Catalina 30 berth length

[Finnster]

Hi,

Would anyone happen to be able to tell me, how long Catalina 30 berths are? I'm seriously considering buying one, and have already gone to see it twice, but forgot to try or measure the berths (and the boat is +100 miles away).

I thought I would find the info on one of the numerous Catalina forums, since everything else about the boat is so well documented, but I've been drawing a blank. Only comments I've found have been, that the boat has 7 "adult size" berths, but I suppose that can mean anything starting from 5'10".

I'm 6'3", so the issue is kind of significant. So far I have only found out, that the convertible settee double is only suitable for people less than 6' tall.

Fair winds,
Finnster

[chuck53]

I'm 6'2" and never had any problems with either the V-berth or quarter berth. Don't even think of sleeping on the convertible table.

[Finnster]

That was one quick reply, thanks chuck53. Good to hear the berths are long enough, save the dinette setup. Say, I saw from your signature, that you sail a Catalina 34. Just to verify, that you meant the Catalina 30 with your reply and not the 34?

As a side note, I really like the 34, but they are quite rare here in Europe, and thus hard to find. And in all honesty I guess the 30 will suffice anyways. We are only two adults and a three year old, and we plan to do some light weekend sailing in the Dutch delta region (think shallow waters, sheltered/coastal, but some North Sea winds in the mix at times).

[chuck53]

We used to have a 30, now we have a 34.

[JimMcGee]

I'll second Chuck's opinion on the berths, and she's a good choice for the conditions you described.

Take a minute to check out International Catalina 30 Association. There's a lot of good information on the differences between models, issues that have shown up with age and common upgrades.

Best of luck with your new boat,
Jim

[Finnster]

Thanks for your supporting opinion regarding the bunks. And thanks also for the tip about the C30 owner association's web site. As it happens I've already been all over it, and it is truly great. Actually it's one of the many reasons I'm considering getting a C30, together with the great owner support available here in Sailnet and other forums. Such a community seems to make buying and maintaining a used boat a lot easier. Pretty much all possible technical pitfalls have already been listed and documented, and there seems always to be someone in the know, ready and willing to help you.

Thanks also for verifying Cat's suitability for our type of use. I'm becoming more and more convinced myself, too. I really genuinely like the boat, and I think it's a pretty ingenious concept for it's assigned purpose.

The specimen I have my eye on is one of the last mkIIs. She is a -94 model, but made in August -93. I guess that means the mast step and c-smile problems etc. won't be an issue. She is in a really good nick otherwise, too. Maintenance has been carried out ok, sails and rigging are ok, no scratches or marks in the hull or deck, brightwork is shiny including the chainplate attachments, interior is pretty much impeccable with no signs of leakages, Universal M25 has 1300 hrs on the clock etc. And she's already completely equipped for our purposes.

In addition the owner has had a professional independent survey made by a certified surveyor, because "he wants to be sure the boat is ok", and of course I guess to facilitate the selling process (boat's with a broker). The few minor problems indicated in the survey are already being fixed, paid by the owner.

So, there's only two things hindering me from making an offer straight away (although I doubt they will do so for long). First one is her close wind performance in a light breeze, she being a standard rig and wing keel version. Of course I'm not looking for a modern cruiser-type performance, but wouldn't like to only drift sideways either. In other words, would you say she's going to behave more or less like a sailboat she is, or are we talking about something more akin to the performance of an accomplished motorsailer?

The second thing is more metaphysical, and not really a question as such. My budget would allow me to go for something bigger and more salty, I guess in other words "fancier". But then I ask myself why should I, if the Catalina would already offer the things I want? Would a bigger boat be just to show off? I'd like to think I've grown out of such things, but if not, maybe this would be a good place to start. The Catalina 30 would surely accommodate it.

[JimMcGee]

Originally Posted by Finnster

there seems always to be someone in the know, ready and willing to help you.

We Catalina owners are a friendly bunch

Originally Posted by Finnster

Thanks also for verifying Cat's suitability for our type of use. I'm becoming more and more convinced myself, too. I really genuinely like the boat, and I think it's a pretty ingenious concept for it's assigned purpose.

She's not a modern race boat, but she has a good motion and will stand up to a breeze. She likes to be sailed on her feet. Rail in the water is not the best way to sail this boat. But then sailing on her feet will be more comfortable when you're out with the family. Her design brief is family cruiser, that means you'll pass the heavy cruisers and the race boats will pass you.

Originally Posted by Finnster

So, there's only two things hindering me from making an offer straight away (although I doubt they will do so for long). First one is her close wind performance in a light breeze, she being a standard rig and wing keel version.

The second thing is more metaphysical, and not really a question as such. My budget would allow me to go for something bigger and more salty, I guess in other words "fancier". But then I ask myself why should I, if the Catalina would already offer the things I want? Would a bigger boat be just to show off? I'd like to think I've grown out of such things, but if not, maybe this would be a good place to start. The Catalina 30 would surely accommodate it.

The first question comes up a lot on the Catalina forums. When I was boat shopping I was limited to a wing keel because of my cruising area. I talked to a lot of owners about performance, several raced and had time on both types. The consensus was if you're going to race seriously you want a fin as it will buy you a few more seconds around the bouys. If you're cruising you'll never feel the difference.

As for size and how "fancy" to get, well that's a personal decision. We've dressed our 95 up with a new interior, new electronics, canvas, 12v TV, air conditioning, etc. She is basically a new boat. We live aboard most every weekend while she's in the water and I've been aboard over a week a number of times. I really like this boat.

FWIW I sailed her home over five days with a friend who's an ASA instructer and very experienced sailor. He liked her so much that two weeks later he'd purchased her twin! There's a reason this is the best selling mid-sized boat of all time.

And that's in your favor. These are popular boats. It sounds like you've found one that has been lovingly maintained. If you keep it in the same condition she'll be easy to sell and you'll get your money back should you decide to go bigger at some point.

Two other sites to check out:
Catalina Direct: Catalina Direct: (not sure if they ship to Europe)
C34 Tech Wiki, same engine lots of great info: Catalina 34 - C34

And don't forget Catalina. They still support your 94.

Again best of luck with her.
Jim

[melliott0352]

I have had a 82 MK1 C-30. for 2 years now and it fits my needs quite well. handles very well in light air and goes into the wind very well. Cabin is very roomy for a 30 footer. Handles well with 2 people. Could single hand it but not sure about getting back into the slip by myself. If you like the boat go with it, you will not be disappointed IMO. Not the fastest, or flashy, but a good sound family crusier.

[olson34]

One caution about getting opinions from owners....
While they (and I) mean well, you really need some real data.
Out of the thousands of Cat 30 owners out there, there should be one lurking here that can actually tape-measure all of the bunk & settee surfaces, and then for a bonus can supply real measurements for headroom throughout designated parts of the interior.
I have done this for curious folks when discussing my boat model.
There's just no substitute for actual numbers!


Happy shopping,
L

[Finnster]

Thanks everybody for great answers, you Catalina people really are a friendly bunch. And some of the Olson owners seem to be right there, too

Based on your comments (and a myriad of others I've found on the web) I'm convinced now, that the Catalina will sail well enough for me. Besides, I genuinely like the 70's era coastal family cruisers, providing they're not too much IOR influenced. I clocked my 15 years sailing experience on a small 70's family boat designed by Peter Norlin, and I really appreciated the way she handled. Not the fastest, but still fun, logical and pretty much viseless. The boat always let you know, what she was going to do next.

And Jim had yet another relevant point, too. You can indeed upgrade the Catalina to your heart's content (Jim's boat sounds really nice, btw). That should take care of my vanity issues, should there be any. And I also like a well updated and maintained boat, which should indeed be a bit more economical to achieve with the C30 than some larger, more obscure boat.

Thanks also to Melliott0352, it's good to know the boat is as easy to handle as I thought. In reality we'll be single handing a lot, since the first mate is only three years old, and requires often admiral's or skipper's full attention. I also probably need to be able to dock the boat by myself at times for the same reason, or at least I want to be able to. Therefore I'm planning to dedicate at least a couple of days to practise docking maneuvers, starting in my own slip on a completely windless day and advancing from there. That system worked well in my previous boat, and it really enables you to clock at least a couple of months' worth of docking experience really quickly.

All that being said, I just contacted the broker, and told him we're going to come see the boat one more time (L, I'm taking the tape measure with me this time) and most likely will place an offer after that. I guess I already was on the way to decide, but just needed that little push. So thanks again everybody, and I'll let you know how it goes.

Fair winds,
Finnster
Ps. To stay with the original subject, I'll post the berth dimensions here once I've measured them.