Catalina 30

[msl]

There a couple of Catalina 30''s for sale nearby. There seems to be so many different opinions about these boats. They have a lot of interior space and look ok otherwise.
What do the experts love about this boat ... what do the other experts dislike about it?
Thanks,

[jbarros]

well... when I was talking to the comodor of the local YC I mentioned getting a catalina, he said that for what I wanted to do (cruising, longer sails) I should only look at the 30 if I was to get a catalina. It''s supposedly built thicker than the rest of the line. Not sure if there''s any truth to that, but it''s what I heard.

-- James

[Sailormon6]

If you were buying a car, you would look for a car that best meets your needs. Do you just want an economy car to go to the local shopping malls, or do you want to travel the interstate highways? Do you want a sports car with lively performance, or do you want a tough 4wd that can handle off-road trekking?

Catalinas are like Fords and Chevies. They perform well, but they aren''t high-performance racers. They have nice accommodations, but they aren''t luxurious. They are strong, but they really aren''t designed and built to withstand the relentless stresses of a major, 2 or 3 day survival storm at sea (even though some Catalinas have made long passages). If you want a good coastal cruiser that can also make an occasional short passage, a Catalina would fill the bill. Of course, there are other boats that would do as well. Catalina enjoys exceptional owner loyalty.

[Maine Sail]

I have owned to many sailboats to count over the years. Six years ago I got the bug again and wound up buying a Catalina 30. I wanted to hate Catalinas (being from Maine where everyone sails Hinkley and Morris Yachts) until I had surveyed 6 supposedly better built boats including a Sabre, Cape Dory, Pearson, J30, Morris 26, and a Bristol 32 only to find major structural problems on boats that were advertised in bristol condition. I really like the people at Catalina. Last summer I needed a stainless prop shaft and coupling for my Catalina 36 and it only cost me $135.00 shipped from California to Maine and it was there in 4 days. I had my local prop shop quote me 389.00 and two weeks. When I called Catalina they pulled the build sheet on my boat and knew the exact length of my shaft with out me pulling the boat and removing the shaft to measure it. I figured that one repair saved me over a thousand dollars because Catalina is; 1) still in business and 2) has their **** together by still keeping my original build sheet on hand. My boat yard pulled my boat at 8:00 am and I did the repair myself and was back in the H20 at 6:00 that evening. My yard charges 140.00 a day for short haul summer storage because they can and they are short on space. I have had many similar good experiences with the folks at Catalina and can''t say enough good about them. I''d buy another Cat 30 if I decided to downsize.

[AlCameron]

Steven,
My wife and I sail an ''88 Cat 30 MkII. We love the boat but will also tell you, as have many others, that it is not perfect. The first thing I did was put on a bigger wheel to get more leverage. Now I can steer one handed, in heavy air they will try to round up hard. As you''ve found out there are many variations, if you choose to get a Cat 30 check out the International Association page for all the changes made over the years. Catalina does seem to want to improve their boats. This year''s upgrade for us was a ProFurl boom, big cost, but well worth the bucks we spent. We also have the mainsheet in the cockpit, you will see and hear all about the traveler on Cat 30s, my vote is to get the bloody thing off the house and into the cockpit where it belongs.