it is relative to what your are used to, altho this is a BIG 28' boat in that relm.

Marty