The thing to keep in mind when thinking about boats in this particular size niche is that, for the most part, they all fulfill the same needs. Which is hardly surprising when confronted with a 27ish by 9ish foot envelope. Take the Catalina 27 for instance. It pretty much sets the norm for what you …
Apparently, some folks don’t agree that a bog standard 27-foot production boat can be a capable cruising conveyance. I get the fact that a boat in this size range is not everyone’s cup of tea but they are capable and well within most peoples means. Sure a 44-foot Swan might be better but it also …
As someone who’s managed to survive three category 5 storms at anchor with minimal damage, I’ll be the first person to say that the only safe/sane way to deal with a major storm is to be somewhere else when it’s happening. Which has a lot to do with always having at least a sketchy plan …
Whenever a hurricane looks like it might ruin my day/week/month/year I do a quick CraigList search of possible boats to buy because, you know, shit happens. Call it my plan B but in the event of losing the boat in a serious storm my plan is to get out of Dodge on the first available …
OK, I’ll admit that I’ve never been a fan of Catalina sailboats. Don’t really know why but I’ve always preferred the design work of Lapworth and Tripp and nothing in the Catalina lineup grabbed my attention. Hell, maybe it’s just the “Catalina” smile issue… That said, Catalina made a shitload of boats, they all floated …
Maybe the VolksCruiser you should be looking for… Read More »
Refitting an old boat on a budget, while possible, is no easy task. It’s also a lot of work and in our current world real work is not something a lot of people are comfortable with. It also takes a certain amount of brain power. While I won’t throw stones in that direction there are …
Way back when I was living on a peniche just outside of Paris, I seriously considered building George Buehler’s Hager design. I still think it would have been a great boat to cruise with. With a 28-foot LOD it’s a small boat of the Pardey mindset but shippy as all hell and more than able …
Apparently, there are so many old boats out there that it’s affecting new boat sales. Think about that for a moment. What does the longevity of classic plastic say about how well these boats were made so that in spite of abuse and neglect they’re still floating and right side up? Just sayin’…
A really good article on why a small and simple Catalina makes a lot of sense. You’re still here?
As someone who follows the used boat market fairly closely I’ll point out a few things I’ve learned about buying and selling boats… “No time wasters!” Nothing makes me want to avoid looking at a boat for sale than an ad that has the “No Time Wasters” text somewhere within the ad. In my experience …
