Catalina 42 vs 400 MK II (new)

[mcfsailor]

John:
Your analysis is good. I may add that by choosing a C-400 with the 3 cabins, would eliminate one of the most outstanding features of the interior of the 400...the big aft master stateroom. Speaking of which, has anyone actually ever seen a C-400 3 cabin?

[garygleason]

I'm a proud owner of a C-400 Mk II hull #337. I was torn between purchasing either the 400 or the 42 but have never regretted my decision. I wasn't sure about the dual helms at first but after sailing with them I love them. Not only do they give great access to the swim ladder but getting our on the rail and steering couldn't be nicer. After having been an avid racer for 30 years I opted for the in mast furling. I'm sure I gave up some performance but it's not noticible and it makes the boat the easiest one to sail that I've ever owned.

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by garygleason

I'm a proud owner of a C-400 Mk II hull #337. I was torn between purchasing either the 400 or the 42 but have never regretted my decision. I wasn't sure about the dual helms at first but after sailing with them I love them. Not only do they give great access to the swim ladder but getting our on the rail and steering couldn't be nicer. After having been an avid racer for 30 years I opted for the in mast furling. I'm sure I gave up some performance but it's not noticible and it makes the boat the easiest one to sail that I've ever owned.

Gary,

Did you choose the two- or three-cabin version?

I'm interested to hear how many folks choose the three-cabin 400. So far I don't think we've heard from anyone that chose a 400 with the 3-cabin layout.

[ssilver140]

I purchased a 3 cabin c400 (hull no. 308) new in 2004. There were a number of things I prefered about the 400 vs the 42, but either way we were getting a 3 cabin as we cruise often with our 2 kids who were then approacing their teen years and we wanted a cabin for each. One difference in the cabin that really pushed the family to the 400 was the galley configuration. In the 400 the galley is aft in both the 2 and 3 cabin versions. In the 42, the 3 cabin layout puts the galley on the side of the main cabin, and you lose the settee that otherwise would be on the starboard side, leaving seating only around the table. As I general matter I prefer to have the gally aft and think the 400 cabin is a more open feel that the 42. Clearly a compomise on the master cabin, but I have no issue with the forward cabin on the 400, but realized at the time that a 3 cabin 400 was not very popular and could hurt resale when that time comes. In retrospect having had the boat for 5 seasons now we are very happy with our choice.

[Cruisingdad]

Great info here. By the way, all you 400 owners.... SEND ME SOME MAINSHEET MATERIAL!!!

Don't make me ban you from Sailnet for not sending me some Mainsheet stuff to publish!!! (smile... yes I am joking).

- CD

[captron400]

Sorry for the delay getting back to this. I don't normally follow this forum anymore. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, well - here are two during a match race between my 400 and a dealer crewed 470 (all good sailors) outside of Annapolis in 1997 or 1998. The bet was that I'd buy this 470 (hull #1) from the dealer IF he could beat me. Wasn't even close, and that was in 20 to 25 knots of wind where the bigger 470 should have an advantage. At the finish he must have been a mile behind me. I pulled ahead on every point of sail, but totally finished him off beating back up the Severn River. Reason - he was rounding up and fighting the helm. Eventually had to reef (and then double reef) to control the boat. Neither boat had a furling main so it was a fair contest (sort of). The factory was well aware of this outcome (they even called me) and I believe that they revised the boat a drop because of it.

Over 12 years, I had run into maybe a half dozen 470's with Good Vibrations and every one was the same result. After sailing a few, I do not believe that it has a balanced sail plan. Main is too big and center of effort appears to be behind the keel, probably because they moved the mast and compression post forward to hide it in a bulkhead. More waterline won't help that.

[cathyinct]

When we considered our C42, we took into consideration the following. 1. We are really tall at 6 foot and 6'4" and the Catalina offered better headroom than the Beneteau. 2. Mooring areas in the NorthEast are getting tight and to go beyond a 42 footer would have us crashing into other boats. 3. We have son and daughter and having the twin aft cabins really gave them their own space and afforded us space for future guests. We had the boat when the kids were 4-5 years of age. Teens want friends on the boat. 4. The displacement makes this a great cruising boat. 5. The aft cockpit shower is a must for a cruising family with a dog. The swim platform on the C42 is outstanding in that it is very deep when showering off toddlers, is way better than the C470. We store shampoo, frisbees, poly line and body wash in one aft platform locker and in the port side we store cleaning supplies. The compartment "seats" are wonderful for washing off kids and dogs. 5. The salon with the bench makes for wonderful storage when you are cruising 2-3 weeks. We can get 8-10 kids around it for cards or for watching DVD movies. I can be using the three burner stove and they can get around me.
6. In the event of a fire, the large ports in the aft cabins are great escape hatches for the kids to get out of the boat. 7. Engiine access is extremely good. 8. I do not hit my head when opening the refrigerator or when cooking. That was not the case on the 2 cabin model or on more expensive boats !!

We chose our boat knowing we would be spending about 10-15 years with kids on board and we have -0- regret in our three cabin decision.

[blt2ski]

Interesting post getting brought back to life. In my YC, there are two C42mkII's. Last weekend a C400 showed up at the marina we were at, parked next to one of the C42's. WHile I have not been in either. the 400 looked beefier if you will. IE more OPEN ocean style or what I would want as such. Altho it could have been that it has a taller freeboard, wider as mentioned etc, so it looked beefier. Probably built on par frankly.

Wife drooled over the 400 from the dock, and has drooled in one of the two C42's inside and out!:R:R:R A bit too slow of design for my tastes. That is not what spouse looks at!LOL

With that, take my typed nonsense or equal and I would bet as mentioned, BOTH boats are good boats.

Marty