Choosing the Perfect boat.

How did we decide on the Catalina 42. After 20 years of boating, we had a good idea of what we would need if we were to live on a boat for months.  To make sure we were right, we went on everything we could find while we visited Annapolis, MD. We toured canoe sterned blue water boats, center cockpit yachts, with 36 as our minimum, and 42 as our maximum, we spent a whole day with a great broker at Annapolis Yacht Sales. The last  thing we saw was a tricked out Catalina 42 with two cabins. It was spacious, had 8 hatches and about 10 ports we could open for a breeze in the tropical sun of the Bahamas and Virgin Islands. The kitchen was more than adequate with lots of storage.

  The pullman berth was long enough for the two of us and there was lots of storage in our cabin. There was an extra cabin and head for guests, but not the wasted space of a third cabin. Plenty of headroom for my 6'2" frame was a necessity. Oh, and she sails fast though she needs a cruising chute to go down wind. Nothing like being on a slow boat for a guy who spent a lot of time in race boats. Like many sailors, I spend all my time challenging myself to get the most from the boat. The master stateroom and head in the bow would be quiet at the dock where most modern sugar scoop shaped boats can make an annoying amount of noise as waves slap under the transom. The head was spacious with a great shower and separate cabinets for both of us to store toiletries in. She was great, she was just so dirty as she had set for 2 or 3 years.  It was hard to see the diamond in the rough through all the mold and dirt. It is hard to tour  a boat that was mothballed. Literally, we had to remove buckets of moth balls which made the inside of the boat so foul we had to open all the windows to be able to stay inside. The smell stayed for 2 summers.

The walk through transom leads to a huge cockpit has held 14 people for parties. Getting around is easy, though it is a challenge to dodge the permanent table in the cockpit while tacking.  The sails, lines and most of the gear was shot after years on the ocean and the layers of dust in the yard. We bought the bones of a great boat and have put a lot into it. It took Merri and I a full week to clean the boat. It required a full day in every cabin and large space.  It was very stock but the broker managed to convince us that being a '98, all the systems would need to be replaced soon so we could buy her for less and add what we wanted. 

She is still not perfect for living aboard, but we have a long list of upgrades to do that seems to never get shorter, though it changes in contents. Davits and an autopilot are going to be coming soon. I hope I can write about how well this boat works when I retire and sail her to the Bahamas.