IP 31 vs Catalina 36

[cfarrar]

Seriously...yes 20 is excessive for both boats...The VMG would be horrible. 15 would be on the high end of efficiency.
Besides, after awhile picking up you're house after a exciting sail gets just isn't worth it anymore.

Fair enough. I don't know these particular boats. My boat's happy at 25 degrees heel, and there's no pickup required until far past that, so I honestly thought you made a typo.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by AiniA

I agree entirely. The two boats are very different in purpose. For the Caribbean I would choose the Catalina of these two. The only problem would be if you decided to go further. For that I would not choose either.

How is their purpose "very different"? Aren't they both cruising boats?

[cheoah]

Ya I don't think there's anything bizarre about a guy trying to get input on two different types of boats. If I was the OP, I'd read dionski's post to say "re-evaluate your needs and see what you come up with". That's constructive and helpful, but it is also what he is doing right now.

When he said he's narrowed it down, maybe he meant narrowed it down to the two boats he was looking at this weekend

Everyone approaches boat buying in their own way, and newer boaters don't necessarily have the experience that they will after a couple of boats. It's a natural limitation, but this forum is helpful.

It took me to my third and current boat to get the exact boat that suited my needs completely. The first two suited my needs originally, but time and experience made it clearer what features were most important to me. Now I've realized I really want a tiller....

[AiniA]

Well there are cruising boats and there are cruising boats, which gets us to the meaning of the word 'cruising'. For the OP's purpose in the Caribbean with mainly daysails and the occasional overnight passage the Catalina makes more sense with better accommodation and somewhat better performance.

[Hotel L]

Originally Posted by cfarrar

Fair enough. I don't know these particular boats. My boat's happy at 25 degrees heel, and there's no pickup required until far past that, so I honestly thought you made a typo.

What boat do you have?

[Mystic38]

methinks you are confusing "can my boat heel further than 15 degrees?" with "is there any point in sailing while heeled more than 15 degrees?"..to which the answer for 99% of boats is yes and no, respectively.

In particular, if you are referring to your Sabre, then of course it is happy at 25 degrees..the vast majority of boats are as happy as the admiral lets it be when heeled that far... however.. it is not either a comfortable sail nor an efficient one heeled at those angles...it basically becomes "all show and no go".

p.s. my Sabre 38 owners manual clearly states 15 degrees as an optimum angle of heel.

Originally Posted by cfarrar

Fair enough. I don't know these particular boats. My boat's happy at 25 degrees heel, and there's no pickup required until far past that, so I honestly thought you made a typo.

[Kenomac]

Go for max living space if you're planning to live aboard with a second person... so the Catalina 31 wins. The IP would be much more rugged, but you'll be spending 95% of your time at anchor or in a marina. Now if the choice was between a Cat 36 and an IP 38, then the IP wins.

[Mystic38]

I tend to agree with this post.. these two boats are so very far apart in almost every respect I would guess that the single matching criteria is price?, if so, then there are a bunch of other boats from mid 80's onwards that should be considered...

Originally Posted by dionski

It seems a little bizarre to have arrived at these two particular boats being the best possible choices for your purposes, particularly because they share almost nothing in common. I would go back and carefully consider what you want the boat to do for you, and then look around and see what fits the bill. If you accurately evaluate your needs, all the candidates should end up being pretty similar.

but..since this is an ip31 vs cat36 discussion I shall offer an opinion about a number of comments..

1. pricing: a wash
resale pricing of a purchased used boat?, I suspect that there is zero difference between these two, or any other well known brands... ie.. if I pay $100k as a fair price for a 8 year old boat, I suspect that an 8.5 year old boat is worth exactly the same..

2. sailing comfort: a wash or cat36+
I suspect that any perceived sailing comfort from the increased D/L of the IP31 is completely offset by the Cat36 being significantly longer. On a length/length basis, the IP would be a better ride and is better rigged for Carib conditions...but giving away 5ft of length at 30ft is significant.

3. Light air sailing : n/a
For sure the cat36 would perform better in light air..but when do you see that in the islands?..

4. better rig : IP
A stock cat36 will likely be overpowered in the islands.. 15-20kts and 6-8ft seas are quite common so if it was me I would factor in adding a 100% yankee into the the purchase price.

5. Better liveaboard : cat36
you just cant beat length when it comes to daily comfort...in that 6-7 months, you may actually be sailing for less that two weeks..the rest of the time you are living on board.

If it was me, at any price level I would not pick either of these two boats.. I would rather go longer and older, however to the OP I would simply say that if its between these two and to you they are equivalent, simply buy the one that has the most useful gear onboard.. ie best electronics, solar, watermaker, most complete canvas, newest sails, largest battery bank/alternator etc... as it is really easy to spend an extra $20k outfitting a boat.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Go for max living space if you're planning to live aboard with a second person... so the Catalina 31 wins. The IP would be much more rugged, but you'll be spending 95% of your time at anchor or in a marina. Now if the choice was between a Cat 36 and an IP 38, then the IP wins.

I have to agree with this.

A big part of cruising is living on the boat, so the most important characteristic would be the livability.

[Mike1969]

I don't mean to confuse you any further, but here is a yacht that could be your perfect combination of the two - Delphia 33' : Delphia 33

[JK n Smitty]

Originally Posted by Mike1969

I don't mean to confuse you any further, but here is a yacht that could be your perfect combination of the two - Delphia 33' : Delphia 33

Something tells me you are talking a way different price point.

[gcaskew]

The intent of the post was trying to get input on buying a smaller better quality built boat vs a larger, but still quality boat, while still keeping the initial cost of the boat around $50k. I want to keep $25 k for a good solid refit to bring it to "good life" cruising standards. Repair what needs to be repaired, add water maker, solar and wind power, honda 2000, good dink if needed...etc...

My wife and I will be island hopping the Caribbean and maybe Central America. No big blue water for us.

I've also looked at Irwin CC's and older boats, but if you have a better choice for a boat that I might have overlooked, please share...

[mparent]

It really depends on your sailing plans. If you are felxible and sail only in good weather choose the Catalina for size. For ruggedness choose the IP. I have an IP 38 and they are one hell of a boat.

[gcaskew]

I'd love an IP 38 but I can't afford it and have a large kitty...lol

[Tortuga's Lie]

I was vacationing on St John a couple of years ago in Chocolate Bay and there were several boats that had been washed ashore after a big storm swept through the area. One of these boats was an Island Packet 32 and I guess the owner decided that it was not worth salvaging so he/they cut it up with a chainsaw and sawzall. I was extremely disappointed that the hull thickness at the turn of the bilge was only about 5/16" !!! I guess IP utilizes the hull pan to strengthen the structure but still, 5/16" is mighty thin. Here's some pictures.
On the second pic, my hand is resting on the hull itself and if you zoom in you can see the hull thickness as it turns into the keel.