Catalina 34 Used Boat Review

Comments · 109

• RO

  @robertredinger-t3n · 1 year ago

  We were Lake Michigan sailors and took a year off to sail the Caribbean in our Catalina 34 and loved it so much we sailed back to St John and lived there for 18 years. The 34 Mk1 was the perfect boat for us. Would have been happy with more generator, wing keel was great throughout Bahamas. Should have had sharper anchor for tough anchoring in Belize. Had to sell her when we moved back to be around grandkids. A time of our lives we have never regretted.

  34

• GO

  @GottaGhostemAll · 1 year ago

  Not sure if you guys are interested in dusting off any old files but ericson yachts had an impressive run of sub 35 ft sailboats stretching decades from the early 70s all the way through to the early 90s. Food for thought.

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• CH

  @chriskirchner5094 · 1 year ago

  Shhhhh, you keep promoting my favourite boats!

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• CA

  @Cacheola · 1 year ago

  2004 MKII here, love her. Glad to see Catalina's refreshed the floorplan with their new 356

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• NU

  @nufsed · 1 year ago (edited)

  I almost bought one, but wife wanted me to be more budget minded for our situation at the time. and bought a nice C30 instead.  I should have just bought the 34 and  dealt with her wrath.

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• FR

  @fritzgiggle · 1 year ago

  Great to see a “Tim Review” of my own boat! &nbsp;I’ve always loved his straight-shooting, cut-out-the-jargon style, and I’ve learned heaps as a result. Now he’s doing the same for my boat, a mk2.<br><br>I agree with most of what he’s said here. A point to note from the windy NZ would be the need to furl/reef the head sail, particularly if you have a 150 genoa and the higher mast like mine. It’s easy to over-power this boat, with very little speed gain and a more uncomfortable ride. I just furl to the size of a jib, and it makes for more friendly sailing in 15-20 kt up wind.<br><br>Also noted was the problem with leaking port lights, although at this point they’ve probably already been fixed/replaced by an owner.<br><br>Tim only mentioned in passing the swim ladder, but this is the feature that everyone mentions when they see my boat (even the owners of $300k boats). It’s an aft safety rig which neatly folds down to a ladder when you want to go for a swim. And it’s not a toy, like most other ladders, with inch dia tube that hurts your feet when you climb up. This one is so deep that your first step is at floating “height”, and the rings are nice, wide pads. I’ve never seen a better ladder on any sailboat, but sadly it would appear that Catalina has removed this feature on newer designs.<br><br>One last point - Catalina Direct is a great company. Where else can you get parts for boats that are 25-35 years old? And they’re also very helpful in helping sort out issues. I can’t praise them enough.<br><br>A Catalina 34mk2 is a rare beast in these waters, but it’s proven to be a great cruiser along the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. I’ve done nearly 5000nm in it in the 4 years I’ve had it and it hasn’t skipped a beat.

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• LA

  @LaughterOnWater · 1 year ago

  Who wouldn&apos;t be smitten with this vessel? Nice review. Thanks Tim.

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• LO

  @LoveUSA747 · 1 year ago

  Had a 1999 Catalina 320, very similar in design to the 34 Mk2. Sailed her for thirteen years on the Chesapeake. &nbsp;Loved the boat and never had any real problems. &nbsp;It had a Yanmar 29 HP engine which was well suited to the boat. &nbsp;I loved the walk through transom and the &nbsp;aft cabin, &nbsp;Sold her for about what I paid for new without the upgrades.

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• AN

  @andrew8025 · 1 year ago

  I was excited to see this video appear in my feed, but disappointed to see that he&apos;s basically reading word-for-word from the practical sailor article which I had already read. &nbsp;Was hoping for information presented from another angle or something but alas not. &nbsp;In any case, I still love the C34!

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• SW

  @SwitcherTrain · 1 year ago

  Review the Pearson 34 next !!!

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• RI

  @RichardMauri · 1 year ago

  I&apos;d share that a distinctive feature of a C34 are the three portholes; you can ID one instantly

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• FR

  @frankl9103 · 2 months ago

  I&apos;d like to see you cover the Catalina 320! &nbsp;Very well balanced boat.