[lans0012]

Gang,

I'm made an offer on a 34' Catalina that was promptly rejected. I'm considering upping the offer but am checking on a couple things.

The boat had a furler that I wasn't familiar with. It's a continuos line furler...I always thought these were all out or all the way in. Can you reef with these furlers? Anybody with experience? The boat is pretty much outfit for cruising so a non reefable furler seems odd. I googled this a lot today and couldn't really come up with anything that made sense.

I'm going to be day sailing/coastal crusing with occasional offshore hops to the keys/dry tortugas from SW FL. There's a 150 Genoa on it now so that would be nice to reef. Broker is clueless and owners are in Ireland and hard to reach.

 

[jackdale]

You might be able to hold a reef by cleating BOTH ends/sides of the line with no slack in either line.

I am not sure I would trust it.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

I can't read the name on the drum but it looks like an old Hood unit. Those did not reef and Hood sold an upgrade kit to make them single line that did allow reefing.

I would assume you CAN'T reef with that furler.

Barry

 

[sailorbill1]

you can reef with that type but really must have the foam or what seems to be in favour now the extra ropes luff. That particular furler normally has a small drum by the cockpit or under the dodger witch a winch handle fits into it, they do have a tendency to slip if worn in the grooves of the drum, one can slightly rough it up with a bit of fine sand paper, seem to do the job, Id have
a good look at the rudder !

 

[UnionPacific]

Gang,

I'm made an offer on a 34' Catalina that was promptly rejected.

There are a ton of Catalina's. Go look for another. So many, look for the perfect one, and forget the rest. make sure to lowball, they are not worth much money.

 

[lans0012]

Thanks for the replies. From what I could find is that it is a hood unit that is supposed to be able to be reefed...but they no longer make that type anymore for some reason...Curious to see if anybody else has had one before or know if you can upgrade/change out the drum for single line.

Regarding the rudder. The boat is on a lift behind owner's house. Bottom looks ok...keel joint is smooth and faired, bilge is clean. Rudder looks fine but I'm not sure what I would be able to tell from the outside with out dropping it. Of course will survey if we get that far, but trying to get as much info as I can.

 

[GeorgeB]

Ians0012, you might want to check out the C34 website (C34IA.ORG) and pose your questions there. I know of no rudder issues other than normal were and tear. If you have the sail/hull number, you can look up that particular boat in the database and you can also call Customer Support and request copies of warranty/repair work that was done by Catalina (sorry, their data base does not extend to local boatyards unless they were consulted on a repair). If you are worried about the rudder bearing, do the simple test of wiggling the rudder and try to "push" it up and down.

That Hood furler is pretty "vintage" you might want to upgrade it to Schaefer.

 

[Alex W]

Those Hood furlers would reef when new, but won't after they've been used for a while. The teeth that dig into the reefing line wear out. You can cleat off both ends of the line as hard as you want, but the worn down teeth will slip and the reef won't hold.

I had one on my Pearson 28-2 (it was the stock unit) and Hood gave me a good deal on a much nicer replacement unit (5SL, it's their racing model and pretty similar to a Harken Mark IV). I did have to replace the headstay to install the new furler, but it was time to replace it anyway (and probably is on that Catalina too). Overall it was a worthwhile upgrade. I liked most everything else about the Pearson and don't regret having had to upgrade this component of it.

 

[HUGOSALT]

Was concerned my old nominal Cruising Design continuous furler would slip
but never did. After holding reef thru one night with gusts in excess of 50 knots, became less concerned. I did however replace cont. line a few times when got too smooth and
always cleated both lines, with equal tension, together on a dedicated cleat.
Thinking time to upgrade if you complete purchase.

 

[Mr. Bubs]

make sure to lowball, they are not worth much money.

Yet another pearl of wisdom from UP...

 

[eherlihy]

How is the standing rigging?

Old furler most likely means old rigging... 'just sayin'

 

[JimsCAL]

Another problem with those furlers is that on a mooring they can slip in strong winds, allowing the sail to unfurl and resulting in a shredded sail. Saw it happen twice to a Cal 28 in my club fleet. He now raises a sock over his furled headsail.

 

[UnionPacific]

Yet another pearl of wisdom from UP...

When I say I know something, you would be wise to listen.
When I say I am speculating, take it as you will.
Catalina's are one of the cheapest boats out here. We have 4 in our marina.
They run the full range of prices. We have one with a delaminated deck that is worth less then 0, and a perfect example that is worth 16,000. Making low offers on coastal sailboats is the norm. Coastal sailboats are everywhere, and for sale all the time. Someone will take the low price.

 

[lans0012]

Thanks for the pearls of wisdom and yes I am aware that there are quite a few of these out there. I'll definitely take a much closer look at the furler and line if I get that far. This boat has some pluses and minuses like any boat and not expecting to buy a used boat that is ready to sail off without some upgrades. The original standing rigging and furler are some of the minuses and unfortunately newer electronics wont prevent a rigging failure and an AC unit wont reef the sail. The furler thing helps support my case for my "lowball" offer. We'll see how it goes, there are a couple more around here to look at too.

 

[Scotty C-M]

By all means make a lowball offer, there are so many on the market. The reason there are so many is that they are a great boat. Spend some time on the Catalina 34 International Association website. This boat is a proven bay and coastal cruiser. It would not be my first choice for an offshore voyage, but I'm absolutely not a Catalina Basher. They are very good boats, but each model has it's streingths. The 34 is a great boat for bay waters, and with consideration it handles most coastal situations. If it has the design that fits your needs, it certainly deserves consideration.

Previous posts, including the OP, point out that re-rigging might be a good idea, so put that into your thoughts while getting an offer together.

The post about the rudder might also refer to the newer designed rudder (the eliptical rudder) which gives better control than the original design. My boat had the original rudder and it was really OK in my experience.

I agree with the post that said look for the one that has everything you want. There are so many on the market that you can find some really nice, tricked out boats. Sometimes it's more economical to pay more for the boat, and get a lot of gear that you would be adding anyway. On the other hand, however, not all of have a silver spoon, and it's easier to get the boat you can afford, and work to upgrade it as the money comes in. It's a balance and a judgement call we each have to make on our own. Catalina's give a lot of bang for the buck, and the 34 is a great example of that.

Best to you.