Catalina 27 - Would Like Real Advice

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Catalina 27
John Kretschmer offers up a detailed and realistic review of the Catalina 27, in his Used Boat Notebook for Sailing magazine (Nov. 2002).

Goto ➥ Used Boat Notebook

Or ➥ Sailing Magazine | Catalina 27

has anyone been able to get these links to load on their puter?
i can't get em to work.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

has anyone been able to get these links to load on their puter?
i can't get em to work.

The hotlinks work for me, but try manually inserting the URLs:

http://www.

➥ catalina27.org/public_pages/used_boat_notebook.htm

➥ sailingmagazine.net/boats/6-used-boat-notebook/548-catalina-27

[jdoe71]

Patrick Childress circumnavigated in a Catalina 27. There are numerous places on the web to see what he did to the boat. Mostly, it was mods to keep water out not massive structural changes. They are a good starter boat but I personally not would take one very far away from a coastline though.

[Solitude]

There is many Catalina 27s out there so you should be able to shop around. I looked at a few when I bought my Cascade.

I didn't like the versions with the (Booth Seating) It takes up a lot of space.

The plus about older Catalinas is that there is so much information on them. If you need to do a repair its as easy as hitting Google

C27 Manuals

[michaelmrc]

i have an 1980 catalina 27 standard layout with a 1gm10 inboard diesel. it has tons of room compared to other 27 and 28's we looked at. it sails great in light airs and if reefed down not too bad in heavier airs. seems to handle the waters quite well although the snottiest waters ive had it in are the georgia strait and juan de fuca strait. there are tons of c27's out there for sale some really good others not so good but when i bought mine i specifically searched out one with a good inboard. way better in bigger seas plus the benefit of being able to decently charge your batteries.

[Cheechako]

Your boat should be good for all the coastal and near shore work if you are diligent about watching weather etc. The Cat 27 has as much ballast as most boats so capsizing risk would be no higher. I would not hesitate taking a well maintained, well found Cat 27 from Florida to Trinidad. Most of those waters are sailed by inexperienced charterers in boats that are no better. The key is a few overnight , longer passages. Timing and understanding what to do on the few overnight passages required is what you need to do: Gulf Stream Fl to Bahamas. Turks to Dominican Republic. DR to Puerto Rico. Grenada to Trinidad. All over nighters. Not a big deal, just know your boat, how to control it etc. I would not categorize this "Offshore sailing" As the previous poster mentioned.... the Straight of Juan de Fuca can be as bad as any of those passages....

[Solitude]

Originally Posted by michaelmrc

i specifically searched out one with a good inboard. way better in bigger seas plus the benefit of being able to decently charge your batteries.

Good point !

I to looked for and bought a boat with a good inboard diesel. Have the 1gm10 and find it much better than others with outboards in big seas. Of course anyone with an outboard would argue that they are easy to pop off and take to the shop.

[michaelmrc]

they may be but if you have a good inboard diesel and you perform regular maintenance you shouldnt need to take it to the shop.

[Cheechako]

I forgot to add: you will want to know your boat... and be comfortable with especially: keel bolt condition. Rudder and rudder shaft condition, Chainplate condition. (also, if yours has the round spreaders with the little cast aluminum bases at the mast... replace these with newe at least...

[dubhouse]

Originally Posted by Downtothesea

Buy the Catalina 27, learn to sail her, coastal cruise and, the if you decide you want to cross oceans buy a bluewater boat. A 1976 Catalina 27 should cost you under $8000 and maybe much less than that in today's economy!

I concur. I just bought a Coronado 27 with the intent to learn sailing and then buy a larger boat if I decide to travel the world. It's really awesome to jump right in with a boat and not worry too much about the future. And if you find the right boat that is really cheap, you'll save lots of money as compared to chartering a vessel. I got mine for $2250 and have been having the best time fixing her up and sailing her around and giving her a snazzy new name.

[gulfstar37]

We purchased a 1979 inboard and sailed the Great Lakes for over 20 years taking up to 3 week trips at a time. All of our kids were raised on it and were very comfortable but a little cramped. Catalina has a great web site and monthly journal called "mainsheet" that members talk about modifications and upgrades. There are a few known issues with these boats that have been idenitified and solutions that can be done by yourself if you are a little handy. Catalina also supports parts and upgrades for all the older boats. If you find the right 27 in good condition, I would not hesitate to to purchase for a sailboat to learn on. These can be sailed quite easily by yourself with a little set up.

Several years ago we purchased something a little larger for retirement and currently enjoying it. One thing to keep in mind is smaller has smaller cost and larger has larger cost. You don't get anything for nothing. Sure the heavier desplacement cuts through 2 foot waves with hardly blinking but going around the race bouys the lively 27 diffently is a lot easier.

We will probably downsize when we get older and the Cat 27 will be back on the list.

[DaveC]

The Catalina 27 is a good boat for coastal cruising. It has fairly good displacement and enough room to store your gear. Plus, they're pretty simple and easy to handle. And as was mentioned in a previous post, a modified one was circumnavigated.

I would venture to say that most well-found boats will weather a storm better than the crew. As the old saying goes, it's not the ships but the men in them. Of course, the experience of the crew also accounts for knowing the limitations of your vessel. In fair weather any boat can cross an ocean. In bad weather things are different. If I were going to cross an ocean on a Catalina 27, I would certainly have to pay more attention to the seasons and the weather than if I were going to do it in a Westsail 32.

If I were you I would buy the Catalina 27 and learn to sail her properly in coastal waters. After a while, when you've weathered some storms and such, you will understand what she can handle and what she can't. More importantly, what you can handle and what you can't. Then I suspect you will be able to decide for yourself if you should do an offshore passage with her. One thing is certain, when the ocean gets nasty, no matter what kind of boat you have it feels really small. In this case, the bigger and stronger, the better. But alas, we are limited by our own personal finances.

Good luck in your decision.

One thing I will mention. Beware of the unprotected rudder if you ground her. I had a friend who worked for Catalina, and many Catalinas (27 on up) are sunk because the unprotected rudder gets bent on hard groundings and the rudder post cracks the hull back there.

-Dave C.

[wildebeest3]

My sailing on the Catalina 27's are great memories and I think it is the perfect starter boat. Be aggressive on price, low ball 'em!

I bought a Watkins 27 over the Catalina 27 because it had more room down below and it felt more solid to me. But the Catalina always blew us away whenever we raced. It's all good!

[Connemara]

first one worked fine. didn't try the second.


Connemara

[Bobbetto]

Originally Posted by Downtothesea

The prior post is good advice if you are going to cross oceans and can afford a bluewater boat. But obviously not posted by a Catalina owner. A Catalina 27 is a perfect boat for coastal cruising at a very reasonable cost. We have lived aboard full-time and coastal cruised (over 3000 miles) on our Catalina 27 for the past 3 and a half years. It was designed as a coastal cruiser and has served us well. We plan to continue living on the boat until health and old age drag us off! She is a great sailing boat and we have no desire for a larger boat or more complicated boat.

If we were going to sail around the world or do more than coastal cruising or over to the Bahamas or coastal passages over 100 miles or so then, of course, we would buy a bluewater boat. Too many people buy the bluewater boat first and then never do anything but coastal cruise or worse yet stay tied up in a marina for years and never go anywhere (we never stay in a marina unless we absolutely have to, usually less than 7 days per year). Buy the Catalina 27, learn to sail her, coastal cruise and, the if you decide you want to cross oceans buy a bluewater boat. A 1976 Catalina 27 should cost you under $8000 and maybe much less than that in today's economy!

Hi, besides being completely agree on what my friend wrote Downtothesea (on Sunday sailors abound here with us in Italy ), I refer to those who buy boats ocean 50 feet for use as motor home or trailer as always tied at the quay in a large apartment building.
I was surprised how little cost a Catalina 27 ... in Italy ask at least 20000 euro, however I love all models Catalina.
See you soon ... Bob.