Catalina 380 ??
Tommcmahan
Looking for feedback from those with sailing experience with the new
Catalina 380. Any information would be appreciated. Regards, Tom
Howard
Tommcmahan wrote:
>
> Looking for feedback from those with sailing experience with the new
> Catalina 380. Any information would be appreciated. Regards, Tom
Tom:
Living in So. Cal. and sailing my Catalina 34 out of Marina del Rey, had a chance
to sail a 380. A very nice layout, particularly the centerline bed aft, which
makes it very comfortable to access. The centerline bed aft is very similar to the
Catalina 400. The 380 seems to be a well-balanced boat, unlike the 2-wheeled C-400
that looks and feels bulky. However, I do prefer the mast-stepped at the keel
rather than the compression post on the 380. Gerry Douglas of Catalina Yachts
insists that the use of the compression post is as safe as stepping the mast at the
keel, but independent engineers question that.....I am NOT an engineer, so I have
no logical opinion.
The 380 has major advantages over the 36 interior.....BY FAR!!!!
The head even has a separate shower stall with a plexiglass door---- in addition to
the centerline aft bed.
Although I own a 1988 Catalina 34, I am very disappointed with the new 34--Mark
II. The 36 Mark II is far superior in every way.
Getting back to your 380 question, just for the centerline bunk and outstanding
head, the 380 is very desirable for cruising, and about $30,000 less than the
400. That's a lot of money for a second head, and steering problems with the 2
wheels.
The 380 main should have the Harken Bat Cars to make hoisting the main a lot easier
than with conventional slides. Catalina no longer uses exterior wood trim, so
maintenance is minimal. The imitation Corian (sure looks real) makes the interior
look pretty nice....the old Formica countertops have happily vanished!!!
........good luck from Howard, Los Angeles
C-34 #639 'R'TOY
Marc de Jong
> Tommcmahan wrote:
>
> Looking for feedback from those with sailing experience with the new
> Catalina 380. Any information would be appreciated. Regards, Tom
As I understand it, the hull of the 380 is actually the hull of the
Morgan 38, the centre cockpit design, except, obviously, the deck.
So, one might argue that the 380 is not a true Catalina and will have
different sailing qualities than say, the 400. The 400 is, by the way,
the odd one out in the Catalina range: faster and sportier than the
other designs.
Catalina does have a web site where you can request information thru a
form. I tried that for the 380 but I got no reply...so much for that
service...
Happy sailing....Marco
Tommcmahan
Marco: Thanks for the reply. I guess the Morgan hull is a good deal. Hope
so. The boat is certainly laid out well. My wife is sold on the
Benneteau 381. I am having a hard time selling her on the Catalina.
Thanks again. Happy sailing. Regards, Tom
mlk
tom- we saw both at the long beach boat show this past weekend. we
really liked the catalina 380 for all the reasons mentioned here, but we
also tried to go on the benneteau 381. tried is the operative word
here!...the stern is contructed such that getting on and off her was an
exercise in caution and i really felt like i was going over an obsticle
course and almost fell into the water coming off! there were 4 adults
down below and the space was SO limited we just blew it off.
there were at least that many on the catalina and while a little cozy,
did not prevent us from going below. ie there was ROOM! and moving
around the cockpit & deck of the catalina was very comforatable.
i will admit prejudice, so forgive me in advance for all benneteau
owners out there, but i have not trusted those boats since i saw a
cutaway hull section at the sail expo in atlantic city a few years ago.
there just didn't seem to be anything to them. now maybe if you cut a
catalina hull in half you would see the same thing but the sail expo
combined with the sinking last year of one off new jersey has tainted my
opinion of them even as coastal cruisers.
cruising world sent me a note saying they sailed the catalina 380 in
annapolis and will have a review in the march or april issue.
good luck, mel (melanie)
Tommcmahan
Mel: Thanks for the reply. I agree on the layouts - the Catalina sure
seems to have more room below. As an old Catalina owner, I am biased as
well. Now, if I can just get my dealer to agree with the price I can
pay!! Regards, Tom
dlp/as...@net.delphi.com
Tom,
I'm very interested in your purchasing experience. I'm a Catalina 30 owner and
somewhat Catalina biased and interested in the 380. I've never bought a new
boat.
1) How do you decide what equipment the factory will install?
2) Should the dealer install equipment?
3) Did the dealer take your Catalina in trade?
4) How "fixed" are the prices?
Al Sjogren
Seattle
Tommcmahan
Al: Well, I am certainly no expert. It is kinda like buying a car -- the
dealer knows a lot more about his costs than I do. I bought a C27 new
eight years ago and just today a new 380. From the same dealer and
salesman. I like the dealer and the salesman and feel that I got a fair
deal. Still, though, I bet he ended up thinking he got the best of the
deal!! But, just like cars - it's a done deal, and I don't want to think
about it anymore.
As to what options to select for factory/dealer installation - Catalina
has a pretty good standard equipment list. I just added what I thought
were the essentials. The 380 was a boat show boat so had a lot of toys
already thrown in. About all I added was an autopilot and bimini. Ended
up getting what I thought was a OK price for those. The autopilot is an
Autohelm 6000 unit and requires a lot of installation. While I like to do
a lot of work myself, I judged that beyond my ability and decided on the
dealer.
I believe many dealers will work on trades or help sell on a "guaranteed
minimum" return after a certain time for clean trades. I hear the market
is pretty good right now and that used boats are selling.
As to how fixed the prices are. There appears to be some room for
negotiation. I am sure it varies greatly by boat type and popularity.
"Boat show" prices are probably a good place to look to set a benchmark to
start from.
Hope some of this makes sense. Good luck! Regards, Tom
Greg Merrill
For those interested in the Catalina 380, there is one undergoing final
commissioning at the Tacoma office of Admiralty Sailboats in Tacoma, WA.
If interested, please respond.
Greg
--
Admiralty Sailboats | Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane
mer...@halcyon.com | Dealer for Catalina, Morgan, Capri
http://www.halcyon.com/merrill/ays/ | Brokerage Sailboats