Return from the dark side

John Langford · May 20, 2020, 11:35:36 AM

After an abortive effort to embrace power boating, Kate and I are looking forward to returning to the sailing world. The power boat, a Ranger Tug, works beautifully and is a delight to be on in anchorages and at the dock. But after one summer of cruising we found that we really missed sailing and the simple pleasure of working with the wind to get from one place to another. Our beloved 34 Mk II, 'Calypso', is in the hands of yacht club colleagues, Jim and Allison Lucas, who are are contributors to this forum. So we are on the lookout for another post-2000 34 MkII or 355, or even a 350 or 36 in the Pacific Northwest. Not an easy search in these Covid induced, closed border days.

And thus my question. Do the LOA figures published in the spec sheets by Catalina include the anchor roller in the calculation? Our slip at the yacht club is limited to boats no longer than 36'5" and the administration takes the measurement very seriously. A 34 Mk II has a published LOA of 34'6" but is charged for 36' with a Bruce or Rocna on the roller. The 355 and 350 LOAs are both advertised to be 35'5". If that includes the roller, then with an anchor they should be less than the ironclad limit of 36'5". A Catalina 36, at 35'6" apparently doesn't make the cut and is forced onto the long waiting list for a longer slip.

So if anyone has authoritative information on how Catalina makes its LOA calculation I would be delighted to hear it. No reply when I asked Catalina directly. We made one bad mistake by trading Calypso in for a powerboat; we don't want to make a second one by buying a boat that doesn't fit into our slip. The waiting lists are too long for an ancient mariner.

And, of course, if you have a 34 mk II in the Pacific Northwest that you are prepared to part with, please let me know.

KWKloeber · May 20, 2020, 01:13:28 PM

Have you phoned warren at CTY in FL?

When Kent was still with the company he sent me a pdf set of blueprints for the C-30 - presume they would do the same for a 36, etc.

John Langford · May 20, 2020, 01:44:36 PM

Thanks for the tip. Do you happen to have a last name and phone number?

Ron Hill · May 20, 2020, 01:45:37 PM

John : There should be no reason that a "34 ft" Catalina should not be able to float in a 35ft slip! I had the same problem in a condo marina back in the 1980s. You might also measure your present slip and see what its actual size is.

BTW, pile driving is NOT an exact science!!

A thought

Ron Hill · May 20, 2020, 01:48:26 PM

John : Warren Tandy tel# is (727) 544-6681

John Langford · May 20, 2020, 04:35:46 PM

Thanks Ron. I'll call him tomorrow.

Nice to see you are still part of the C34 discussions. There is an enormous amount of chatter on the Ranger Tug forums (where I've been hiding for a year), but nothing like this concentration of knowledge and experience on one particular model.

Dave Spencer · May 21, 2020, 04:26:52 AM

John,
Our marina too takes LOA very seriously and they measured boats while on the hard with plumb bobs etc. Our Mk 1.5 is under 36 ft with an aftermarket bow roller extension included. (But not the extra few inches of the anchor which I stow in the anchor locker off season.) We pay for 36' and would pay that if we measured 35' 1" or greater. If we were 36' 1", we would be paying for 37 ft. Unless you have overhanging dinghy davits, you can be certain that any C34 is less than your marina's limit of 36' 5"

scgunner · May 21, 2020, 07:38:10 AM

John,

It doesn't really matter what Catalina says about the LOA of their boats, your marina is going to put a tape measure on your boat and that's the LOA not what Catalina says. I think Catalina lists my C34 at something like 34" 6" but my marina says the boat is 35' 2" and that's without any add on overhangs like anchor roller or davits. Fortunately for me my marina allows a 4' 11" overhang.

Stu Jackson · May 21, 2020, 08:45:26 PM

Could it be that the bow pulpit may be further forward than the anchor roller?

Roc · May 22, 2020, 08:03:02 AM

John,
It appears with the anchor in place, the anchor will be further forward of the bow pulpit. Some marinas include any other items attached to the boat like a swim platforms, the dinghy attached to the davit, to the overall length and not only the "length" of the boat model (i.e. Catalina "34"). A 28ft. power boat with a swim platform is much longer than 28 feet.

By the way, it's interesting that you want to move out of your trawler since I seem to remember it wasn't that long ago that you switched over. Any of your other options instead of a C34 would be good boats, except the 350. I spoke to a dealer friend a number of years ago at the boat show and it's not considered one of the stellar boats Catalina designed. Since you have an issue with overall length, have you considered a Catalina model in the 30-32 foot range? I've been on "newer" Catalina models in that range and the new designs have a lot of room inside, certainly good for a couple with a few guests on board.

scgunner · May 23, 2020, 07:21:03 AM

Roc,

What's the problem with the C35, there's one in the slip right next to me, it's a beautiful boat and the guy seems pretty happy with it.

Mick Laver · May 23, 2020, 07:45:29 AM

Hi John
Welcome back.
I just went through this exercise since we were considering moving to another slip. Our boat, from the Rocna to the aftmost edge of the swim step, is 35.5'.

Roc · May 24, 2020, 11:17:52 AM

I've personally never sailed on a C350. Just going with the feedback I had with a fellow that works for a Catalina dealer that I speak to often. He has sailed many Catalina boats (along with others) for many years. His impression is there are other models that will sail better. Can't remember the specifics, but it just stuck in my head that it wasn't the top of the crop. I don't think that model had that long of a run.