Practical Sailor C34 Review

[Ted Pounds]

https://www.practical-sailor.com/sailboat-reviews/the-catalina-34-30-years-later?trlg=1

[Ron Hill]

Ted : Thanks for sharing - we all knew that the C34 was a SUPER Sailboat.  Just nice to see that others think so tooo!!

A thought

[krafty81]

I love Practical Sailor!

[Ted Pounds]

I particularly liked this quote:  "In general, satisfaction with the Catalina 34 rates very high. We suspect this is due in large part to the great support that owners get through the Catalina 34 International Association..."   

[Stu Jackson]

In 2015 I helped write much of the text of Practical Sailor's 20 year review.  Much of that text remains in this 30 year update.  Indeed, the photos in "Interior Notes" and "Critics Corner" sidebars at the bottom of this 30 year review are actually of my boat.  The 20 year review included all of the larger photos of my boat, which this 30 year review replaced with those pictures just lifted from yachtworld.

The 20 year review was added to the tech wiki but I just checked and that link now goes to this 30 year review, most likely because it links to Practical Sailor's website, although the wiki intro still says "2015 review".

[Jon W]

That explains the MK1 photos when the text talks about 1990 and later boats. What do you have mounted to the fwd stbd bulkhead in the salon? Nice heater and installation as well.

[Stu Jackson]

What do you have mounted to the fwd stbd bulkhead in the salon? Nice heater and installation as well.

Jon, that is a kerosene heater.  While it looks "nautical" I found it useless.  There is a reservoir under the V berth bunk with copper piping to the heater.  The kerosene tank needed to be pumped up with air, a bicycle pump.  To light it requires priming with alcohol in the basin under the burner.  It made a horrible sound and I think i only used it twice in 25 years! 

The most useful heater I found for the boat (other than electric space heaters - Caframo) are catalytic, using green propane bottles.  They're equivalent to 1500W heaters.

[Jon W]

Is the white thing mounted to the stbd bulkhead a cabinet?

[Stu Jackson]

Is the white thing mounted to the stbd bulkhead a cabinet?

In the galley?  Not sure about which photo and what white thing...

[Jon W]

The photo under the header that says Interior.

The photo is of the saloon looking fwd. On the left bulkhead is the heater, on the right bulkhead above the seat is a white object with an arched top.

[Stu Jackson]

• T
  
  >>>>>>>>>>>>on the right bulkhead above the seat is a white object with an arched top.
  

I believe you may be referring to the trawler lamp.  It hangs from a hook attached to the wooden frame around the saloon hatch.  The white puck like objects on the overhead are downlights I added, one over the saloon table another over the galley sink.

[Noah]

Looks like a big arched framed mirror to me.

[Jon W]

Looks like an arched framed mirror to me too, but wondered if it opened for storage.

[Ted Pounds]

Here's the review on a YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/QIND5fmx2pM?si=ST3hD0qvVgNqh7Qu

[AndyBC]

No extra info or viewpoints provided in the youtube video. He's basically reading word-for-word from the written article.