CATALINA 355 PROS CONS ISSUES

[canuck]

Trust some 355 owners are on this site. We are considering a 355 as a replacement for our 2004 MKII which we sold last year.
The 355 has lots of sizzle and adressed many issues we found lacking but certainly correctable in the 34. We lament selling our 34 but as they said in the Godfather, we received an offer we couldn't refuse. In retrospect, it was a wise decision given todays used boat prices.

Tell me what you like, dislike and improvements made. Any warranty issues or gremlins?

Much appreciated.

[Clay Greene]

I would be very interested in this topic as well, including any thoughts on the performance of the 29-hp Yanmar.  That seems undersized for the displacement of the C355.  Catalina was putting 35-hp M35Bs in the most recent C34s and I believe the displacement of the C34 is/was considerably less than the C355. 

[tonywright]

The "design weight" of the wing keel C355 is 14,800, which is more than the advertized "design weight" of the C34, but equal to or less than the real life measured weight of most recent wing keel C34's.

So maybe not so much real life difference in displacement after all. It may be more relevant to compare the hull profile below the waterline, but I am not sure you can get that from the published specs.

Tony

[wind dancer]

Claygr, I thought the M35B was 30hp?  29hp is roughly equivalent, and the older 34s have 21hp to 23hp engines.

[Ken Juul]

The 355 has a Yanmar engine rated at 29 hp.

[tonywright]

C34 MKII owners manual says 35HP, 26.1kW.

Tony

[George Bean]

I had the opportunity to sail a 355 for an afternoon on San Francisco Bay earlier this summer and left with very favorable impressions.  We motored out of the Estuary and hoisted (or is it "pulled out" now?) sail near the Ferry Building.  We sailed almost to Harding Rock making several tacks, gybed, sailed a beam reach for a "speed run" then returned to Alameda via the backside of Treasure Island.  Speeds were taken off a hand held GPS.  Apparent winds peaked out in the low twenties, not nuclear, but typical for early afternoon here.  Tide was in flood so the Bay chop was fairly "flat".

I didn't notice the engine's apparent small size at all as it pushed the boat into the flood in the mid six knot range.  Boat tracks well under power.  The sails were a 110 jib and a main with vertical battens.  I understand that Catalina no longer has their in-house sail loft so sails can be custom ordered.  Hoisting was easy and I found the main easier to set and trim for speed than what I experienced on the roller mains on C34s.  The primary winches are set back close to the helm (where the secondary's usually are).  This made it a snap to do single handed tacks and trim adjustments, but I think it would get a little crowded in a full crewed situation.  Helming was a delight, it was very easy to put the boat in trim and sail with a balanced helm.  Traveler controls were at the edge of the coach roof and easily accessible from anywhere in the cockpit.  You could "power up" or flatten the boat down at will with just minor traveler adjustments.  We had no problem gybing.  The boat peaked out in the low eight knot range (GPS) which would put us at or near hull speed during our "speed run".  The boat has much higher freeboard than the 34's or 36's and I was unable to bury the toe rail (which I did on my 34's test sail).  The boat is very dry even without a dodger.  This 355 was not equipped with a kite so I wasn't able to try out the (optional) bow sprit.

I thought that the 355 was a nice sailing boat. It is a Catalina and heavy so it's performance drops off dramatically under 10kts apparent.  But, in teens to low twenties, a delight.  I especially liked the cockpit ergonomics.  Gerry has flatten out the coamings near the helm making comfortable seating positions for the helmsman.  I really, really liked this feature.  The 355 has a much heavier feel than the 34 (akin to the 36).  But being able to sit "high and dry" would be less fatiguing for the helmsman on longer passages.  I have to confess, at first, I did not like the direction Gerry was taking on the 350 design, but lately I've been rethinking my bias.  I have had the opportunity to race against a 350 on several DH Lightbucket and Farallone races and they are not the pigs I once thought they were.  The 34's and 36's are still a lot faster on the open ocean,  but, for someone looking for a couples or family cruiser, this boat would really fit the bill nicely in my opinion.

[Ron Volk]

The Universal M-35 (which Catalina referred to as a M-35C) was used in the 1.5 version, is 30 HP.  The MkII's have the M-35B which is 35HP.

[Clay Greene]

Geroge, thanks for the review.  Very interesting information.  I saw hull #1 at Annapolis last fall and am going to see another one in a couple of weeks at a local boat show.  Similar to our boats but lots of nice improvements.  It really is a C34 Mark III.  

As to the horsepower question, Universal rated the M35 and M35A engines at 30 horsepower but the M35B was rated at 35 hp.  I can't say whether it was mostly marketing or a real performance improvement.  

[wind dancer]

Ah, so, sorry for the confusion.

I am excited to test sail a 355, but have been putting it off because I know I'll want to buy one on the spot.  I've been trying to convince myself that a lightly used 36 would be a good alternative as a replacement to my old 34.  Waiting until I can afford the 355 is probably the best decision.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

I think you should test sail a 36 before you think about giving up your 34.

Mike

[wind dancer]

Do you think the 34 sails better than the 36?  I figured they were pretty comparable, but that the 36 with it's extra weight and draft might be a bit "heavier".  Whether that translates as slower, I don't know.  I thought the small amount of extra waterline would compensate.

[Ted Pounds]

I've been on and raced against a couple of 36's (MK II's).  I think the 34 is a better boat.  JMHO...

[tommyt]

The 34 and 36 sail the same. There is what, 9 " difference in the boats? On MKII's the cockpit is identical between the two. Make the decision in the salon (which the 36 does have a great one) or the
V-berth (where the 34 wins hands down). There is a slight difference in the aft berth where again the 34 wins...but the difference is minimal.

[scotty]

One big difference between the 34 and the 36/35 is the freeboard.  I prefer the lower freeboard of the 34 because it is much easier to get on and off the boat when at the dock.  It also seems a bit closer to the water (but only slightly so) when sailing.  All three are great boats (my brother has a 36 - totally cool), and each has it's own advantages.