# Question to Catalina 350 owners



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

This is to those that own a Catalina 350:

I''ve noticed that every time the Catalina 350 is brought up in these message boards, it seems to stir much debate as regards the virtues of this boat. Someone named Denr claims this boat is best suited for the marina, and that it has a picnic table in the cockpit. A fella named Larry Levine vehomently questions the value of this boat. And others often join in the banter regarding the wisdom of purchasing the Catalina 350.

Here''s my question:

As a Catalina 350 owner, do you regret your purchase?

Thank you for your information
Jack


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## Bluesmoods (Jul 8, 2001)

Hi.. 

Yes there are a few. (Very few) that for some reason rather have a problem with the design of the Catalina 350. I can assure you they never sailed one much less spent a night on one. However, they certainly are entitled to their opinion.

I believe to get a good overall feel for how you and your new boat are going to accommodate each other, it is best to talk with somone who does own one, or have experience sailing and/or living on the boat to what ever degree. 

Not all boats are for all people obviously or else there would just be one sailboat manufacturer and that would be it. 

The Catalina 350 is a very well thought out and well designed performance cruising boat. 731 feet of sail area provide for a powerful, responsive boat that is a lot of fun to operate on all points of sail. I have over 100 hours under sail on the 350 and have raced her done very well and came in ahead of more "dedicated" racing type boats.(placing high with stupid mistakes too).

I have sailed the boat on uncomfortable hot days with light wind and magnificent days with winds in excess of 25 knots with everything flying full. How best to describe this... Let''s see... Fun, safe responsive, stable... rail just about in and out of the water. We’ll stop there for now. 

We sail quite often with 4 adults and 4 kids even while racing. There is plenty of room for all at the dock or underway. The spacious cockpit provides ample accommodation for all so you don''t have to scatter folks around the deck or below when it starts to "kick" and you need more room to manage sailing operations. 

The boat points very well. I used to race a lot of years ago. For my new boat, I was more interested in family adventure and getting from point A to B in good time. The 350 surpassed my expectations. We walk by so many boats (that is not so important to me), and draw so much attention out there. It "feels" good.

The negative comments I have seen on here or elsewhere seemed to be regarding the beam of the boat...That it seems more like a floating apartment then a sailboat.

I''ll tell ya'' what.. Thhe Cattalina 350 has all the comforts of a vacation house (they are right about that) but... it is a pure joy to sail. They also seem to be upset about the delivered price of the boat in the water with options as compared to other "higher quality" boats that may be around the same price. 

I was never a Catalina person. I owned and loved the Lapworth designed Cal. I sold C&C, J/boat Cape Dory & Morgan. I was about to put a deposit on the Beneteau 361 before I saw the Catalina 350. 


When I did my first walk around.. I scratched my head and said to myself.. "This thing can''t sail. She is soo darn fat!" But when I got inside and "pictured" life aboard in the real world.. Quiet times and also times with all the kids, games... noise and so forth, the Catalina 350 did it for me. I was told that it was an 12% enlarged 320 whch has a great reputation as a fun spirited sailing machine. 

(Note:Why do I now feel like I am writing a sales brochure?)

(anyway) Then, I got to sail the 350. All I could say was . "How the heck did they do it?" and "This is amazing". I still can''t believe it points as well as it does. I could spend long periods of time on the Catalina 350 without ever thinking twice. 

All systems are easily managed, work perfectly and just make the whole experience of boat ownership that much more enjoyable. I bought a couple of ceramic heaters so we continue to go down and sail and will do so through early December. We are in the "mid-Atlantic" region. It is so cozy having the cabin right around 72 with and outside airtemp of 40. 

I would be glad to answer any more specific questions you might have. 

All the best,


AK


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Mr AK (aka Bluesmoods)
I''ll take that answer to mean that you do not regret your purchase of the Catalina 350. (smile)

Given that there aren''t many 350''s on the water, and given that all sailboat owners do not visit Sailnet, I didn''t really expect many responses. I agree that all of us are entitled to our opinions. 
Thank you,
Jack
P.S.


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## Americal (Feb 5, 2015)

I own a Catalina 350 and agree with Bluesmoods. In addition I will admit that the Catalina is like a floating condo. If you live close to your boat and only go to sail this may not be important but if you stay on the boat for any period of time it makes for very comfortable living. We live a good distance from our boat and usually stay for a week or two at a time. The amount of time we sail is small compared to the total time spent on the boat. I know its nice to think that if you own a larger boat you will be out sailing all the time but based on what I see at the marina we are in, the amount of time the boats are out sailing is small compared to the time they are in the slip.


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Wow!! A 12+ year old revived from the ashes!


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

You know, I don't mind the old thread.. because you folks had me looking at the 320 which I had written off as a floating mobile home.. It looks like it actually has some performance too... better than you'd expect too. I like the 90s era ones... not bad... Yeah I know OP was asking about 350, but that 320 is really pretty sweet (putting it on my long term maybe big-er boat list).


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

For a few years I have thought that a 320 would be my next boat. But meanwhile I'm having plenty of fun with my 250.

I hadn't realized that the 350 had been out for over 12 years. Maybe I'll have a look at that one when I'm ready.


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

TakeFive you know I've liked how much boat they've crammed into the 250, as a trailer-cruiser, I don't think you can hit a sweeter note. I've also liked the Catalina 28, but was unimpressed with the performance. Which lead me to the Beneteau 285 as my next "move up" boat.

While the Catalina 320 isn't exactly a J boat, it's no slouch either, several points faster on portsmouth (80.5) than most of its other 32 foot cruisers. On par with a Beneteau 305 (81), and on par with a J/28 (81 yeah cruiser racer), and only a few higher than the J/30 (76.9)


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

SHNOOL said:


> ..............
> 
> While the Catalina 320 isn't exactly a J boat, it's no slouch either, several points faster on portsmouth (80.5) than most of its other 32 foot cruisers. On par with a Beneteau 305 (81), and on par with a J/28 (81 yeah cruiser racer), and only a few higher than the J/30 (76.9)


I have to admit I know nothing about portmouth ratings. BUT< there is at least 1-2 min a mile tween a J30 and a C28! I'm 30 secs mile faster than a C28 with my Jeanneau which is inches plus or minus etc than a C28, but 2500 lbs lighter.

IIRC a Cat320 is maybe in the 160-180 rating range. still slower than a J30 by 20-40 secs.

Marty


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## Zenbio (Dec 11, 2018)

Hello, sorry to revive an old post but I’m currently looking at buying a 2004 Catalina 350 sometime very soon. I have been looking, but haven’t seen much about common issues and things to look out for when looking at one that’s 15 yrs old. How have the Univeral engine been? Is there common parts that have had to be swapped out? What about leaking port holes or chine plates? Weak points I should be on the look out for? I was thinking of calling Catalina but didn’t want to bother them with a ton of questions. If anyone out there has some insite on what to look at before I have the inspection done, please let me know. Will save me from wasting time and money. Thanks


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## Scotty C-M (Aug 14, 2013)

Hi Zen. I can give you some basic information. Is the Universal a M26XP? (or M25?). If so, this is a very good engine design. If properly cared for, they last a long time. On that engine, at this age, give an extra look at the heat exchanger and the exhaust system. Leaky ports are always an issue in boats, so this boat should be checked for that. The good news is that parts for repair or replacement are pretty easy to get. Still, you do want to check. Where you want to pay particular care are the chain plates, and also the stanchions. Check with a moisture meter, or tap with a (plastic) hammer. Of course, check the entire deck, as well as the mast step. A dry deck is sooo good, and large delaminations can be a deal killer. Some soft spots ... get a professional to guide you as to how much it will take. The electrical systems on these boats are usually pretty clean, as is the plumbing. Check the keel bolts. I'm not sure if this is one of the problems on this particular boat. I'd find out. At this age, the standing rigging is getting near replacement time. Has that been done?

Check the CatalinaOwners.com and the 350 Assoication for more information. Good Luck!!


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Scotty C-M said:


> Hi Zen. I can give you some basic information. Is the Universal a M26XP? (or M25?). If so, this is a very good engine design. If properly cared for, they last a long time. On that engine, at this age, give an extra look at the heat exchanger and the exhaust system. Leaky ports are always an issue in boats, so this boat should be checked for that. The good news is that parts for repair or replacement are pretty easy to get. Still, you do want to check.


Catalina 350s were factory equipped with a Universal/Westerbeake M35, not the Universal M25 (or -xp, or -xpb)

I agree with you on the other points in your post.


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

I once heard Gerry Douglas tell a bunch of owners "You should just plan on rebedding the chainplates every eight years". When replacing a cabin top hatch I was pleased to see it had been bedded with Butyl and the edges of the opening coated with resin to impede leaks into the deck. Chainplates, not so pleased, they were bedded with white silicon that was soft and liquid in the center. I could only do 2 in a day because getting the old stuff out was tedious, using butyl the top plates were rebedded. I don't seal the bottom plates because if the tops leak I want them to drain into the cabin where I can see it and not get trapped in the deck where I can't. Check for leaks by close examination of the plates inside the cabin, moisture and rust can be seen on the nuts and edges of plates.
All that being said I'd bet 90% of boats have never been rebedded, I'd imagine it to be expensive to pay someone to do it, and hard to trust they did it right.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

capttb said:


> I once heard Gerry Douglas tell a bunch of owners "You should just plan on rebedding the chainplates every eight years". ...
> All that being said I'd bet 90% of boats have never been rebedded, I'd imagine it to be expensive to pay someone to do it, and hard to trust they did it right.


^^^THIS^^^

Forgive the thread drift, but I was looking at MKII Catalina 36s in Florida for a while. I must have seen at least 8 boats. EVERY one of them had leaked around the chainplates, and the bulkhead to which they were attached was water stained (in the best case) or rotted (on several). I quit looking at Catalinas after 3 months for that reason alone.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

eherlihy said:


> ^^^THIS^^^
> 
> Forgive the thread drift, but I was looking at MKII Catalina 36s in Florida for a while. I must have seen at least 8 boats. EVERY one of them had leaked around the chainplates, and the bulkhead to which they were attached was water stained (in the best case) or rotted (on several). I quit looking at Catalinas after 3 months for that reason alone.


They started building the 350 right around when the stopped building the 36 MK II.

Did they change the build method for the chainplates in that time?


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

While I have been aboard and installed a Dickinson heater in a Catalina 350 that was in our charter fleet, I never looked too closely at the chainplates. I have a client that wants me to work on his 350 this spring. I'll check it out then.


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

Minnesail said:


> They started building the 350 right around when the stopped building the 36 MK II.
> 
> Did they change the build method for the chainplates in that time?


In a word, yes.

The C36 has a wooden bulkhead crossing the hull right where the mast or compression post is located. The upper shroud chainplates tie into the bulkhead. I can't recall where the lowers attach.

By the time the C350 went into production (2003), Catalina's new models had done away with attaching the chainplates to the wooden bulkhead, and instead attached six rods (typically three on each side) directly to the inside of the hull, which ran up through the cabin to chainplates that penetrate the side deck. All vertical tension of the shrouds (both upper and lowers) is borne by these rods. I'm not sure of this, but I believe that the C350 has the mast quite a bit further aft than the C36. This new method of mounting the chainplates allows placing the mast wherever desired without consideration of where the bulkheads are located. That's why you'll often see compression posts in the middle of the salon on the newer Catalinas. I also believe (but not certain) that this new design was instrumental in Catalina's ability to design boats with aft heads, which many prefer so that you don't have odors in the V-berth. You don't need a forward head if you don't need a bulkhead for the chainplates.

It is still important to watch for moisture intrusion, and essential NOT to seal the bottom side of the chainplate for reasons explained above.

In Catalina's newer boats, they reportedly have put solid (uncored) fiberglass around the chainplate penetrations, so leaking chainplates won't soak the core. I am not aware of any authoritative listing of which boats and model years have this very nice feature.


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

TakeFive is correct about the use of rods to carry the rigging loads down into the hull grid. The deck penetrations are easy to check and are basically SS U-bolts. My Cal 33 has the same arrangement and it is much better than the typical chainplate installation. I believe they were made by Navtec.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

The O'day 34/35 have the chainplate to tie rod to transfer the load the pan system too.


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