Catalina 30
Encyclopedia
The Catalina 30 is a twenty nine foot 11 inch long fiberglass sailboat first produced in 1974 by the Catalina Yachts
Company in California
. It is a sloop
-rigged boat with a fixed lead
keel
. It has a beam
of 10'10", and a draft
of five feet, three inches. The Catalina 30 has been through three revisions:
All three revisions refer largely to revisions of the cockpit
, rather than the hull itself, which besides modernizing the keel
, the wetted area
of the boat did not change. There are three types of keels; the original 5' 3" deep keel is still preferred for all-around performance where water depth is no problem. The early 4' 4" shoal keel has been replaced by the modern 3' 10" deep wing keel.
The Catalina 30 was the largest and longest continuous production keel boat in the world, with over 6,500 hulls
produced. In 2001 it was inducted to the American Sailboat Hall of Fame
.
The Catalina 30 is available with two mast lengths, the Standard Rig and the Tall Rig. It is also available with and without a bow sprit.
The Catalina 30 also had various engine configurations. Early models had a standard Atomic 4 gasoline engine, followed by the Universal 5411 diesel. Later, the M-15 and M-25 diesels became standard.
A yearly treatment is performed by cleaning out the keel gap and caulking it. For a more permanent fix, the top layer of fibreglass is removed from the bilge the wood insert is removed. The bilge should be built back up using epoxy fibreglass. The keel bolts should be cleaned, recaulked, and retorqued with new washers and nuts. The keel joint itself should be ground out, covered with epoxy and fiberglass cloth, and refaired. The smile is not critical assuming the keel bolts are well preserved, and several affected boats are still in use today.
The smile can also be exacerbated by improper support of the keel when the boat is out of the water... particularly during long storage periods.
To remedy this fix, most owners replace the block under the sole with a metal block or I-beam to support the weight. Still other owners have simply replaced the wood with another hardwood that has been saturated in epoxy. In both cases, the block is replaced after the mast has been removed to relieve the pressure from the compression post.
Catalina Yachts
Catalina Yachts is a U.S.-based builder of fiberglass monohull sloop-rigged sailboats ranging in sizes from eight to 47 feet in length. It was founded in 1969 in Hollywood, California by Frank Butler .-History:...
Company in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is a sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
-rigged boat with a fixed lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
. It has a beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 10'10", and a draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of five feet, three inches. The Catalina 30 has been through three revisions:
- Mark I - Produced from 1975 to 1986
- Mark II - Produced from September 1986 until 1993
- Mark III - Produced from 1993 to 2006 (replaced by the C309).
All three revisions refer largely to revisions of the cockpit
Cockpit (sailing)
In the Royal Navy, the term cockpit originally referred to the area where the coxswain was stationed. This led to the word being used to refer to the area towards the stern of a small decked vessel that houses the rudder controls...
, rather than the hull itself, which besides modernizing the keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
, the wetted area
Wetted area
In sailboating, the wetted area is the area of the hull which is immersed in water.In aircraft, the wetted area is the area which is in contact with the external airflow...
of the boat did not change. There are three types of keels; the original 5' 3" deep keel is still preferred for all-around performance where water depth is no problem. The early 4' 4" shoal keel has been replaced by the modern 3' 10" deep wing keel.
The Catalina 30 was the largest and longest continuous production keel boat in the world, with over 6,500 hulls
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
produced. In 2001 it was inducted to the American Sailboat Hall of Fame
American Sailboat Hall of Fame
The American Sailboat Hall of Fame was established in 1994 by Sail America to recognize ingenuity in designs by American boat builders. The physical display is housed in The Museum of Yachting located in Fort Adams State Park, Newport, Rhode Island, and includes examples of many of the selected...
.
Configurations
The Catalina 30 has various configurations which affect overall performance. Early hulls were equipped with a tiller only, and with the main sheet traveller located at the aft end of the cockpit. Eventually all boats were delivered with wheel steering and the main sheet located over the companionway hatch.The Catalina 30 is available with two mast lengths, the Standard Rig and the Tall Rig. It is also available with and without a bow sprit.
The Catalina 30 also had various engine configurations. Early models had a standard Atomic 4 gasoline engine, followed by the Universal 5411 diesel. Later, the M-15 and M-25 diesels became standard.
Catalina Smile
This refers to a problem exhibited by all the Catalinas built prior to mid-1988. With time a separation occurs between the keel and the keel stub, usually at the leading edge of the joint. The defect was attributed to the use of a wooden insert in the bilge between the top layer of fiberglass and the keel stub proper. The keel bolts pass through this insert, and it's thought that compression of the insert allows the keel to pull away from the stub, leading to the separation.A yearly treatment is performed by cleaning out the keel gap and caulking it. For a more permanent fix, the top layer of fibreglass is removed from the bilge the wood insert is removed. The bilge should be built back up using epoxy fibreglass. The keel bolts should be cleaned, recaulked, and retorqued with new washers and nuts. The keel joint itself should be ground out, covered with epoxy and fiberglass cloth, and refaired. The smile is not critical assuming the keel bolts are well preserved, and several affected boats are still in use today.
The smile can also be exacerbated by improper support of the keel when the boat is out of the water... particularly during long storage periods.
Compression Post Damage
This refers to a problem common to many Catalina 30's. The Catalina 30 has a deck stepped mast, which means that there is a compression post inside the salon that transfers the weight of the mast from the deck to the cabin sole. Underneath the sole is a wooden block encased in fiberglass. This block transfers the weight of the compression post and mast to the keel. Due to the wet conditions of the bilge area under the cabin sole (from both the propeller shaft stuffing box and the shower drain) the wooden block eventually rots and the weight of the mast will cause deformation and cracking in the deck. It will also cause deformation in the bulkheads and doors common to the head.To remedy this fix, most owners replace the block under the sole with a metal block or I-beam to support the weight. Still other owners have simply replaced the wood with another hardwood that has been saturated in epoxy. In both cases, the block is replaced after the mast has been removed to relieve the pressure from the compression post.