My wife has always wanted one.... a Sailboat ! updated post 38

[Fishinfool]

Buy stainless revolvers, stainless 1911, stainless shotgun and stainless semi auto rifle, then you'll be ready. LOL

What with all the boating accidents resulting in lost guns I have read about here, that might not be a good idea?...

OP - Congrats on your new boat. I bet you guys will have a blast sailing her. You will become very familiar with her for good and bad - It's the nature of older boats.

Larry

 

[Marshwheeling]

I used to sail a lot in my youth, mostly Johnson and Melges scows on local city lakes. A great afternoon was to cut out of work early and get out on Minnetonka, in my roommate's E scow, with a couple of young ladies and a cooler of gin, ice, tonic and limes.
Eventually I got away from it with the realization that a good day for sailing was a good day for motorbiking. For the same reason, I never took up golf.

 

[Skeet 028]

Having had 8 or 10 boats...luckily I never had one with sails.. I have been out on them a few times oystering on the Chesapeake...my father wanted me to have the experience. They were a LOT of work Chesapeake bay Skipjack...needs more people to sail run the dredge and cull oysters. Mostly gone now...but there are plenty puff boats on the Chesapeake. Hope you enjoy that boat. Quiet is the one good thing about sailboats

 

[BigBoy99]

My wife always wanted a red Mercedes Benz convertible. I got her one for her last birthday. It was a 1/72 scale model of one. After handing her the box, I told he it was something that she had AWLAYS wanted. She was in total laughter when she unwrapped it. Glad she has a good sense of humor.

 

[kozmic]

The lines on a Catalina are classic and timeless. She's a beauty.
Calm seas, Tim. Cheers!

 

[quikdraw67]

Congrats.

I must admit, I'm a landlubber. I've been out on Lake Wallenpaupack numerous times with friends who had boats, and I was never really comfortable about it.

Ditto fishing off the NJ Highlands.

Good luck with it.

 

[Imissedagain]

The old Catalina 38' had nice lines and sailed well,
for its intended purpose.
Modded by Frank Butler from the original design by
Sparkman & Stevens.
Helped a young man get his together and on seatrial,
with a big smile at the helm, he said that this boat makes
me feel like a real man.
Told him to save up for a Nautor's Swan '80,
and be a King.
I advised him to go to sailing school so the
Coast Guard gets a day off.
Maybe they shouldn't provide the vessel's numbers
until proof of seamanship is documented.

 

[Smith & Hammer]

Well my wife has always wanted a sailboat. About 10 yrs ago we got a small day sailor and I took lessons. It didn't have a motor or any place to get out of the sun so it turned out it was not a lot of fun for us.

Fast forward to this summer. She got the fever again and we started looking for a little larger boat. We looked at a couple and even tried to take one out but it kept having small to large issues, so the fever cooled off. Mid December lo and behold she found one at a local marina that was nice and ready to go. The marina is 10 miles from our house and is located on Lake Guntersville. So we made the jump.

The 'Evita' is a '87 Catalina 25. It has a 7.5 hp Honda 4 stroke that purrs like a kitten. We have spent some time updating the inside and getting the electrical topped out. Shore power is available at the marina and she now has a nice lithium battery and inverter set up for off the pier. She will sleep 4-5, and has a separate head. All the rigging is in great condition. She is set up with a swing keel and came with a nice trailer should we decide to travel to the gulf. My buddy and I took her out yesterday although we had very little wind. We are planning on taking her out again tomorrow for my wife's first trip. Hopefully this will be our little weekend get away vessel, whether spending the night at the marina or ideally anchored out among the islands.

Tim

you couldn't have found a better boat than a Catalina 25 w/swing keel, 4 stroke engine (no oil mixing), and with a trailer. I sold my C&C 33 in 2018 and seriously considered the cat 25 b/c of it's trailer ability. I've been sailing since I was a teenager, and was a sailing instructor, and a sailmaker. and a boat rigger. spent most of the time racing. great choice, you won't be disappointed.

FYI: keep that bottom clean!

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. (frankly I'm a little bit jealous)

Bryce

 

[Smith & Hammer]

The old Catalina 38' had nice lines and sailed well,
for its intended purpose.
Modded by Frank Butler from the original design by
Sparkman & Stevens.
Helped a young man get his together and on seatrial,
with a big smile at the helm, he said that this boat makes
me feel like a real man.
Told him to save up for a Nautor's Swan '80,
and be a King.
I advised him to go to sailing school so the
Coast Guard gets a day off.
Maybe they shouldn't provide the vessel's numbers
until proof of seamanship is documented.[/QUOTE


I remember those boats. I sailed on one out of San Diego. built like a tank! definitely a blue water boat.

 

[noonster]

I've a Marinette on Lake Erie. I droooolll at Catilina's when I see them … maybe some day… I gotta ask about that "seperate head" thing… does that mean a tow-along-little-barge for the purpose? I'm unfamiliar with the term…

 

[tt66]

I've a Marinette on Lake Erie. I droooolll at Catilina's when I see them … maybe some day… I gotta ask about that "seperate head" thing… does that mean a tow-along-little-barge for the purpose? I'm unfamiliar with the term…

I will admit my terminology my be off. It has a small space for the the porti potti and a sink, that can be closed off from the other area.

 

[Rule3]

Very nice! Be sure to check the hull for debris and get ready for lots of maintenance, Keep that Teak Oiled


Never had a blow boat but had several powered ones of all sizes


Enjoy!

 

[Skeet 028]

I must admit I like the lines of many sail boats. Fishing with parties on the Chesapeake made me need to go somewhere in a hurry. That sailing Skipjack I got to go out on was of course wooden and about 35-40 feet..40 years old. It leaned a lot under sail with oyster rakes overboard. Big part of the Bay...near Smith and Tangier Island...salt water

 

[taz666]

Now that's a nice boat!

 

[LVSteve]

Nice looking yacht. Family friend had a Trident 24 in the UK when I was a kid. Theirs was a bilge keel model, much preferred for estuary moorings with large tidal range. Trouble was that layout gave her a disconcerting amount of heel in light wind, although she heeled very little more when the wind freshened. All perfectly safe, but compared to the owner's previous boat (very stiff) it gave me a little pause at first.

The Trident | Trident 24

 

[Greyman50]

Having had 8 or 10 boats...luckily I never had one with sails.. I have been out on them a few times oystering on the Chesapeake...my father wanted me to have the experience. They were a LOT of work Chesapeake bay Skipjack...needs more people to sail run the dredge and cull oysters. Mostly gone now...but there are plenty puff boats on the Chesapeake. Hope you enjoy that boat. Quiet is the one good thing about sailboats

Chesapeake Bay had/ has the Best Oysters, remember getting a bushel for $25, those were the days.

 

[smoothshooter]

They say the two happiest days of a boat owner's life are the day they buy it and the day they sell it.
But you've probably heard that one before.

 

[tt66]

Well our maiden voyage went great !! We had 10-12mph winds most of the afternoon so it was enough to keep the sails full without any added excitement. The marina is in an ideal location on the lake for a sailboat. Simply idle out a little bit and raise the sail. There were several other sailboats out today. The marina is home to a sailing club and they are preparing for early race season. We won't be racing, just cruising.

The Catalina 25 has a nice option that you can raise the roof when you are at the marina or anchored. It gives over 12" of extra headroom and provides lots of ventilation. The cabin is nice and roomy for a trailerable boat. There is a fold down table that you can see plus a small galley area that i didn't get a picture of. Forward of the cabin is the head with a sink, there is a sliding door there. Then forward of the head is the main berth. Lots of storage areas as well.

So far so good ! Thanks to you all for the well wishes.

Tim

 

[Model 15-4ever]

Congratulations on the 2d happiest day of your sailing career!

 

[Smith & Hammer]

I'm curious, what is your tow vehicle? Is it strong enough? Like to know just in case I get that itch again. Boat and trailer w/gear probably about 2500 to 3000 lbs maybe?