# Advice for buying this Catalina 30



## mtcaddis (Feb 7, 2015)

Hi,
I am new to sailing. Have only been on a boat once but have been reading a lot about it. I looked at a Catalina 30 and did a self inspection and would appreciate experienced advice and recommendation on purchasing a boat in this condition. I would like to know which of these are deal breakers and which are regular for an old boat and should be expected. 
It's a 1979 and going for 10,000. 

-- Current owner of 2 years has never sailed and doesn't know anything about sailing. He was only living aboard, as was the owner before him.
-- Boat has only motored around a few times in last several years.
-- Boat has not been taken out of water for years and has growth on hull and rudder from what I could see (slime and a few barnacles).
-- Owner wet suited underneath and says it's a solid hull.....
-- Deck does not feel spongy 
-- The backstay was flopping around totally loose
-- The wind speed indicator at top of mast was not turning and it was really windy out.
-- Mast spreader bars did not look like they had protective boots to prevent sail chafing.
-- Mainsail is destroyed. Has another "unknown" sail inside in "good" condition.
-- No roller furling setup which I prefer.
-- Mast stays seem rusted because there is a protective boot material on it but is totally wore out but still holding moisture for rust to form.
-- Rudder handle is falling off
-- Universal 5411 motor starts up and runs good. 900 hours on it. 
-- He only changed impeller once and didn't put a gasket on the cover plate so it started spraying everywhere when he started it up.
-- Lower part of engine has rust everywhere and oil.
-- He didn't know where the oil dipstick was when I asked him.
-- Oil level is ok but is really black. No water or milkiness in it.
-- All through-hulls are seacocks and no gate-valves
-- Could not see keel bolts because it was covered in black water which he said is "always there". Even after pumping the water out with manual bilge which he says has to be done every few months, there was still enough water I couldn't see anything except the very top surface of the keel bolts. Is always having water there normal?
-- I looked in another hatch near the keel and he looked in it and said: "oh, looks like there's a bilge pump in there, I didn't know that"
-- Chainplates looked good and rust free with a solid metal bar mounted to wood bulkhead.
-- Electrical system is functioning but sailing instruments in cockpit will need replaced/updated.
-- Two holes in the upper deck for previous location of heater and new location of heater, both are all caulked up and will most likely need fiberglassed again.
-- One window leaks

I am most likely not going to buy this because it's not worth my time to fix all of these issues just to get it barely ready for safe sailing but I was wondering how well this boat is priced at 10,000 for these issues. How normal is it that there is always water in the bilge and that the backstay is flopping around?
Thank you!!!!


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## capt jgwinks (Sep 24, 2013)

He should be paying you $10,000 to take it.
Run away.


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

Yeah, like the wind, my friend. 

A boat like the one you describe isn't where I'd send someone new to sailing. An experienced sailor, with lots of experience in maintenance and repair, and for the right price, sure. 

You however, should run, run, run.

P.S.
Only one window leaks? Remarkable.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Well just to compare, the Catalina that I grew up sailing on recently sold for $2,500 because it had some moisture in the cockpit sole. It had an upgraded diesel, and was owned by a very fastidious mechanical engineer since new and had frequent upgrades. Pulled every fall, fresh bottom paint applied each spring, any leaking ports were fixed immediately. Always freshwater sailed and had good 8 year old sails, recent rigging and had only ever been sailed in fresh water. I would have bought the boat but it was too far away from me. 

So $10,000 is likely 8 or 9,000 too much. 

I have seen lots of very good ones selling for around that price range.


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## mtcaddis (Feb 7, 2015)

Ha ha! Thanks for your opinions, I knew it wasn't a good situation when I was telling him things he didn't know about his own boat.


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## mtcaddis (Feb 7, 2015)

miatapaul said:


> Well just to compare, the Catalina that I grew up sailing on recently sold for $2,500 because it had some moisture in the cockpit sole. It had an upgraded diesel, and was owned by a very fastidious mechanical engineer since new and had frequent upgrades. Pulled every fall, fresh bottom paint applied each spring, any leaking ports were fixed immediately. Always freshwater sailed and had good 8 year old sails, recent rigging and had only ever been sailed in fresh water. I would have bought the boat but it was too far away from me.
> 
> So $10,000 is likely 8 or 9,000 too much.
> 
> I have seen lots of very good ones selling for around that price range.


Ok, that's an interesting price comparison. I will keep that example in mind. Thanks!


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

mtcaddis said:


> Ok, that's an interesting price comparison. I will keep that example in mind. Thanks!


And that was a 30 footer as well. I think likely 80 or 81 somewhere in that range.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

10 grand is a lot of money for such a boat. It's sailing value is probably close to zero - too much money and work to bring it back to sailing standard. They are likely sailing it for the floating condo value. If you want to sail, there are lots of boats for 10 grand that you can sail away right after purchase. Walk away from this one. There is a ton of good, inexpensive boats out there, buyers market for sure.


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## chuck53 (Oct 13, 2009)

as a former C-30 owner, agree with others, that boat is grossly over priced.

On my old 30, I didn't have roller furling either and swore if I ever bought another sailboat, I would have it. Now I do have it and swear if I ever have another sailboat, I'm getting main furling as well.

As far as oil in the engine being black, that's pretty much par for the course. You can change the oil and after only an hour or two of running, the oil will be black.


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

Last year a client bought a the same boat for about the same money. His boat however was sailed every day by someone who took care of everything.


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

The thing to think about when you see things like you describe, is to consider what things you can't see. That doesn't sound like a well maintained boat and that price seems high.

There are too many boats for sale to settle for that. Keep looking. And, as a first time boat owner, buying a boat as ready to go as you can afford will probably make you enjoy the experience a lot more.

I like fixing things on boats, but my first boat was one I bought that was a year and a half old, with not one single thing needing to be fixed. I've bought several since that did need work, and I enjoyed fixing them up, but for my first one, I'm glad I got a turn key one.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

When comparing prices in this thread you also need to consider the location of those responding. The average cost of the same boat may be different in different locations. Like houses.

One thing about the C30 is that there are a lot of them in the wild. Not only did Catalina make changes over the years, many owners have made their own changes. Some owner changes may be good, some may have you shaking your head.

Our bilge usually has a bit of water in it as the ice box and shower drains into it. Other owners may have re-routed that. It isn't high on our list of changes.

miatapaul's former C30 selling for $2500 in the condition he described is unusual. Perhaps the seller had other reasons for wanting to get rid of it that had nothing to do with the boat.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

DRFerron said:


> miatapaul's former C30 selling for $2500 in the condition he described is unusual. Perhaps the seller had other reasons for wanting to get rid of it that had nothing to do with the boat.


I'll second that, I sold a Catalina 22 in the condition described for $6,500 in '08 in a softer boat market.

I did a quick search on YachtWorld for Catalina 30's, 1977 to 1985 and came up with prices from $4,900 for a boat needing TLC to $32,900 for a boat in excellent condition with a new diesel.

*That search turned up 80 boats just on Yacht World*. The Catalina 30 is a very popular boat so you have a lot of options. No need to settle for a boat that's falling apart.

I'd also check out sites like BoatTrader.com, sailboatlistings.com, and TheSaltyDog. You can even find boats on Craigs List

And there are some great local publications like Spinsheet depending on where you live.

Good luck in your search.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

Run away!!!!!!!!!!

BTW, catalina 30s usually have wheel steering. This one had a rudder and tiller???

MedSailor


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Well he had several different offers that were higher fail after surveyors who said moisture in the cockpit sole was a deal breaker. He had someone who understood how much work it would be to fix it, make an offer without a survey requirement and took it. He was very honest about the condition of the boat to all prospective boaters and was mainly interested in finding someone who would take care of her. He was in his 80's and the kids did not want the boat, and he really did not need to get any money for it. After it was sold, he said he would have just given it to me. But it was on Lake Eire and I am on the East Coast, so it never crossed his mind to ask me if I wanted it.


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## chuck53 (Oct 13, 2009)

MedSailor said:


> Run away!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> BTW, catalina 30s usually have wheel steering. This one had a rudder and tiller???
> 
> MedSailor


I would hope it has a rudder. My old C30 had a tiller. I believe mine was a '79 and I also think that back then tillers were standard equipment...wheel was an option.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

chuck53 said:


> I would hope it has a rudder. My old C30 had a tiller. I believe mine was a '79 and I also think that back then tillers were standard equipment...wheel was an option.


Yep. That was about the time they made the switch to wheel. Ours is an 80 and has a wheel.


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## mtcaddis (Feb 7, 2015)

DRFerron said:


> When comparing prices in this thread you also need to consider the location of those responding. The average cost of the same boat may be different in different locations. Like houses.
> 
> Our bilge usually has a bit of water in it as the ice box and shower drains into it. Other owners may have re-routed that. It isn't high on our list of changes.


That is a good point because I am in Alaska so I think prices are higher up here because it's harder to get a boat up here but I think everyone is still right in pricing being high. I was expecting for that price that the boat would at least be able to go sailing. That's good to know about drainage into the bilge. I will continue to look for boats that are owned by sailors and not people who just live aboard.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I only read the first several bullets and didn't bother with the rest. It's a dog. 

When buying a boat, the most important thing you are trying to figure out is her story. Was she ridden hard and put away wet, was she a dock queen, does the owner know what they are doing, was she treated like a princess. 

All boats require substantial maintenance, even brand new. A survey will tell you what is working and what is broken at the time of the survey. Her story will tell you how much is going to break right after you buy her.


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Looks like you've already got good advice in this thread, but I agree, this particular C30 wouldn't be a great choice for your first sailboat, regardless of price. There are plenty of well-loved C30s (and C27s, C25s, etc.) out there that would be a much better value for your $10k and allow you to really enjoy sailing and learning.

Don't forget, there's often nothing more expensive than a cheap boat.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

mtcaddis said:


> *Advice for buying this Catalina 30?*


One word..... *DON'T*.....


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## redfishnc (Jan 22, 2017)

I bought a 1989 Catalina 30. The broker I bought it from in Rochester, NY gave me some good advice as it was my first investment in a BIG boat. Buy the nicest one you can afford, it will save you money in the long run. He also told me something 3 boats later I believe. You will know in 5 min after you get on the boat that you want it. So far I have. I looked at 17 Catalinas before I bought that one.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

redfishnc said:


> I bought a 1989 Catalina 30. The broker I bought it from in Rochester, NY gave me some good advice as it was my first investment in a BIG boat. Buy the nicest one you can afford, it will save you money in the long run. He also told me something 3 boats later I believe. You will know in 5 min after you get on the boat that you want it. So far I have. I looked at 17 Catalinas before I bought that one.


+1, that's good advice.


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