Cape dory 27 vs a catalina 36, is bigger always better !

[Dick Barthel]

I've fought vigorously all of my life for the notion that size shouldn't matter.

One trade off for the comfort of course is greater work involved: how depressing it must be on a cold April morning to face the bottom of the C36. Or later to confront eternity polishing the topsides. The older I get the happier I am to be readying a 25 footer. And knowing that a few nuts have crossed oceans with her gives me all the comfort I need for my coastal sailing.

But it seems I'm being constantly asked to explain when I'm going to get a bigger boat. Most think I'm kidding when I say never. Or maybe assume I'm just rationalizing because I can't afford bigger. There is a C30 in our yard whose owner once mentioned to me that maybe I could buy his boat if he ever gets out of sailing. I didn't want to insult him so I didn't answer him directly.

Unless mother nature intervenes DW is the last sailboat I plan to own. I love and appreciate her more as the years go by. I wonder if our boorish C36 owner feels the same?

Dick

[Neil Gordon]

Dick,

>>... how depressing it must be on a cold April morning to face the bottom of the C36.<<

March morning, Dick! March!!!

>>Or later to confront eternity polishing the topsides.<<

As I've mentioned here before, I wax and buff by hand. Invariably I'm offered the use of a power buffer, which I decline. Hand waxing goes a long way towards my not wanting a bigger boat. (The ability to single hand goes a long way, too.)

>>I wonder if our boorish C36 owner feels the same?<<

Not to bash another brand, but I had a Catalina 30 next to me for about ten years. The nicest thing the skipper had to say about his boat was that "you get a lot of boat for your money." He got good use out of his boat and had good family fun and bonding sailing with his son. Compliments from passers by though, were reserved for me.

[Mike Raehl]

Friday evening, I took my wife out for her first sail this summer. 15 knots from the west so waves less than one foot. She, my wife, is a timid sailor, likes the boat kept on her feet. So, to start the season well, I reefed the mainsail before leaving the dock and held the genoa to about 90%. Within fifteen minutes of open water sailing, she, my wife, turns to me an says "Look at those other boats. I think we can let the mainsail out." Next the genoa went out to its full 135%. Off we went at a sustained, GPS confirmed, 5.8 to 6.3 knots. It was a wonderful evening and season start.

The preceding Sunday, we sailed on my friends Catalina 25 in 10 knot winds. My wife won't go back out on that boat.

I love my CD27.

[Steve Darwin]

Like Mike and Dick, I'm very happy with my "small" boat and will not likely move to anything larger. The 25D, and 27, both offer a lot of boat for their length, and draft. I sail Arabella into many coves, inlets, and harbors that are too shallow for any boat drawing more than five feet. There is a tendency to want to "graduate" to larger and still larger boats, until you have one that's too big to sail without a crew of three or four, and consequently never leaves the mooring.

[moctrams]

My first boat was a Cal 29. I sailed that boat all around the Chesapeake Bay for over 20 years. I sold her in 2005 and sorely missed sailing. So, in 2006 I bought a 30' Cape Dory and will do the same thing until I can't any longer. We have a lot of new big boats in our harbor that rarely leave. We call them "Kofe Ground Sailors" because they so many Kofe grounds under the boat from pouring them over the side, they would need a "tow" to get them off.

[Steve Laume]

I a picturing a whole shoal of "Kofe" grounds building up under the marina. It would make for really jittery Blue Crabs hopped up on caffeine.

It can stop raining now, Steve.

[andrewaia]

Friday evening, I took my wife out for her first sail this summer. 15 knots from the west so waves less than one foot. She, my wife, is a timid sailor, likes the boat kept on her feet. So, to start the season well, I reefed the mainsail before leaving the dock and held the genoa to about 90%. Within fifteen minutes of open water sailing, she, my wife, turns to me an says "Look at those other boats. I think we can let the mainsail out." Next the genoa went out to its full 135%. Off we went at a sustained, GPS confirmed, 5.8 to 6.3 knots. It was a wonderful evening and season start.

The preceding Sunday, we sailed on my friends Catalina 25 in 10 knot winds. My wife won't go back out on that boat.

I love my CD27.

Enough said that is why I traded for the CD 25 my girl is timid as well!

[VegaIII]

I cannot really comment on the Catalina 36 since I've never sailed one. I have owned my CD-27 since 1993-hull #109-and sailed it all along the Massachusetts and Maine coasts--several times taking it 70-80 miles off-shore while transiting the Gulf of Maine.

The ability of the boat to handle rough seas, high winds, and otherwise challenging conditions is quite remarkable for a boat of its size.

The one negative comment I would make is that the CD-27 can become very uncomfortable as it hobby-horses through rough seas. While I tend to have a very strong stomach, I have on occasion felt quite seasick as have some crew members who have joined me on these trips. Two years ago while on a trip from Rockport Mass to Rockland Maine, we were forced to turn back after only 20 miles due to seasickness.

Since the CD-27 was never really designed for off-shore passage making, one can hardly blame to boat for the motion produced in these circumstances. What is wonderful about the CD-27 is that while the stomachs of those of us who sail her may suffer from time-to-time, one never need worry about the boat.

[BillyO]

Well now, it just so happens that the chap across from my mooring has a Catalina 25 fin keel. He is completely new to this sailing thing. I offered to take him out on his older 25 Cat.
Secretly I wanted to know how it sailed. I was a great boat in 15 mph. Impressed.
BillyO CD22.

[henry hey]

I have a friend who has been participating in quite a few deliveries.

Those delivery captains often speak about the weak points on boats that go out on bluewater.

An oft-cited weak spot is the hull to deck connection of mass produced boats. They said that they have seen new beneteaus and catalinas fail at this joint in big blows and most of those captains speak quite highly of the hand-laid cape dory.

-henry

[Paul D.]

HCM,

Might the hobby horsing be mitigated some by spreading some weight? You may move some weight to the bow and stern ends of the boat and see if that makes a difference. I am somewhat obsessed with weight distribution onboard but have never been able to get ours to sit on her waterline, always a trifle by the stern. Now that may work for Jack Aubrey but I think I want 300' of chain up forward. Just to see how she sails in the big stuff and if her speed changes.

Anyway, on small boats like ours, even with our heavy displacement, it really does matter.

Paul

[John Vigor]

HCM,

Might the hobby horsing be mitigated some by spreading some weight? You may move some weight to the bow and stern ends of the boat and see if that makes a difference.
Paul

Paul, I'm afraid not. Exactly the opposite, in fact. Weight at the ends, particularly in the bow, contributes the inertia that aggravates hobbyhorsing.

To mitigate hobbyhorsing, the advice is to move every bit of weight possible toward the middle of the boat. Not very practical on most Cape Dories, for obvious reasons, though.

Cheers,

John V.

[VegaIII]

Paul & John-

Thanks for your comments re: weight distribution--I think Paul that you are certainly correct about the problem being exacerbated by improper weight distribution.

What I didn't say in my post was that about ten years ago I re-powered Vega III with a Yanmar 2GM--feeling that she was woefully underpowered with the Yanmar 1 GM. I also added a 3 bladed prop--I've been thrilled with the results which allow me to motor even in the most difficult wind and weather conditions.

The downside is that it added quite a bit of weight to the stern. To compensate I've been experimenting with redistributing weight to the bow and amidships. I've added chain for the ground tackle to the anchor locker, shifted things more amidships--but I still haven't got it right--one additional thing I want to do is move the battery bank for example out of the starboard locker. One problem with all of this is that, as John suggests, there isn't a lot of room below to play with.