Charlie Foxtrot
Super Anarchist
If you can, avoid the Atomic Four. Sailed on a Cat 30 Tall Rig. A pretty fine boat. With a diesel.
Catalina 30 vs. Bob Perry Islander 28
- Thread starter Coquina012
- Start date
If you can, avoid the Atomic Four. Sailed on a Cat 30 Tall Rig. A pretty fine boat. With a diesel.
kent_island_sailor
Super Anarchist
It will likely need a new carb, they eventually get very fiddly.
The good news is that any part, up to a brand new engine, is readily available from Moyer Marine.
The bad news is that ANY raw water cooled engine, which includes many of the A4s, have been having salt water circulate inside them for a very long time now. Consider an old raw water cooled engine of ANY type to be fully depreciated.
Also note some old diesels are next to impossible to source parts for.
kent_island_sailor
Super Anarchist
It VERY much depends on which diesel you mean. Some of the ones that went into those boats were not powerful enough to do the job and/or are poorly supported now.If you can, avoid the Atomic Four. Sailed on a Cat 30 Tall Rig. A pretty fine boat. With a diesel.
CruiserJim
Anarchist
I don’t think the process/work/cost of sailing and maintaining the 28 or the 30 would be much different. The kids might eventually want to go with you overnight, maybe up the delta? With various water toys tied on deck.
Assuming the diesel in the C-30 is decent and still supported, the engine, the slip and the extra room would seem to favor the C-30. As @kent_island_sailor notes above, the A-4 is raw water cooled and likely near its end, even if runs ok ATM. Also, don’t assume the Islander is better built than the Catalina. Perry designed yes, but Islander built. I sailed a 1971 Islander 30 a lot BITD. It had its share of shortcomings in construction.
Assuming the diesel in the C-30 is decent and still supported, the engine, the slip and the extra room would seem to favor the C-30. As @kent_island_sailor notes above, the A-4 is raw water cooled and likely near its end, even if runs ok ATM. Also, don’t assume the Islander is better built than the Catalina. Perry designed yes, but Islander built. I sailed a 1971 Islander 30 a lot BITD. It had its share of shortcomings in construction.
Coquina012
Member
- Thread starter
- #26
I put money down on the Islander 28. The seller came down to half of his asking. It has the A4, which I don't like, but I have never owned a keelboat before and I am comfortable putting a kicker on it until my brother visits me and works on it--or we repower with something else. I am still torn because I found a Cal30 with no engine, but a brand new mainsail, in a slip that I really like, for $3000. The salon was not bad, well, everything was not bad. Seller moved to Washington. And I was offered the Cal25 with the flooded interior, now dried out, for free. It's painful, having more money than sense.
SloopJonB
Super Anarchist
But having more sense than money is both frustrating and boring.
Coquina012
Member
- Thread starter
- #28
I can still back out and buy the Cal30. Or the flooded Cal25 for free. The C25 would have been a first choice on the spot if were not for that awful moment of when we opened the hatch to 30" of standing water. Gad damn.
Marty Gingras
Mid-range Anarchist
What years are these three boats?
What rig and keel does the Cat 30 have?
Is the A4 running and driving?
What rig and keel does the Cat 30 have?
Is the A4 running and driving?
Coquina012
Member
- Thread starter
- #30
That boat turned out to have a Lister that appeared to be at the very end of the road, would not start, and was a classic example of a used car salesman spouting, "Take a look at this beauty! Why you could sail this boat to Europe tomorrow and kings and queens would want to taker her for a spin..." Hilariously inaccurate. I literally said to myself, is this guy delusional or a sociopath...? the Islander, with the A4, runs well --by appearance--and it operates smoothly. But I am not one who claims I know something when I do not. I don't know a lot about marine engines. The price has a rebuilt A4 built in. And then some. So I am optimistic, the way everyone is the first day they take over a boat. HAHAHAHA. Oh boy.
sledracr
Super Anarchist
<lol> My favorite example was the broker who told me the boat I was interested in was "pristine outside, interior needs TLC"
It was only about an hour's drive away, so I drove up and found that, yes, the boat was absolutely gorgeous outside. But the broker hadn't gotten around to mentioning that the boat had sunk several years back, and then rotted on the hard for several years while the insurance claims were sorted out. As a result, the interior was a mass of moldy mush with a rusty lump of iron in the engine space.
It wasn't worth the cost of the gas I used driving up to see it, never mind the asking price.
rwaterman
Member
I grew up on a Cal 30, my family sailed it for over two decades. We now have a Cat 30. The Cat 30 has twice the room but the Cal 30 could sail circles around it in every direction no problem. I loved that boat, it was a little gem to sail.
Marty Gingras
Mid-range Anarchist
That's great. Worked on many A4's back in the day. Crazy simple. Get the job done. Suspect you'd rather enjoy tinkering with it and maybe more.
Coquina012
Member
- Thread starter
- #34
Sledracer: my experience with the Cal25 was about that bad--and I really felt terrible for the poor bastard selling it. 80 or so year old senior who had a lifetime of valuable boat and marine knowledge, super nice guy; wife stepped on the cabin in October and fractured a carlin while sweeping off the roof. Didn't mention it to Husband. They closed the boat up in December when the rain and snow started and put a tarp on it that leaked some. When I came to see the boat, walking up to it, I was calculating tongue weight to get it on my Sequoia. It looked fantastic, and the guy's country property was very well cared for and organized, which said (1) something about him and (2) is not like my property at all. So when he opened up the canvas cover and there was about 30" of snowmelt in there--from December--the poor bastard just about had a heart attack. He called me yeserday and offered it to me for $1k, and the trailer is probably worth $2k...but I can't deal with another project right now. That thing is superb. Bummer. Included a very nice 4 stroke yamaha 9 hp. He for sure did not know about that.
hokie
Member
RYC foundation has several well kept boats right now that may fit your needs
Coquina012
Member
- Thread starter
- #36
Thank you. We have been looking for a year. We have a boat there now and have for the last six months or so. We put money on an Islander 28 Bob Perry and are taking possession today. It is up in Antioch and that is not to our liking but we will keep it there until the Fall. Note, there is a Tartan 30 at RYC we would have bought but some amateurs EVEN WORSE THAN US have done some "work" on the boat. We drooled over that for several months and committed to the BP.
carcrash
Super Anarchist
Cat 36 seems to be the most liquid asset afloat, even more so than Cat 30. Resale reduces life cycle cost.
Always buy the best condition boat. There are always a few boats on the market that are perfect, where the owner could easily afford a much larger boat. Spend time to find one. Brokers are the ones to contact to find those few boats, and they sell fast.
kinardly
Super Anarchist
Congrats on the Islander. That boat started it all for my wife and me when we first laid eyes on one at the Long Beach Sailboat Show, probably 1975. We were dazzled although we didn't end up with one.
Coquina012
Member
- Thread starter
- #39
The interior is amazing, which appeals to my wife. I was prepared to buy a Folkboat or a Cal25, but this is all teak and the jointery is fantastic. I have never owned a keelboat so I am intimidated by a number of things, also smart enough to admit what I don't know.
