Catalina: late 70s, early 80s

[John_Michael]

I'm looking to convert to the 'dark side' with the purchase of a sailboat. A few people around here have suggested Catalinas for their reliability/sailability. I'm looking at the ~27'-30' range. Based on my financial limitations, I need a hull that's about 30 years old.

For the 27'ers specifically, it looks like Catalina produced models with both tillers and wheels during that time period. I'd prefer a wheel, as I've read that long runs on tiller can leave you with a neck-ache (b/c you'd need to sit and turn your head 90* to see where you're headed). But so far I haven't been able to find anything that tells me what year/model to search for. Any help and/or insights would be appreciated.

 

[Mark SF]

Re: Catalina: late 70s, early 80s

When I searched for "Catalina 27" this was the second entry.

http://www.catalina27.org/public_pages/used_boat_notebook.htm

One suggestion would be to get the tiller version and if it does turn out tiring, get an autohelm. If it is exhausting to steer, you've probably got too much sail up, or too much weather helm due to bad sail balance. Stick a reef in that main!