Here's a Cat 28 I'm looking at Friday

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/boa/2921659626.html

Sounds like a nice one Mark!! Looks to be well equipt and that 18hp diesel is plenty of motor.

Is that going to fit the ticket as far as you wanting a larger boat?

Wishing you the best in your search and look forward to more details after inspection.

I mistakenly wrote that she is a 28. She is a 27. Don't know if it will fit the bill for a larger boat.

I currently have a CM26 with tiller, limited head room, 10hp O/B motor, and she's a 26 footer.

This Catalina would only be a 27' footer with an 18hp diesel (presumably more power, faster?), wheel steering (limits cockpit seating but its my wife's request), a head and shower (both of us like those features) that I don't currently have, 6'1" head room (I'm just under 6' and my wife is 5'11"), and hot and cold pressurized water (we don't currently have that) and roller furling (we know what I have...hank on jibs with a little red bag) :-)

Haven't seen her in person.

The current boat is named MT Nest II (M for Mark, T for wife's name, starting with a "T", empty nesters 'cuz our two sons are grown and moved out).

I can't wait to get my next boat and name her what I've always wanted...My-Ott.

That way, when people ask "What are you doing this weekend?" I can tell them I'm going out on My-Ott.

My yacht :-)

Will head up to the lake tomorrow afternoon to look at the 27 inside and out and the 30 footer, hopefully on the inside.

IF the 27 footer is great, hopefully I can negotiate for a lower price.

Mark

That description is what I was aiming at w/ my question about size. I know some times a boat doesn't really have to be much longer to gain size. Wider beam, taller cabin, layout, cockpit size, locker space, etc, all adds up.

As for the engine difference is concerned I see the inboard as being more reliable in that the prop location is much better especially in rough conditions. Steering under power is improved as well. Also the engine weight is in a better location.

The price does seem a bit high but I'm not familiar w/ prices in your area. Here is what I am used to seeing:

http://keys.craigslist.org/boa/2921613985.html

I don't see the dingy listed in the add put it is pictured so i assume it's included.

All the best, Ev

Yeah, that's the going rate in my PHX metro market. No doubt, there are great deals to be found. I look constantly and am always in the market. I need to look up that app for craigslist sailboats. I'm generally amazed/shocked/frustrated/ETC., that boat prices in the eastern and western US are so much lower than here in the valley.

I might get a deperate seller to accept MAYBE 11k - 13k on a boat listed at 15.5k, but only when desperate or if the boat has problems or the boat does now show well. But, this is being offered through the sailboat shop, who charges a 15% +- fee. So, even at his listed/asking price of $15,500, the seller would only net $13,175. If we agreed on a $2k drop in price to $13,500, the seller's net would only be $11,475. My guess is the seller would allow only $1k - $1.5k drop in price. We'll see when I take a look.

But I would love to be sailing a new purchase by this weekend if the stars alligned.

Typically, when a boat is listed at a steal, it's the seller who's doing the stealing. I've let more than one seller know how displeased I was at the "real" boat when I came running to what I hoped was a helluva deal. I let them know that they are not just wasting my time, but others and theirs as well because no one but a rare fool would want their floating trash barge.

So far, the Catalina 27s are very appealing to me--kind of like Gary got about CMs and CM 30s, in particular.

Catalina's are king on my lake, there seem to be a lot of them, at least on my dock. Once I win the lottery, I will get one. lol

For now, I am quite comfortable with my piece of 70's history.

What many of these other boat brands have going for them, is their much wider beams. There is so much more you can do with a boat that is 10' wide, or wider.

The 8' beam of the larger CM's is both a blessing, and a limatation. If I were building a sailboat today, and I wanted it to be highly trailer-able, I would go with 8'6" beam, and that is good to go on 99.9% of the roads in the known universe.