catalina 250 wing keel review

This boat has plenty of space both on the deck and in the cabin. The anchor locker at the bow, a triangular compartment with a fiberglass hinged lid, is a little too small. The foil-shaped, fiberglass centerboard has a 3/ 16″ thick stainless steel reinforcing structure and some lead in the lower section. solar battery charger, tohatsu 9 hp w/ electric lift and 18 gallon inboard metal fuel tank with gauge, upgraded two battery electrical system and fuse panel, air conditioner, wash down pump, galvanized tandem axle trailer w/ mast raising … We found it quite awkward to move back and forth between the cockpit and the forward deck, especially with the boat heeled and the main hatch open. Without them, a separate sock (not supplied by Catalina) is required to ward off accelerated deterioration of sailcloth due to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. On crowded launching ramps with strict time limits or too many impatient boaters waiting in line, owners may have to pull the boat out with virtually all 1,200 pounds of ballast water still aboard. Indeed the best and most distinctive points of the Catalina 250 include ease of trailering, a large cockpit and large internal volume. For most of its width, however, the overhead is only 17″ above the cushion top. Pocket cruisers have always appealed to me. It has the two large windows vs the one large and one small. My 2004 came from the factory with a Yanmar 1GM and a SD 20 sail drive, 53 Liter diesel tank, large water tank storage under the V berth (where the batteries are mounted as well) etc. So in the production version, there’s no special flotation. $49.95. Find Catalina 250 boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. A comparison between the sailing characteristics of the water ballast versus the wing keel would be interesting. The C-250’s cockpit-mounted outboard, full-battened main, and relatively small (110%) jib all contribute to relatively easy handling. The single reefing line leads from a bail on the boom, up to the leech cringle, then down to the boom again and forward, then up to the luff reefing cringle, then down toward the deck. It’s occasionally handy when the big table is not in place, but is too small and low for most purposes. With the four-part vang (included as standard equipment), we didn’t miss the absence of a traveler, since we were able to employ vangsheeting. Its crosssection appears to be an efficient foil shape with asquare trailing edge about 3/16″ wide (considered good design). © Belvoir Media Group, LLC. Cabintop jib winches are little Lewmar #6s, okay for the 110% jib but not for a larger headsail. Thus, even with the sails trimmed perfectly, we found we couldn’t let go of the helm for more than a few seconds before it began to wander up into the wind in the puffs, or bear off in the lulls. We liked the cloth upholstery on the settees and forward V-berth—a blue suede-like material. That doesn't mean you have to go overboard with sail repair tools. If one's uses are limited to protected waters, and ease of trailering with a medium-size vehicle is … The board weighs about 90 pounds. Under power, our test boat was easily controlled, and made close to 6 knots in flat water with the engine wide open. We tried. Warning: Be careful not to drop anything that rolls onto the cockpit sole, and if the wash from a passing powerboat comes at you from astern, lift your feet quickly off the sole! We figured the boat could probably add a half knot on at least some points of sail if it was given a suit of sails with a bit flatter shape and less curl at the leech. Insure your 2004 Catalina Yachts 250 WING for just $100/year* More freedom: You’re covered on all lakes, rivers, and oceans within 75 miles of the coast. It slides into the hinged, so-called pop-top. Alan Carlisle. Add to favorites {{requestButtons}} Catalog excerpts. The owner’s Honda 8-hp. The head compartment contains a portable toilet (a nuisance compared to a permanent head, in our opinion), a tiny sink with cabinet under, and a small hanging locker, handy for stowing wet foul weather gear. If you're going to sail you'll be doing some stitching-no two ways about it. This configuration provides an interesting draft / low center of gravity / upwind performance trade-off. And the water tank under the sink contains a minuscule 5 gallons. The Catalina 30 MkII is a 29’11” (9.12m) cruising sailboat designed by Frank Butler (United States). (6) Our previous two boats (a 1991 Capri 16 and a 2007 Capri 18) both had the Catalina wing keel, and we were very, very happy with how these boats sailed. Actually, reefing the main at sea would be virtually impossible, given the way the test boat was delivered, with no topping lift on the main boom. A long shaft engine is required, and an extra long shaft (XLS) is recommended by the manufacturer. For example, the test boat’s owner happened to have a small (FX-7) Fortress aluminum anchor which fit perfectly. Plus, plastic tends to degrade in UV. The rudder is of composite construction, with a fiberglass skin covering a rigid foam core. Catalina 250 mkII water ballast It is joined to the hull along the sheer flange, and is tabbed at seatbacks and seat risers. The lead, of course, is the horizontal distance between the sails’ center of effort (CE) brought down to the waterline, and the center of the underwater profile (excluding the area of the rudder), or center of lateral plane (CLP), brought up to the waterline. It is 3/4″ thick, with a durable melamine surface, and is well braced by the 2-1/4″ anodized aluminum compression post, as well as by a pair of folding legs. There is the standard draft model with 6-foot 7-inch draft and also a wing keel … The early Catalina brochures announced that the C-250 had positive flotation, meaning the boat would float when holed. We believe that most experienced sailors—generally folks who like to go cruising for more than a few days at a time, occasionally find themselves offshore in unpredictable weather, and prefer a boat that looks like a boat in the traditional sense—will find that the new crop of water ballasted boats are not suited to their needs. Looking beyond the technical aspects of design, we see a boat that does not match our traditional ideas as to how a sailboat should look. The C-250’s ballast tank is basically a slab-like box inside the bottom of the hull. The owner added it later. Instead, the turning blocks are combined with cam cleats right at the mast, and the halyards are cleated at long distance. The V-berth measures 75″ long, 68″ across the wide end, and 10″ across the narrow (bow) end—enough space for a very friendly medium-sized couple. Catalina 250 Wing keel 6 Pages. However, when we tried to insert a 13-pound U.S. Anchor (a Danforth type), it wasn’t wide enough for the 21″ stock; the premolded notch in the locker is only 18″ wide. These boats—notably the C-250, the Hunter 26, and the MacGregor 26—all are of very modern design, are relatively inexpensive, and feature workmanship and materials of generally serviceable but by no means superior quality. We found it next to impossible to check due to its awkward position in line with the keel and far aft, behind a hatch in the bulkhead at the aft end of the under-cockpit berth. Above that angle, even considering that the stock 110% jib is relatively small, it probably would be time to reef the main. The 12-volt battery, according to the owner’s manual, is a 90-amp-hour, marine-grade, deep-cycle model. But because of the builder's strict adherence to a philosophy of offering a relatively spacious design, relatively well made, at a reasonable price, and backing up the product with … Yes, we realize the throughhull fittings (white plastic stubs) are located approximately 7″ above the waterline when the boat is floating level. Strangely, the standard rudder is fixed rather than a kick-up type. She was built between 1986 and 1991 by Catalina Yachts (United States). The smoked Plexiglas main hatch, if closed, might have made it easier to move around, but the boat’s owner was concerned that it might get scratched.

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