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

[Arthur Miller]

Gene,   Was the photo attached?  I could not locate it. I would be interested in how it looks.
Art.  #680

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 5, 2013, at 12:10 PM, Gene Helfman <genehelfman at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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."