[C320-list] Fwd: Removable panels in forward bulkhead?

[Gene Helfman]

We took the removable panels out of Satori (1997, #398) and replaced them
with similar panels but only half as high (used old panels as templates).
 This allows airflow and light and you can see what you've stored up there
easily, plus we attach flexible clip-on LED lights to the panel tops for
reading in bed or on the settee.  All visible in attached photo.  We also
removed the folding door that led into the quarter berth and replaced it
with a pull-down accordion blind. And we installed gear hammocks on either
side to cut down on the number of times we had to get on hands and knees to
crawl into the less-than-convenient drawers and cabinets under the bed
(which would have been a little more accessible if the hinges were on the
forward side).

gene


On Sat, Oct 5, 2013 at 1:33 AM, Karl Mielenhausen <kmielen at suddenlink.net>wrote:

> Rick,
>
> You might want to review this feature history....
> http://www.catalina320.com/kb/doku.php?id=hullhistory
> There are other files on the website under reference material/buying info.
>
> Many of the changes (aka "improvements") are like politics.... depends
> on whom you talk to and what your needs are.
>
> I've heard many prefer the Yanmar (it is all I've known, so I can't
> say one way or another).
> The deeper bilge is useful, but then draft increased as well.
> BTW, if draft is important to you, look through the chart carefully
> and verify draft with your surveyor, as the specs did not keep up with
> the engineering changes and some brokerage listings have known to have
> been incorrect.
> If you plan on sleeping in the aft cabin, you may prefer a boat with
> the "escape hatch".
> I enjoy cruising with my 3-bladed fixed prop, but it also makes it
> impossible for me to be competitive when racing in light winds.
>
> Good luck,
> Karl Mielenhausen
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Rick Sonntag <c250 at ricksonntag.com>
> Date: Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 10:44 PM
> Subject: [C320-list] Removable panels in forward bulkhead?
> To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
>
>
> I'm considering shopping for a C320 for my next boat in the next year or
> two. One thing I've always wondered about is the removable panels in the
> bulkhead behind the v-berth. I see that Catalina eliminated them in later
> models, somewhere around 1998 or 1999.
>
> Do you have any idea why Catalina removed them? Was there a problem with
> them? Any other pros/cons of having them, such as better ventilation?
>
> What other changes did Catalina make to this boat over the years that I
> should consider? Are there specific issues that I should check into on
> particular vintage boats?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rick Sonntag
> Swarthmore, PA
>



-- 
Gene Helfman, Professor Emeritus
Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
PERMANENT address:
    498 Shoreland Dr., Lopez Is., WA 98261
    (360) 468-2136
    genehelfman at gmail.com

"You noticed nobody gives a damn about beached minnows."