I started participating in forums 6 months ago. I bought my C30 a month or 2 after I started. I live in South Texas, I bought the boat to sail to the Bahamas. Not an original idea, I know. I have been working on the boat and reading the forums. It is universally agreed that a C30 is not a heavy weather boat, not an ocean passsage vessel. It's a good coastal cruiser and a great dock queen. WHY?
If one were to beef up the standing rigging, get a solid rudder stock, replace the ports with good off shore ports(or good shutters), make the hatch smaller, install some good cockpit drains, more water tanks, and run all lines to the cockpit. What about the C30 still makes it a poor choice for ocean passage? I would like to sail her across the gulf to Tampa, but if the boat flips over on 3' waves than I will take the ICW. Of course the boat will be outfitted for offshore cruising, ie. EPIRB, GPS, radar, solar, series drouge, all safety equipment, everything anyone else would load up on a passage on a
30' boat.
After my initial research I determined that the displacement of the boat was the key to seaworthiness, but there are plenty of lighter displacement boats on the seaworthy list. There are also fin keel spade rudder boats that circumnavigate(and don't say there are rowboats that circumnavigate, this isn't a row boat). So what is it about the Catalina 30 that makes it a turd in rough weather?
If one were to beef up the standing rigging, get a solid rudder stock, replace the ports with good off shore ports(or good shutters), make the hatch smaller, install some good cockpit drains, more water tanks, and run all lines to the cockpit. What about the C30 still makes it a poor choice for ocean passage? I would like to sail her across the gulf to Tampa, but if the boat flips over on 3' waves than I will take the ICW. Of course the boat will be outfitted for offshore cruising, ie. EPIRB, GPS, radar, solar, series drouge, all safety equipment, everything anyone else would load up on a passage on a
30' boat.
After my initial research I determined that the displacement of the boat was the key to seaworthiness, but there are plenty of lighter displacement boats on the seaworthy list. There are also fin keel spade rudder boats that circumnavigate(and don't say there are rowboats that circumnavigate, this isn't a row boat). So what is it about the Catalina 30 that makes it a turd in rough weather?
