Blue Water a Catalina 28 tall?

[lv4sailing]

I am glad to see I am not the only one sailing a small boat. We are getting our 28 mariner ready for our trip from Maine to Florida keys, planing on leaving in October first or second week if weather is good. I must say I am a little nervous about the size of our boat.Dose any one have any advice about the boat of our choice the boat was built in Rochester NEWHampshire.

[Johnno]

Sorry Larry but if you have to ask the question then you have a problem.

Not inherently because of your choice of boat but your lack of experience and lack of confidence in your boat.

Forgetting the idiot factor people have done some amazing things in small boats but most of them would have made sure that they knew what to expect, how to handle it and more importantly that their boat was up to it.

Man, you have a long way to go.

Even if you had a more seaworthy boat what you are suggesting might be something of a challenge. It can be very demanding "out there" and apart from your experience and your boat you are going to have some very soul searching moments.

With sound ability and confidence in your boat those things are hard enough to endure. So without that it could be a recipe for disaster unless you lucked good weather and conditions.

I will say I don''t know the area but it sounds to me that you are getting into heavy sailing conditions.

Cheers

[dman]

Good points Johnno.There seems to be this mindset that if I have a good solid boat I have nothing to worry about, even if I lack experience the boat will take care of me.When people get too far out of their comfort zone which comes from,in many cases little experience,pannick will set in and the trouble really begins.Anyone can sail and get away with making mistakes in good weather but in adverse conditions it can lead to your last mistake.The ocean can be a very lonely spot when you are unsure of your decisions and especially if you are having (electrical/mechanical) problems as well.One thing I have learned over the years is that fear breeds fear.You can look into the eyes of the person beside you and it can tell you everything.When their anxiety level goes up so does yours,I`ve been in these situations before and they can have a life of their own growing worse by the minute.If you are going on any trip that you are unsure of, make sure you have someone onboard that has the experience and they will have a calming effect if things begin to go bad.It is a good sign to me that you are cautious,it shows that you are less likely to get in a bad scrape to begin with.If you want to really have a laugh and see your crew in action go somewhere where you are comfortable and ground your boat at low tide into a little mud and watch the reaction as you sit there discussing ways to get out.You would be surprised how some people pannic when there is no threat from anything.

[PegasusRider]

Larry...Man just be aware of the hundreds of oil platforms in the northern gulf region. They are EVERYWHERE out there off the coast of TX and LA. Just my 2 cents...

Jeff
s/v Caprice II
28' Caliber Sloop

[sailingfool]

Larry,

I don't think you need to categorize your planned use of the boat as "blue water", you describe what might better be termed "coastal cruising". Most any general production sailboat that is reasonably maintained and equipped should be suitable for coastal cruising.

Blue water/offshore cruising is a entirely different level of demand on a boat, for which most coastal cruising boats are dubiously CAPABLE and definitely not SUITABLE. Capable in the sense that the boat may be adequately constructed to survive predictable conditions, but not suitable in the sense you'd have higher expectations than simply surviving...I'd propose that blue water/offshore use is akin to mountain climbing over 20,000 feet - you can't get adequately prepared by going to the local WalMart and stocking up on camping supplies.

To make this point, would folks consider a Catalina 36 a blue water boat? Some folks would say yes... But if you look at the experience documented in http://www.equipped.com/0698rescue.htm I think its clear that a Catalina 36 as constructed and designed is perhaps marginally capable of offshore use, but not at all suitable for such use. In contrast the PO of http://www.usedboats.com/used-boat-655232.htm made two successful, comfortable trips to Latin America. IMHO The capability and suitablity of these two 36' boats are fundamental and decisive, but not obvious to most boaters.

[nolatom]

Coming from the west (unlike from the east), it's a long way into New Orleans. Don't come up the river, too long and too much current. Come up the Gulf Outlet channel, more direct, and now that it's no longer being dredged, no large ship traffic either. It's still a long way.

Some cruisers stop over at a marina closer to the delta (like Venice) but I think all of these are still wiped out from Katrina.

Ideally, New Orleans in an auxiliary sailboat is much easier to visit when you're going west than east. Come in the ICW or the Rigolets to the Lake, and go out the River, current with you.

Check ahead for berths, destruction from Katrina was unbelievable.

[Sailormon6]

Originally Posted by sailingfool

...[W]ould folks consider a Catalina 36 a blue water boat? Some folks would say yes... But if you look at the experience documented in http://www.equipped.com/0698rescue.htm I think its clear that a Catalina 36 as constructed and designed is perhaps marginally capable of offshore use, but not at all suitable for such use.

That may or may not be true, but I don't want to debate that issue here. I just want to talk about that article, because, whenever sailors discuss the seaworthiness of the Catalina 36, someone cites that article about the voyage of the C36 to Hawaii, as proof that the C36 is not up to bluewater passagemaking. While I agree that many people disagree on that question, that article doesn't prove anything about the seaworthiness of the C36.

Let's start by pointing out that, with the exception of the emergency tiller, nothing structural failed. The emergency tiller failed, but it had been recalled by Catalina, and the owner never responded to the recall. The wind vane failed, but it was an aftermarket item that wasn't manufactured by Catalina. The steering gear failed, but it was manufactured by Edson, and could just as readily have been bolted onto a Sabre or Tartan or other boat of well-respected design and construction. A genoa block failed, but the boat was over 20 years old, and that could have happened on any 20 year old boat. The boat had numerous leaks, but that could have happened on any 20 year old boat on a bluewater voyage, if it's hardware and fittings had never been re-bedded.

The arguments pro and con about the seaworthiness of the C36 are endless, and I don't mean to open them up here, but that article doesn't tell a story about a boat that isn't up to a bluewater voyage. It tells a story about people who went to sea in a 20 year old boat without refitting it and preparing it for the trip. There's no reason to believe that a recent vintage, well-caulked C36 in good condition with a reasonably experienced crew wouldn't have made that trip comfortably.

Re-read that article, and, whenever it refers to a Catalina, substitute Sabre or Pacific Seacraft, or Island Packet, or the name of any boat that you believe is a good bluewater boat. If the article was about a 20 year old Pacific Seacraft, for example, would you point to it as proof that Pacific Seacrafts are not up to bluewater voyaging? Of course not. You'd correctly put the blame for the bad voyage on the owner who failed to prepare an old boat for the trip.