[C320-list] Seaworthiness

Fri Apr 20 09:18:43 PDT 2007

In my enjoyable nine years of owning and sailing an early C320  (#222) with the shallow bilge, I never experienced any major problem with the bilge configuration. Our sailing included many races in heavy weather and several blue water crossings to the Bahamas. A dripless seal or drip free packing will eliminate the most common source of water accumulation in the bilge. I cannot agree with the writer of this email.

Peter Clancy
Former owner 'AROBAN'  #222
Miami, FL

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: brer at adelphia.net<mailto:brer at adelphia.net> 
  To: C320-List<mailto:c320-list at catalina320.com> 
  Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 10:49 AM
  Subject: Re: [C320-list] Seaworthiness

  I must commend you on taking an early 320 more than a few feet from the dock. The bilge system in these is an absolute joke. Any water that leaks anywhere on this boat goes under the floor pan, not the so called bilge. The only water that does go to this so called bilge is from the stuffing box, but be careful if the hoses that enter are not sealed, the water will leak OUT of the bilge. Who in their right mind would design a boat with this joke of a bilge? And yes, I bought one of these follies, my bad for not checking the bilge system out, but I never in my wildest dreams would believe someone would design something like this. Looks to me like Frank and the boys need to get out of the boat business and design bathtubs. So anyone thinking about buying an early 320 think again or you will be removing the sole and drilling holes to get the water out. Seaworthiness? You be the judge. But Larry I'm glad you had a good trip sounds like fun.

  Don  

  ---- Larry Frank <WindSwept at stx.rr.com<mailto:WindSwept at stx.rr.com>> wrote: 

  =============
  I sailed my 320 across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Veracruz, MX in a
  regatta during the summer of 2006.  That trip and others in the Gulf of
  Mexico along the Texas coast in the in rather snotty weather have helped me
  form opinions about the 320s seaworthiness.  My observations:

  1.  Good seamanship trumps all other considerations.  Or said another way in
  any boat bad decisions or poor preparation can and probably will lead to
  problems and disaster.  

  2.  Tracking is a weak point.  Big seas on a beam or broad reach push the
  rather broad stern around rather easily.  Proper sail balance is critical.
  I have the wing keel; perhaps this is better with the fin.  Anyways,
  steering by autopilot in large seas is not effective.  Manual steering will
  wear out crew quickly.  Could a wind vane be mounted?  

  3.  Fuel capacity is low.  Most people carry jerry cans and while this
  works, it is less than optimal.

  4.  Structurally, the hull and rigging, if properly maintained will take a
  licking and keep on ticking.  I never had problems or concerns here, and
  have had complements from knowledgeable and experienced crew on this point.

  5.  Open transom is a huge plus, at least in my opinion.  When we purchased
  WindSwept, this was a concern to me.  After getting pooped going downwind in
  35 knots and big seas in the gulf and watching the water drain out in a
  couple of seconds, I completely changed my opinion of this feature.

  6.  For serious offshore work, some modifications and additions to the basic
  320 are prudent.  What you need to do will somewhat be a function of what
  model year you have since Catalina makes improvements in design as a model
  matures. 

  I believe the person who told you "you might want a larger boat" was
  completely accurate.  I'd like a larger boat too for this type of sailing.
  However, the question should be can you do what you want to do in the boat
  you have now?  Unless you own the Queen Mary, there are always larger, more
  capable boats.

  Larry
  Wind Swept Catalina 320 #246

  -----Original Message-----
  From: c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com<mailto:c320-list-bounces at catalina320.org>
  [mailto:c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Robert Seastream
  Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:02 PM
  To: C320-List
  Subject: Re: [C320-list] Seaworthiness

  I've often wondered why, not long ago (~20 years) people did crossings 
  in ~25 foot boats, yet these days upwards of 40 feet is indicated.

  Recently, while discussing going to Bermuda in my 320 (off list), I was 
  told I might want a larger boat like the above.

  Bob Seastream
  'Intuition' hull 906

  On Apr 19, 2007, at 9:12 AM, pat reynolds wrote:

  > If any have wondered about ocean crossing on a 320, it
  > would probably be safer than the google map
  > directions for a new york to paris, france trip,
  > particularly direction # 23 at www.google.com<http://www.google.com/>
  >
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