C36 Replacement: The New C375

[Jon Schneider]

A friend on the C36 org's list attended the New England Boat Show in Boston this weekend and I thought you all might be interested in his commentary and photos:
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[edited from an email by Ahmet, owner of s/v Nomad, a C36 Mk I]

"Ok, here are the pictures: http://www.photobucket.com/albums/y125/LostCaptn/Boats/Catalina375

It was neat to chat with Gerry Douglas. He is definitely big into customer feedback.
He asked me to get back to him with what I thought about the boat. I told him I'd send him an email.

In general, I liked the 375 It does not look as much like a whale as the 350 does.
It goes for about $190,000 and has the flavor of being a replacement for the 36 MKII

My wife, being a MKI snob, :):) was still not satisfied with the lack of interior storage space.
There is a lot of storage outside, including 2 propane tanks holders and a deep locker.
It comes with both wing and fin keel configurations.
There is a fairly good size  station to port as you enter.
The Galley is to starboard.
There is a front opening fridge, a separate insulated  box and a pantry in the large galley.
The table folds out of the way in a very ingenious way, and it has the small game table.
Gerry said that the production boat would have a larger game table.
Interestingly, the layout was very similar to the Island Packet 370.
The shower has a separate stall.
The V-berth is laid out such that the head is facing froward, there is nice access from the sides.

There are drawers under the seats on the Starboard side, the area under the settee on the port is taken up by a tank and batteries.
The aft cabin is similar to the 36 MKII, not very impressive, but comfortable enough. I probably would prefer the V-berth.
The companionway is smaller (which is good) and has the typical bridge deck-like lift for safety.
There is a nice deep anchor locker with 2 bow rollers and electric windlass.
The handholds in the cabin are over the port lights on the walls, not on the cabin roof.
It has a yanmar 40 hp engine. The access seems to be good.
Gerry Douglas says that it should be faster that the 36 because of the waterline. He said that he wanted to come up with a new 36, but just could not fit all what he wanted to fit into that size.
The rigging is similar to the 36 with 3 separate chain plates. The mainsail has vertical battens, so the in-mast mainsail furling does not loose any sail area.
There was a LCD TV forward port which seemed to sacrifice on counter area. Because of the main table setup, the bulkhead can not be used for a TV.
 
So, the major negatives (for our criteria) was the lack of interior storage (a bit more than the C-36 MKII, but not as as much as the MKI) and the lack of a proper aft cabin (The 320 has a much better aft cabin)

The mast is deck stepped, FWIIW. I like keel stepped masts, but that is debatable.

I think in general it is a nice boat. It seems to be a nice sailor's boat with some amenities designed for the admiral.
Ahmet
www.sailnomad.com

[Jim Price]

Our Fleet 13 worked the Atlanta Boat show this weekend with Dunbar Sales( St. Simons GA) and we had a lot of discussion about the the 375 and the new 350.  The 350 has undergone some change to reduce the "boxy" look and I admit it looks much better.  Based on your photos and our dealer comment, the 350 and 375 share a lot of design - notably the new pedestal console, both traveler lines on port side, shear lines, window structure, and the LACK of overhead grab rails (you gotta have some real long arms when you go below).  They said short people could not reach them anyway - well we ain't all short!!!

The Atlanta show price for Spring deliver was about $202,000 - that is with full canvas, 2nd refrigerator, ST-6000 and full instruments, air, etc, and the most expensive entertainment systems you could ever buy, the 19" LCD = $1,900; Jensen stereo . CD + Bose speakers = $2,400.  Also, there was a $1,600 charge for wing keel - funny, I always thought the boats came with keels???  Any way the boat dressed out at around $216-$217 before show discounts.

One customer was interested in the 375 because there was only a $15,000 difference in the base prices of the 350 & 375.  Interstingly, his main concern was mast hight due to his location.  Catalina did not have that info yet but guess was between 52' for 350 and 56' for 387.

One fact that was published for the 375 was Hull Speed of 7.86 knots.  She is a big one....

[Jon Schneider]

The commodore of the C36 Org, Tom Sokoloski, got to the New England Boat Show as well, and with a better camera, so here are some more shots of the new C375: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AasmrRk0cMXQw