[C320-list] Some General Questions

[Vpweikel at aol.com]

Larry,
 
I am sure others on the list will add their own comments.  The C320 IA  is a 
great group and are always willing to help out.
 
Deb and I have sailed Second Chance #361 (1996)  for 7 years on the 
Chesapeake Bay and have totally enjoyed the experience with  the C320 design.  #361 is 
a wing keel and has a draft of 4-10" making it  rather ideal for the area.  
Like nearly all sailors, I have had my moments  with shallows and shoals but the 
soft mud bottom of the Chesapeake has been  forgiving.  I cannot comment 
about the keel tip breaking off in a hard  grounding situation so I'll pass on 
that to others of greater knowledge.   #361's rudder does not hang as low as the 
keel.
 
Deb ( and myself to a degree ) like calmer sailing conditions, but the C320  
handles herself well in a blow.  Like yourself, I do a good bit of  
singlehanded sailing and have no problems in that condition whether docking or  sailing. 
 True, the winches are a bit forward of the helm but still very  reachable 
quickly if need be.  I little trick pointed out to myself by a  fellow C320 
sailor in Florida is to use the lee winch as a turning block and  running the jib 
sheet across the cockpit to the windward winch allowing the  helmsperson to be 
positioned on the high side of the boat and with a good view  forward and 
easy access to the winch.  An autopilot is a great asset to  have when singled 
and tacking and is a feature I would recommend having on  any boat of this size 
or greater.
 
As far as what to look out for when buying a used boat - Have a reputable  
surveyor check it out after narrowing the field down to your first choice  based 
on general condition and features on the boat.
 
The extras on Second Chance that I would not be without are the autopilot  
and Heart invertor for AC power under way or away from the dock.  Others on  the 
list will probably add things like a separate starting battery, back stay  
adjustor, Dutchman system, tank monitoring system to name but a few.
 
The C320 IA Annual Regatta is in Annapolis this year (August 1-3) and that  
would be a good event to drop by at and talk to a few owners and see how their  
boats are setup.  
 
 
Hope this helps.  Good luck in your boat hunt and if you end up with a  320, 
I am sure you will enjoy the design.
 
 
Paul Weikel & Deb Moore
Second Chance #361
Georgetown, MD
 
 
In a message dated 6/29/2008 7:50:03 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
theleibmans at verizon.net writes:

Hello  320 listees,

My wife and I currently own a 1988 Cal 28 and have been  thinking of moving 
up for a little more space. The Catalina 320 is one design  we have been eyeing 
recently and I was hoping I might be able to ask a couple  of specific 
questions (ok there's a general one in there too). I did do a bit  of searching in 
the archives first and I apologize if these have been answered  before.

1. The (2001) 320 we saw was on the hard. It has a wing keel,  and it appears 
the rudder was sized for a deeper keel as it's depth was  clearly greater 
than that of the keel. My current boat draws 5'-3" and I'd be  lying if I said I 
never touched bottom here on the shallow Chesapeake. While  the shallow draft 
of the wing is attractive, the idea of running aground on  the rudder is not 
especially. Has this been an issue for 320 owners? I did see  a response about 
the rudder being designed to "break off" at the tip if  subjected to a hard 
grounding but that seems like a less than ideal solution.  Is there a factory 
retrofit rudder with a shallower draft?

2. My wife  is pretty much a fair weather sailor. The good news is that she 
has no problem  with me going out alone on days when she would prefer not to. 
That means I do  a fair bit of single-handling. I've gotten quite comfortable 
with the task on  our Cal 28. What has been others experience single-handling 
the 320?  Specifically, getting into and out of a slip alone. I sometimes have 
to  manhandle (sorry "person-handle") the 7500 lb Cal when there is a 
significant  cross-wind. Is doing the same with a 6-ton boat feasible? The setup on my 
boat  puts the genoa winches aft where I can easily reach them from the helm. 
I  noticed they are further forward on the 320. Has  anyone relocated theirs  
further aft? If not, what does a single-handed tack look like?

3.  Finally, the usual general question. What are the significant things to 
look  for in a pre-owned C-320 of the late '90s to early 2000's vintage. Most 
boats  have the usual array of issues to consider: leaks around chainplates and 
 hatches, hull blistering, rudder delamination, etc. Are there any special 
ones  to keep an eye out for (a particular year with electrical issues or engine 
 problems for example)?

Thanks in  advance,

Larry


 



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