I love that transom! Catalina 310 Review (Credit: Talk of the Dock)
Okay, let’s take a look at the Catalina 310. The more I read about it, the better it seems to fit. Maybe I’m just talking myself into it? But why? There are a lot sexier vessels, faster boats, more elegant boats, more affordable boats (and lots of less affordable boats!)
So there must be some reason the 2002 Catalina 310 for sale at the Willsboro Bay Marina resonates with me. In the next couple of posts I’m going to draw together some of high points in what I’ve been reading about performance, value, exterior and interior configuration, bed sizing, etc. Maybe laying it all out will help me size up the situation.
Maybe some day I’ll revisit the topics of the Catalina 310’s performance, configuration, bed sizing, etc. Perhaps once I’ve overnighted aboard? Perhaps not. Perhaps another sailboat is in our future. But at the moment the Catalina 310 seems like a pretty smart fit.
This afternoon I made the decision to find out more about about Da Capo, the 2002 Catalina 310 listed for sale locally (Willsboro Bay Marina) on sailboatlistings.com.
At 4:44 PM I sent this message to the seller:
Beautiful boat. If it’s still for sale, would you please email me any known mechanical/structural/systems problems? Also any deferred maintenance issues that I should be aware of. I’m wondering if the boat would be available for a visit? I am in Essex, NY, and I would appreciate a chance to come and take a look with my wife. Thanks in advance.
This boat is in perfect condition and I will be glad to give you a visit!
Less than two hours later I received this response:
Yes, my boat still for sale. This boat is in perfect condition and I will be glad to give you a visit! I’m from Montreal and will arrive at Willsboro friday afternoon. Can you come around 4 or 5 pm Friday ? Or Sunday afternoon ? I’m really in a rush to sell her, I have an eye on another boat which is the only one like it on the market. I really want it!
Hmmm… The seller’s prompt response initially excited me, then — once I read the email — concerned me. Too urgent? Red flag waving.
I decide to sleep on it before responding. Prudence…
This quick info post—a list of Catalina 310 specs—is a quick update to my avalanche of posts about Da Capo, a 2002 Catalina 310 sloop offered for sale at Willsboro Bay Marina, just a short bike ride away from my home, my desk, my computer,… where I am supposed to be working right now, not obsessing over a sailboat!
Not sure why I think that data crunching is helpful right now, but I’m getting a little obsessed. These numbers look sooo right, so practical, so smart for me at this point. Big enough to comfortably accommodate us on Lake Champlain, but not so large as to be a hassle. Beamy, so not super sleek and elegant, but practical. Comfortable. Accommodating. Plenty of mass and lots of keel to balance the generous sail area.
This 2002 Catalina 310 is exactly the sort of sailboat I would love to own for a few years. I am still researching, pondering, learning what I should be looking for, but I’m tentatively planning for a purchase next summer. Maybe this handsome sloop named Da Capo will still be for sale then? Maybe I should schedule a visit to help accelerate my learning curve. For now I’ll continue to surf boat listings and daydream…
Da Capo Photo Gallery
Update: I’ve added more pictures to the gallery. Da Capo is seeming more and more to be exactly what I’m looking for. Most of the photos of Da Capo seem to have mostly been taken on on May 21, 2014 (according to the metadata) and are available on Flickr. They are linked to from the SailboatListings.com advertisement and the originals can be viewed at Flickr: boutindaniels Photostream.
All summer I’ve been following local (and local-ish) listings for 25′ to 35′ sailboats. Mostly sloops. All keel boats set up for cruising. I’ve pipe dreamed (and saved up) for years, but lately the [midlife] clock’s tick-tick-ticking louder. I’m hoping that next summer (or possibly even this autumn?) I will find a suitable vessel.
I’m trying to balance my research between the sort of sailboats that quicken my pulse and make me drool (like the custom Friendship 36 in the photo above), and more practical sailboats that would make more sense as “entry level” cruisers. In the latter category I’ve come across a 2002 Catalina 310 (named Da Capo) that seems to make a lot of sense but that offers a healthy dose of sizzle as well. And it just happens to be moored along one of my weekday bicycle routes…
Very powerful boat, easy to sail, it reaches is hull speed in 12 to 15 knots wind. The full batten main sail (equip with a Dutchman) is easy to adjust with a wide traveler. This sailboat had never see saltwater and was always sailed on Champlain Lake, and when we say sailed we mean it, the motor as more or less 250 hours on it (in and out of the marina). This boat can easily take 20 knots of wind before you start thinking of reefing. This boat was sold by Willsboro bay marina (Catalina dealer), was always hull in and out, winterized, and taken care by the professionals of this marina. Boat is register Canadian in bound.
Equipment:
Full batten main sail
Genoi 135% with furler
Asymetric spy
Dutchman system on the mainsail, plus all the many equipment’s coming with
the catalina packageWater capacity 55 gal
Fuel capacity 27 gal
Hot water capacity 6 galEngine Universal M25XP 26HP ~250 hours
2 Big battery 4D (2011)
1 starter battery (2011)
Auto pilot Raymarine X5 (2009)
ST60 depth
ST60 Speed
ST60 Wind
Magellan GPS and ChartplotterPropane stove & oven
Fridge
Microwave1 big aft berth (king sheets)
1 big front bert with real matress (new custom sheets (500 tread)Bimini
Cockpit cushions
Delta anchor, 15′ chain, 200′ cable
BBQ
Material
Hull
Type
Rigging
Cabins
Condition
fiberglass
monohull
racer/cruiser
masthead sloop
2
excellent
The URL for this page is www.sailboatlistings.com/view/42777
This Catalina 310 Added 13-May-2014.
