Registry
YACHT REGISTRY(member or not, contact the webmaster, to add your Catalina 38 to the list)
#1, “Temptress” owned by Ron Simonson. “I thought I would give you a little insight into her history from the bits I have accumulated. I am the 3rd owner and her current name is “Temptress”, she is berthed in Cabrillo Beach in Holiday Harbor. The boat was originally owned by a man named Hockinson of Hockinson sails in Marina Del Rey. The boat was not completely built or finished by the Catalina factory. Apparently the hull was acutally laid by Yankee but I have not confirmed this. The boat was then assembled by Catalina and used in the boat show in 78. Hockinson took possesion on the boat and finished off the interior with all standard Catalina parts with exception of the floor. She has a teak and holly sole throught the entire boat. She was extensively outfitted for racing with oversized winches and multiple redundant halyards, etc. She was raced in the Congressional Cup. She was orgianally named “So Long IV” and raced extesively through the 80s. She was later sold to Bill Haisman and renamed “Another Impulse” and moved from MDR to Cabrillo Marina. Bill owned her for a number of years and raced her mildly. I bought her in 1997 and modernized her rigging and internal systems as well as remodeling the interior and giving her gelcoat a makeover. Today she is mainly a fast cruiser and just plain great to sail. The primary differences are the single spreader mast and a longer boom than the rest of the fleet. That and slightly different bow and stern pulpits, the teak floor, a completely teak head compartment, teak companionway door to the V-berth and a little heavier, more reinforced hull.”
#6 “Bluewater” Owned by Mark Lewis (12/7/2010). Bluewater was formerly called “Poka’i” which the former owner said was Hawaiian for “with the wind”. My google search said “night of the supreme one”. Pokai is a bay on one of the Hawaiian Islands. The boat won the congressional cup in 1980, and was featured in a Sport’s Illustrated article that should be in the archives. I spoke with the factory and learned that the hull was laid up in late September of 1978, but is a 1979 model. The original list price was $30,000. It still has the original tiller, although I plan to convert to wheel. Larry Malmberg of #149 Hassel, was kind enough to let me sail his boat and I really liked the wheel! I have a long “punch” list of repairs, and have moved all the tackle off the mast and back to the cockpit for single handed cruising, as I am not a racer. Greatful to have this association, with a rich database of tips, and members generous with advice. At $25, it’s a steal.
#10, “Hoku Pa’a” Owned by Brian Lohr. The literal translation is constant star, which is the common name for north star. The Alii name is Hoku Lea but I thought that would be disrespectful. Thought that might be important. The boat was sailed from California, I don’t know when though. I purchased her from a woman who used her for a live aboard. The boat was far from seaworthy at first. She had an awful Catalina smile and the running rigging was made up of polyester core line that broke during the first sail. Since then I have fixed the hull and repainted the bottom. The rig is tuned and the lines are replaced. I have sailed her across the Kaiwi Channel three times now. Twice to Molokai and once around Lanai. She almost made it around the north shore of Molokai but I blew out a jib and snapped some running rigging in the Pailolo channel. She has been great for the last three years that I have owned her. And I have had some incredible experiences on the outer islands with her. I have her in a slip at Rainbow Bay Marina, which is in the North Loch of Pearl Harbor on Oahu. All who sail in and out of Pearl with me get a historical fact filled sail. I simply love it but not too many 38 owners here in Hawaii to pick brains with. There are some others here but not seaworthy.
#12, 1979, “JOINT ADVENTURE” Owned by Rod and Pat Headlee, who live aboard at California Yacht Marina in Los Angeles Harbor. “Rod found her on the internet and promptly fell in love with her. We purchased her in January 1999 and moved aboard March 1, 1999. She is tiller steered and fin keeled with a 6’9″ draft. She is currently undergoing refit for a cruise beginning November 2002. We added 4 group 31 batteries for a 520 ah house bank. She is currently getting all new standing rigging and the mast painted. We just ordered a new stove & oven and plan on bringing water tankage up to at least 60 gallons. We also added the Adler Barbour Super Cold Machine refrigeration, new electric panels and are currently re-wiring the boat. She is powered by the original A4, which still runs well. We currently carry 20 gallons fuel, but we intend to upgrade to 40 gallons. We plan on adding either the Monitor or Flemming wind vane steering. We love the boats performance to windward as well as in light winds.”
#13 1978, “POIA” Owned by Glenn Walters. I have owned her for about 8 years and she is presently located in Newport, RI. Formerly named “WALDEN” after Walden Pond. I renamed her after a beautiful lake on a trek in Glacier National Park, which is turn is named after a Black Foot indian legend that is too much to describe here. Anyway, I have done the following to her in chronological order: new electronics, new DC refrigeration, more batteries, Raymarine 4000 autopilot, new awlgripped hull (dark custom green), new Westerbeke 35HP engine, new three bladed Flexo-fold prop, replaced standing rigging, new Xantrex 200 battery monitoring system (excellent!)custom teak and holly cabin sole throughout, new white faux leather interior cushions, lowered main salon table and rotated 90 degrees for better ease of access, new marine head and 15 gallon holding tank, and added new teak cockpit seating. Last but not least, I added a new boom, rigid adjustable vang, and increased the boom length by 4ft. Then I repowered the mainsail with a tri-radial laminate sail with a fine tuner mainsheet adjustment fixed just forward of the helm. Traveler remains on the coach roof as normal, but I also increase the purchase on the mainsheet combined with a 6:1 fine tuner at the helm. Now I realize for anyone interested in one design racing this is not a desired change, but after careful sail plan and CG studies, I decided for my purposes she needed a larger, fuller mainsail. With anxiety I made this change, but can only report ALL positives such as: No meaningful detrimental increase in weather helm, better off wind performance, great tuning when going to weather in high winds, less risk of inadvertent jibing, faster at all points of sail, and when I am only casually sailing the mainsail works just fine by itself. Usually, I am sailing (often single or short handed) with a 105 genoa, but will add next year a tri-radial 130 genoa with much needed self-tailing 48/52 primary winches. In 2008, I will add either a code zero or asymmetrical spinnaker. In 2009, I may consider a inner forestay and running backstays which the rig appears to have had at one time. By that time I may also have added additional fuel tank, water tanks, water maker, solar cells and other miscellaneous stuff. Last but not least will be wind generator, electric windlass, wind steering vane, and liferaft….and then off I go around the world? Who knows where the wind will take me and my mermaid-beautiful wife.
#17 1979 “Sorare” Owned by Pete Ellis. I keep Sorare (italian for ‘to soar’?) in San Rafael Ca. from where we sail San Francisco Bay every weekend and coastal cruise. I purchased her from a dealer in the east bay who didn’t have much history on her. I found some old paperwork indicating she used to be named “Loan Shark” and she has ‘Seal Beach Ca.” painted on her stern. The original atomic 4, while still running great, was starting to have calcium deposit overheating. I had a new Beta Marine 28 hp (kubota) diesel installed which pushes a martec 12/14 folding. The atomic 4 was sold on ebay and now powering a boat in ft. lauderdale! With a clean bottom , Sorare motors at low rpm at about 6.5 knots, and can go faster at higher rpm. She has an edson pedestal and wheel, but the tiller post is still accessable and I found a tiller in a locker. The ancient benmar autopilot’s connections were all corroded, I cleaned them up and it started running, although inconsistent in accuracy. I sent the compass unit to benmar for refurbishing and it now works perfect under motor but still needs some work under sail. (voltage drop?)
I also cleaned up the wiring on the original cockpit guages and got the signet windpoint, depth, and windspeed, and possibly the speed (needs new lcd) to work. Got the 100 amp alternator and two 8D agm’s in parallel house bank plus a dedicated start battery, as well as 1000 watt inverter. Added a jrc radar with a tower on the stern. Installed a Lewmar h-700 pro series stainless windlass , hauling up 200 ft. of 1/4″ ht chain and a 35lb self launching delta fastset. Bow roller was a head scratcher, so I bolted a 4″ boom bob onto the orginal anchor roller and it works. I have replaced every pump. Sorare is beautiful, safe, and fast. She dances in 12-18 knots under full main and the 160% genoa. More often, we crash along in 25-30 knots that sf bay has daily under full main and the jib furled down to 30%. I’m not a racer, but I really like that she catches or pulls away from most boats on the bay putting out twice the sail. I plan to cruise Sorare to mexico next year. I’d be curious how any other owners have increased tankage, and fished new wire to old interior lighting. pete ellis , mill valley ca. peteellis@sbcglobal.net
#19, 1979, “Happy Ours” and is owned by Fairwind Yacht Club, a non profit sailing club located in Marina Del Rey, CA. Happy Ours was purchased from a group of 4 owners located in Phoenix AZ in April 2005. Little is known about her history, both racing and cruising. Happy Ours seems to be a fitting name for a small coop of boat owners (Fairwind Yacht Club) and I believe it was renamed by the previous group of owners. As far as History, the only information I have is that the previous name was either “Wisp” or “Wasp” based on light markings I saw on the transom.
Regarding upgrades, Happy Ours has an Edson Helm. I assume that this in an upgrade based on the hull number as well as the fact that the rudder post tiller base is still attached, which serves as a base for the emergency tiller. The Engine was upgraded to a Yanmar 25HP. When we bought Happy Ours, the prop walk was out of control. We have since changed to a 2 blade larger prop with the help of Wilmington propeller and it has helped. The Sails are new and there is a new roller furling genoa. Electrical seems to be an issue, so we are in the process of upgrading the electrical system. Happy Ours recently took first place in the Home Port Regatta skippered by Stephen Smith , Happy Ours boat chief and FYC board member.
#23, 1979, “Jomaree” owned by Fred and JoMaree Meis. My understanding is that our boat was originally from San Pedro, Ca and sailed to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2000 where she remains today. She is tiller steered with a replacement Universal engine having 24hp. Nutmeg was renamed s/v JoMaree after my Australian wife and she has been USCG documented. We are preparing/ refitting her for a South Pacific voyage with a destination of Airlee Beach, Queensland in 2004.
#33, 1979, “Krugerrand” Owner”s are Judy & Jim Jacobs. Krugerrand was owned by the same family and sailed on Lake Michigan for most of her life. A member of the South Shore Yacht Club, he raced her for, as far as we can tell by the plaques in the Queens Cup, every year until 2000. Krugerrand was moved south to Clearwater Florida where the owner’s son kept her until we purchased her in March of this year 2004. She had been well kept and needed only a few things to get off the dock, so we put off the restoration and went cruising for the summer. We sailed from New Orleans to Key West and back, had a ball even ducking the hurricanes. Krugerrand sails well and in a heavy sea did fair. We love the boat she is a keeper in our opinion. Krugerrand at anchor.
#36, 1979, “Nanny” Owners are Steve and Carolyn Kaminsky. We sail out of her Northport, NY on the Long Island Sound. Unfortunately, there’s about 3000 miles between us and the rest of the 38 fleet. We know of only one other 38 in our vicinity. One of the most beautiful color schemes is “Nanny” on stands.
1979, No name yet, owned by Scott Carter. “I purchased her through a long ordeal. The previous owner sunk her on purpose and I purchased the salvage rights, then found a preferred mortgage lien, purchased that and then bought the boat from his widow for $1. While she was lying on the bottom in 60′ of water, she was struck by the net anchors of a shrimp boat which wrecked her cabin top. I’ve spent the last 5 years rebuilding her from scratch… I now live aboard her in Florida… I replaced the entire interior with new teak, complete paint inside and out, new teak and holly sole and some other modifications. I put in custom cut mattresses (firm with a pillow top). I converted the single berth in the salon to file drawers and office arrangement. I put in surround sound and a 27″ color television… She has solar panels, a new diesel, electronic computer navigation and all the toys… Needless to say, I’m quite happy with her and her performance…”
#49, 1980, “Que Linda” Her owners are Phil and Linda Gay, and her home port is Naval Station Everett, WA. Que linda means How pretty! in Spanish and Linda’s middle name is Kay. Que Linda has white topsides with a royal blue bootstripe and sheer stripe. She has the standard keel and a Yanmar 3GM30 engine with a Martec folding prop. She is daysailed in Puget Sound and cruised in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands. She began as “Wind Dancer” in Dana Point, CA. “Ay! Que Linda!”
#50, 1980, “Discreet Charm” Owned by Karin and Don Strong sail out of Emeryville Cove in San Francisco Bay and are just getting comfy with the boat on San Francisco Bay. She is in extra good shape and very well found, owing to the much appreciated efforts of her previous owners. So far a couple of gale-force days under double reefing have given the big excitement. She is much faster than any boat of our experience; passing this or that racy thing is pure joy. Weekend trips up the coast to Drakes Bay and Bodega Bay, and down to Half Moon Bay and Monterey the south are the plan for the coming year. Then to the Channel Islands (already worrying about the slog home). Then, Gulf of California, Galapagos, South Pacific? Photos
#69, 1980 “Poco Loco Dos” Keith Sangster and Debbie Gittins. Currently cruising in Mexico
#71, 1980, “Showtime” Owned by Nanci and Steve Adler of Carlsbad, CA. More to come once they get more acquainted with Showtime as this posting is two weeks since they purchased her!
#80 1981, “The Goose” Owned by Mark Turner of Solomons Island, MD. We bought The Goose in St Petersburg FL in 2004. She is now based at Zahnisers in Solomons Island, MD after an eventful journey which included a 36 hour storm during which she behaved impeccably, our only damage being a rip at the top of the mainsail.
Her most notable feature is her keel. She has a standard deep fin which has been shortened to 6 feet under Catalina supervision. This makes life much easier in the shallow waters of Chesapeake Bay whilst still makeing her quicker through the turns than the shoal draught boats with their longer keels.
Her systems are gradually being upgraded and we have added refrigeration using the Norcold kit – which although not sold as a freezer – will actually make ice if the water is placed in a metal tray next to the cold plate. This also makes the refrigeration of the ice box more efficient so it is a win-win situation. We have found her an excellent sailing boat and in bad weather, well reefed down, able to go to windward better and faster than a lot of much bigger boats that on paper should leave us standing.She still has her original Universal 5424 which runs as sweetly as ever – driving us via a 3 blade fixed prop.
Our next planned upgrade is to convert the stove from CNG to LPG as CNG is becoming increasingly difficult to find (certainly on the East Coast) although fortunately our home marina still supplies it.
When we bought her she was wearing a badly scatched up coat of mid blue paint. We repainted her ourselves using Pettit’s Easypoxy which lived up to its name and was really easy to use being applied with roller and brush. The hard bit was getting the old blue off. We have received many favourable comments about her paintjob, which cost us about $750 dollars in total – a large part of which was sanding materials for getting the blue off. The repaint will be much cheaper and easier!!.
#95, 1981, “Renata” Purchased in July of 1993 as “Winners” in St. Petersburg Florida. Now the boat is named “Renata” and is still in St. Pete and owned by Tom and Dianne Troncalli. The propulsion is a stock Universal 5424 with 3 blade prop upgraded to stainless prop shaft in ’96. The Renata is shoal draft which is great for the thin water on the West coast of Florida. An electric anchor windlass has been added in the forward anchor locker. We also ventilated the anchor locker to the v-berth to allow fresh air ventilation in rainy weather. This vent only works with the anchor locker open but greatly aids fresh air ventilation for the entire boat, especially in rainy weather. We built a custom water cooled air conditioner to fit in the foot well under the nav station. This area was almost useless before so no effective storage was lost adding air conditioning. The A/C water pump uses the same thru-hull and filter as the engine. We refrigerated the ice box with components from a household refrigerator. The condenser is a long length of 1/4″ copper line going around the perimeter of our bilge fastened down in the residual 1″ of water in our bilge. This condenser gives excellent cooling to the refrigerator with no thru-hull fittings, no water pump, and no wasted electrical load on pumps or fans, and the unit is extremely quiet. Now the only electrical load is the compressor. This condenser modification can be done to any refrigerator as long as you have a wet bilge. We carry three group 27 batteries. One in the engine compartment, and the other two under the aft dinette seat where we modified the factory tie-down boxes to accommodate the larger batteries. We upgraded all of the 12V electric ceiling lights to quartz Halogen bulb lights and the stove/oven was upgraded to three burner propane. We put a crossover pipe between the cold pressure water line and the suction supply line from the water tank. Now when we are on city water, we can fill the forward water tank with a twist of a valve handle. Our water deck fitting has not been off in years. Very sanitary. Our diesel deck fitting never comes off either. We placed an outboard fuel fitting into the supply line to the diesel tank under the quarter berth. When we want to top off the diesel, we connect an outboard fuel tank to this fitting and then place the portable outboard tank (marked DIESEL) up on a cockpit seat. That cockpit seat is higher than the boat tank but lower than the overflow on the transom so the boats’ tank gets filled 100% without even spilling a drop of diesel. This also makes a great way to carry extra fuel for long motoring trips without the need to pour at sea. When not topping off, the 6 gal portable tank sits under the quarter berth behind the boats’ diesel tank. Any diesel fuel additives are mixed in from the portable tank. The amp meter on our Universal engine panel was upgraded to a volt meter. This is a safety upgrade highly recommended by Catalina to eliminate high amperage connections and wires going to the engine panel.
#96, 1981, Tranquility Hull #96
Tranquility is a 1981 Shoal Draft version More information and pictures here http://sailingintotranquility.com
Owner: Hines Group, Location: Grand Lake Oklahoma, Scottys Cove Marina.
Purchased in 2018. We enjoy sailing tranquility 3-4 times a week. Our plan is to relocate to the Gulf. Port Aransas area in the upcoming year.
We truly enjoy Tranquility and can generally be found on the boat most weekends.
Tranquility is Well Equipped, Cruise Air 16.5, Dehumidifier much needed on those hot oklahoma summer days. Forward and starboard water tanks 65Gal total, Teak Cabin Sole and interior cabinets,
Upgrades: V-Berth Bed replaced with 10” foam mattress. LED Lights, Added 12 volt Fans 2 in main cabin 1 in V-Berth,1 in Head.
Removed Adler Barbour Reefer Compressor Completely gutted and rebuilt Reefer with more foam and Aerogel insulation. Installed Diesel Air heater this makes a huge difference in Winter and spring. Especially with dehumidification. No more rainforest effect in the early spring. Installed BG Vulcan Electronic Nav Computer, Forward looking Depth Sonar. Wireless solar wind vane, Auto-helm 1500, Secondary hydraulic Helm Planned for 2021. Wind Vane Planned for 2021.
The helm was incredibly loose and wobbly this due to the de-lamination of subfloor support plywood. The rotted subfloor has been removed and strengthened. This after cutting the floor out of the port lazaret to make an entry. (Whew) The Helm has been removed and replaced with a beautiful Tiller from Rudder Craft. The Helm was removed to enable better cockpit movement. (Actually I just love a Tiller) Fortunately Tranquility was very solid and well kept. There was no other delimitation noted. Chain plate bulkheads and plates are in great condition with minor surface defects close to the top of the Bulkhead at the cabin junction. Replaced Exhaust Pipe, Refreshed Alternator and Starter. The 5424 is in great condition. Refreshed Bearings in the Hood Furling system. Added Solar Panels and inverter. Replaced Origo 6000 with all electric. Repainting Deck and Re-Varnishing Brightwork. Purchased a TrueKit Discovery RIB fits on deck nicely. Added two additional Bilge Pumps. Planned upgrades for 2020 – 2021: Upgrade Bimini to Hard Top will allow more solar panels, Replace 150 Sail with 130. Replace Main Sail. Add A#3 Sail for running under a breeze. Relocate to Bigger Water. Cheers!
#107, 1981, “The Trooper” Keith and Kevin Lynch. Desert Wind, recently re-named The Trooper, was purchased May 2001 by Keith and Kevin Lynch and is docked in Marina Del Rey, Ca. “To date(6-01), we have taken her out twice. During the second sail we encountered 20+ knots of wind and The Trooper was truly at home. The Trooper has a beige hull with a blue stripe and custom davets supporting our inflatible. It has the original Universal engine with a folding prop.”
#108, 1981, “Blonde Stranger” Dan & Marcy Miller. In Nov. 2009 we became the proud owners of a shoal draft Catalina 38 up in Newport, RI. We are the 3rd owners. She was originally “Brittania” and then the “Blonde Stranger”. In the spring after getting familar with her and doing some cruising to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and the Cape Cod areas we will be bringing her to the great Chesapeake Bay of Maryland for cruising and some PHRF racing (non-spinnaker for starters). Let me tell you how the Catalina 38 became my (Dan’s) dream boat. In the late 70’s a couple of friends of mine bought a Ranger 28 designed by the late Gary Mull. It was a beautiful tumblehome hull design. Gary also designed a 32 and a 37 with tumblehome hulls. If anyone is familar with those Gary Mull Rangers, they will know that the Ranger 37 and the Catalina 38 (former Yankee) are very very simular in hull design. They both rated the same 27.5 under IOR and between 111 and 120 in PHRF. In 1981 The PHRF of the Chesapeake had 2 Yankee 38’s at 120, a Catalina 38 (hull #128) at 114 and a Ranger 37 at 111. If you put them side by side about the only difference in the basic hull is the Ranger had a bigger stern. In 1980 one of the partners wanted to sell his share and I was able to buy 1/2 interest in the Ranger 28. About the same time, my SAIL magazine came and there on the cover was about 5 or 6 beautiful tumblehome hulls coming at you under spinnaker in the Congressional Cup and said they were Catalina 38’s. I thought what do they mean Catalina 38’s, they are Ranger 37’s. Well after reading the article inside I found out they were really Catalina’s. This put a dream in the back of my mind that someday, if possible, I would love to have a Ranger 37 or Catalina 38. Have you ever been “in the right place at the right time” for something to happen in your life? Well that is what happened to me when this Catalina 38 popped up on Craigslist in Newport RI. We and a friend drove up to Newport, checked it out, fell in love and my dream has finally come true. Luckily she’s been on the hard for about 3 or 4 years with the mast down in the owners front yard. She needed a lot of cleaning especially on the inside because of the ports and mast opening leaking. With the kindness of the owners who let me stay with them for 5 days, I was able to pull out all the cushions and curtains and thoroughly clean the inside with Pinesol and Murphy’s Soap and make a nice custom cover to button her up for the winter. She has a beautiful dark blue hull with only a few small areas that need touched up. I’m confident she will buff up nicely. Before she is recommissioned, she will get new cushions, new upper rigging, the engine maintenance required and a folding prop. We are also hoping to install those new ports from Cruising Concepts. I’ll try to update you with progress from time to time. “photo”
#109, 1981, “Waltzing Matilda” “Snared by Paul Downie and Karen Harper, of Victoria, BC last February (2001) in Seattle, Washington, where she was registered as “La Vie Dansante”. We had hoped to keep “The Dancing Life” name…however the nom was already taken by a vessel registered in Ontario, Canada. After several months of indecision, we decided to bestow her with “Waltzing Matilda”, partly because Paul is an expatriate Aussie, and the Catalina 38, like the “swagman”..(a drifter) in the song is made for “waltzing” up and down this beautiful coast of British Columbia. Officially, the Certificate of Registry (Canadian) lists her now as “Waltzing Matilda”, No. 821089, Victoria, BC. We have made upgrades to the holding tank (which is required by law here now), a new compressor for the refrigerator, replaced the steering cables, re-routed the impeller set-up on the Universal 24hp engine, which seems to have been installed in 1990 (only had 918 hours on it). She will for a few months remain nameless with the “expired” Washington registration numbers on the bow until we haul her out in early Spring 2002, when she will be properly cleaned up, anti-fouled, re-lettered and sprayed with champagne at the completion of the “official” re-naming ceremony! It was all destiny in a way….prior to bringing her new home at Van Isle Marina, Sidney BC (check out the site at http://www.vanislemarina.com), we secured a temporary berth. The slip number was #109. Needless to say, we kept the slip, a true home for hull #109, sail #109. See “Waltzing Matilda” bow photo.
#111, 1981, “Complete Abandon” Owned by George B. Suppes, III. Bought in Long Beach. Sailed to SF Bay and berthed at Coyote Point. Equal racing(club) and cruising. Member Coyote Point Yacht Club. I also have a couple of videos that are on youtube. One is a kite cam….
The other is the 2009 SF Bay Leukemia Cup
#114, 1981, “Mighty Quinn” owned by Charles Finn. “I purchased the Mighty Quinn (hull #114) earlier this year (2002) from Rev. Vaughan Quinn in Toronto, Ontario (a truly incredible person). He raced the Quinn on the Great Lakes and I know they won at least one of the Mac races. The picture on the Association website was taken during their win of the 1985 race. The boat remains a “standard” 38 in terms of layout, rigging, accommodations, but has a most impressive sail portfolio (12 sails). I currently have the engine out and am attending to details regarding fuel tanks, exhaust, cooling, etc. that seem to be common for these boats at this point in their lives. I will be moving the boat to Lake Champlain in May, 2002 and plan to work on and learn its ways over the next year. I will race the boat for the fun of it, but do not plan to get really serious in that category. My real ambition is to sail from Duluth, MN. to British Columbia with my children who will be graduating from college next year. First leg is through the Great Lakes to Hilton Head, NC. The next leg is through the Caribbean and then the Panama Canal to California. Then on to British Columbia where we will take our bearings and decide what’s next. We estimate this will take at least two years as we all have to attend to our lives off the boat which will require laying up from time to time. My last boat was a Cascade 36 that we mostly raced out of Duluth, MN. so I know my way around bigger boats. However, cruising is something I have only done for a couple weeks at a time, largely on other people’s boats(Caribbean, Irish Sea, etc.). Time will tell whether this is something that I would wish to continue with, but I have often dreamed about sailing to Hawaii…”
#119, 1981, “Grace” owned since 1996 by Captain Paul Nelson located on the South River just south of Annapolis, MD. Formerly named “Endless Summer” then “Frangipana”. I sail year round, mostly singlehanded and prefer heavy weather on the Chesapeake Bay. I due all my own maintenance and repairs to include replacing the pressure plate, motor mounts, cutlass bearing, shaft and stuffing box, furling system installation, all canvass and on and on. I recently re-stained all the interior wood using Minwax Sealant in red Mahogany, not a perfect match but very close and the outcome is beautiful and I did not have to sand all the old stain off, just a little. I’m a cruiser /gunk-holer and have been all over the Chesapeake bay and it’s rivers and creeks. Struck by lightning in 2009 sailing in a squall, lost all electronics yet personally unharmed and able to return to port under my own power. Grace is a real head turner, fast and very seaworthy especially in the big stuff. I keep her at one of our private community docks with electricity, water and locked gate for $380. per year, I know, it’s unbelievable.. Real boat, real sailor, perfect! “But for His Grace, there go I”.
#122, 1981, “SuperStar” Home port is Marina Del Rey, California. SuperStar’s original owner was the late renowned yachtsman and Sabot builder, Sidney Blinder, who raced it successfully for over 18 years with his partner, David Epstein, who is now her proud owner. She has an impressive inventory of custom-made racing sails and many trophies for local and offshore races and series. Highlights include Winner of the 1997 & 99 Catalina 38 Nationals regatta, winner of the 1997 ASMBYC High-point series, and 1st in class MDR to SD race ‘99. Recent improvements include a new mast, rigging, all-rope halyards, straight traveller, networked instrument system, new cabintop winches and all new lifelines and stanchions.
#126, 1981, “At Ease” Owned by Jim and Robbi Nagashima. “Originally named “Ivanhoe” out of the Del Rey Yacht Club we purchased her in 1988 and rechristened her as “At Ease” and moved her to Downtown Marina in Long Beach. The name has the military meaning since Jim is a retired Navy Captain.. We are active members of the Seal Beach Yacht Club in Long Beach CA. The boat is used primarily for cruising around Southern California and Catalina, with the occasional bouy race or Newport-Ensenada race. We love the way it sails and the great looks. It is different from other Catalina Yachts, in a nice way. The boat is lovingly cared for and maintained. Last year we added a JRC radar system to get us back home in the fog. It works just fine as we found out last fall when we were caught in the fog coming back from the shipyard. This year we plan to do a lot of cruising with our club, perhaps down to San Diego. It has been a fun and reliable boat and we have had many great times with our friends aboard.”
#135, 1982, “Silhouette” Owned by George and Diane Kopylow since 1995. We sail out of Long Beach (Alamitos Bay), CA, and are frequent visitors to Catalina Island, Newport Beach and Dana Point. The Silhouette was originally purchased in Long Beach, we being the 3rd owners. She has tanbark sails, black sail covers and dodger, wheel steered with fin keeled 6′ 9″ draft. We are currently replacing our old Signet instrumentation with new Signets. She is equipped with the original Universal (Kubota) auxillary. We’ve found that 38’s are great boats to sail and pleasing to the eye!
#138, 1982 “Merriconeag” Owners: Richard and Janet Grassia. We became the proud owners of this S & S 1982 C-38 in June of 2008. The original owner bought her in 1981 and was berthed in Boston Harbor, Ma. and well maintained. During the off-season, she was stored indoors except for 2 seasons (I understand). I sailed her down from Wareham, Ma. with 3 other crew members, to Staten Island, NY where she is moored in Great Kills harbor during the sailing season. She is in excellent condition and sails wonderfully. This season I plan to race her with Richmond County Yacht Club on Wednesday evenings. Photo
#139, 1982, “Little Breeze” Owned by Kerry and Donna Grimes. We purchased our Catalina 38 in San Diego, CA, in 2003, from its second owner Hal. Hal owned the boat since 1984 and displayed numerous trophies from races to Encinada and Catalina Island with the Polaris Club. After purchasing the boat we flew back to the bay area and gave Hal a month to removed his personal items from the boat. Hal had been living on the boat for over 10 years and had a lot of things on board. When I returned with one of my sons (Ryann) we stilled filled a dumpster and a half with Hal’s stuff. After a week of making the boat ready my wife and another son (Shane) flew down and we left for the San Francisco Bay. Ten days and fourteen fuel filters later we arrived at Nelson’s in Alameda. (this did not include a 6 day stay in Morrow Bay due to weather and the change of sons, Corey came the rest of the way and the other two went back to school). We learned that we were very lucky for our first time off shore, carry plenty of fuel filters when the boat has not been used in a long time (black fuel) and when you are running your engine all day do not use you ice box, get an ice chest (all our food cooked in the ice box from engine heat). When the boat arrived a Nelson’s she was hauled, bottom painted, hull painted blue, mast and boom painted, and standing and running rigging replaced. We now sail Little Breeze in the San Francisco Bay but mostly in the Sacramento Delta Area. Little Breeze, former Sea Deuce, kept in the Antioch City Marina.
#148, 1982 “Pretty Lady” Dave Mccarthy is the proud owner of “Pretty Lady.” ” I have owned her for 2 years. It took 6 months to find the ‘right’ boat and after seeing every Catalina 38 for sale in California at the time, this boat stole my heart. She is berthed in Alameda, CA and I sail her with my SO, Deanna Duncan, and a regular crew of friends. I have fitted her with 2 GPS, VHF, RADAR, refrigeration, new SITEX wind, depth, speed & distance instruments and separate house and starting battery systems with combiner.”
#149, 1982 “Hassle” (Built 1981, sold as a 1982) Larry Malmberg purchased Hassle in February 2005 from Tony Weatherby the then Commodore of Dana Point Yacht Club, Dana Point CA. A prior owner, Jack Taylor of Dana Point was able to give us some history of Hassle and the accomplishments of racing. Jack had actually won a Congressional Cup on Hassle not to mention several local races. In the evolution of owning Hassle we have done a ton of work on her including but not limited to, new bottom, new topside, new sails, new spinnaker pole, whisker pole and a new engine just for starters. Initially we were based in Newport Beach CA but moved to Long Beach CA after competing in the Catalina 38 Nationals, we discovered great winds for sailing out of Long Beach and the accommodations of Shoreline Yacht Club were hard to beat.
Our most recent accomplishment was competing in the 2009 Trans Pac Race from Los Angeles CA to Honolulu HI, a story of the race is posted on this site. We came in 4th in our class. We not only race but pleasure sail as well. Should anyone have any questions feel free to contact me at: larrypi@linkline.com we also have a site for view, it is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hassleracing/?yguid=7547162 so take a look at us.
I also have the distinction of being the Commodore of the Catalina 38 Association.
#150, 1982 “DIOSA” owned by TETSUROU SHISHIDO,which is berthed in KAMEZAKI, KINUURA Harbor,JAPAN.
I purchased her three years ago 2007. When I met her,I was charmed at a glance because of her beautiful hull line
and tall mast although she looked like an old woman. After that, I stayed in her cabin for four months in order to
clean up everywhere inside cabin, to strip old paint of her bottom and repair blisters, to apply epoxy paint and to
paint new color on the hull from white to wine red. As a result , she has become young girl again. Presently she
takes me to nice cruiseing areas. By the way, are three catalina 38s including DIOSA in JAPAN.
#159, 1982 “Black Pearl” shoal draft, PHRF 135, sail 32232, Chesapeake Bay, purchased December 2004. Owner: Pam Morris: pam_morris20765@yahoo.com. I am a member of West River Sailing Club and Eastport Yacht Club. The name has nothing to do with Pirates of the Carribean – however, I wouldn’t have Johnny Depp walk the plank. The Black Pearl is actually a bar in Newport, RI but the boat is a gem – although a pearl isn’t really a gem, a Black Pearl is very special, black and rare which describes my Catalina 38.
The boat had two previous owners and was named Fine Lion and then Debinaire. Black Pearl is in great shape and I am trying to bring her up to race ready to be locally competitive. In the Chesapeake Bay, she does better in longer point to point races and cruises fast. I race out of Galesville, MD every Wednesday night. I have new sails, new bottom, new strings, put the “original” 2 blade folding prop back on, which surprisingly gave me more control in close quarters. Although, that prop walk is very serious. I installed an additional self tailing winch on the mast dedicated to the main. She still has the original Atomic Universal 24 and it runs great (although somewhat underpowered). I replaced the fixed portlights (windows) because I need to get her dry to facilitate future off-shore work. Plans are to do Annapolis to Newport race and Bermuda Ocean race. Cruising comfort is important but I am somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to cruising and I haven’t upgraded many auxiliary systems except installed a 2 burner, Orega (not pressurized – previous owner removed the original) alcohol stove and a Simrad wheel autopilot. She came with good canvas – dodger (original design), bimini and covers. Previous owners did some upgrades
and since I am not certain as to the original configuration, Black Pearl has: cold plate refrigeration, pressurized hot/cold water, macerator, holding tank, additional H20 bladder, roller furling, wind speed, direction, speed log, depth, GPS, VHF, compass, faulty fuel indicator, auto bidge pump, original battery charger (don’t leave it on or it will burn up the batteries), good main sheeting system, spinnaker pole, dip pole spinnaker hardware at mast, appears to be original tracks, cars, upgraded oversized self tailing primary winches.
#162, “PATHFINDER” Commissioned in January 1982. Original owner was Robert Gibbons, a former president of the Catalina 38 association. Pathfinder was always sailed as a racer/cruiser, with the emphasis on racing. She was one of the boats used for a number of years in the Congressional Cup, one of the outstanding match racing regattas, held each year at Long Beach, CA. “I acquired Pathfinder in 1989 under a long term lease, which has been renewed several times, and got the racing bug. She is on the same dock as Superstar and Foggy Notion, two other tough to beat racing Catalina 38’s. She is a great boat that is also very tough. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking!”
# 169 “Kipper”
#173, “Lylette” We only know Lylette’s most recent history – post 2001 . Apropos to the busy discussions we have recieved she has three-bladed fixed prop and when newly antifouled she scoots about at 6.5 knots at 2200 rpms. We and the broker were impressed. Her wet surface has been reduced by 0.13m with the 5.2 ft wing keel but is carrying 900 kg of additional lead and remains very stiff.
Lylette is a great down wind surfer and delightful to sail. The issue with prop walk is quite evident. She is in a river mooring berth that has a running and flood tide of >5 knots and the prop gives good thrust but a lot of yaw.
If anyone knows about the history of Lylette we would like to here from them. Meanwhile, as we begin to address years of neglect we will give a better account of out boat. By the way our dip-stick has low and high stamped into the steel. Isn’t she a beast to change her oil. She takes 4.4 litres plus a further 350ml for the filter.
#180, 1982 “Check's in the Mail” is owned by Marci Brown and Keith Carson, who purchased her in April 2006. As this new boat bio is being written (May 1, 2011) Checksy and her owners are making the sail from Norfolk, Virginia to Winthrop, Massachusetts. While we toyed with the idea of selling her in 2010, we just couldn't go through with it. This summer we look forward to discovering the historic "Islands of Boston Harbor" that longtime Winthrop resident Edward Rowe Snow wrote about not so long ago.
#182, 1983, “Rascal“, Rascal was purchased from Wayne Noelker in Long Beach in 1999 just a month before the Newport-Ensenada Race and we brought her to Newport Beach where she’s still docked. We entered the race in a hurry and won the Spinaker Cruising Class trophy. This year (2006) was our 6th Ensenada and Rascal took first in the PHRF-H class. Needless to say it is rigged for racing but we cruise a lot too. I have replaced refrigeration, stove, GPS, instruments, toilet, hot water exchanger, forward hatch and prop skeg but all in all it has been relatively maintenance free with annual bottom paint and trim varnish. I have had the Universal Diesel rebuilt but still use the original tranny. It has a 2-bladed folding prop. It cruises at 5.8-6 knots at 1800 RPM. We cruise to Catalina each summer and fall. Everyone loves Rascal. It is the sweetest sailing ’38 I’ve ever been on and still has classic looks. See Rick’s review of the Catalina 38.
#188, 1982, “JACE“ is owned by Les Howell and his wife Nancy. “When we purchased her, she was called Infinity. We have renamed her Jace, and put on all purple sunbrella for the rollerfurling sunshade, dinghy cover, sheet bags (really a good idea, as they really keep the dirt and debris off the sheets), dodger, and sunshade. We’ve received excellent comments on the canvas work (Seawolff canvass in Capistrano Beach CA). The name is in block letters in 3-d childrens blocks. We have added an 1800 watt inverter, and galvanic isolator. By rerouting the AC only slightly I was able to swap the starboard AC receptacle for a GFCI unit that protects all the outlets on the boat. I updated the electrical diagrams using the computer, and keep all drawings in plastic sleeves in a 3ring binder. I have also upgraded to a 91Amp Alternator, and have a new ammeter which I am installing in the panel area above the chart table. I have Adler-Barbour refrigeration, and have swapped key lamps for the brass goose neck lamps. My Genoa is a 155, purchased second hand. Ulman sails in San Diego cut it down and installed the sun shade. I obtained new bearings for the roller furling from Pro-Furl whose customer service was excellent. I have replaced the wire-rope halyards with sta-set X, which is good, but very difficult to keep tied or spliced, until I found the correct instructions, on New England Ropes website. Find them, practice several times on short lengths of 10-15 feet at each end, then you will be all set. Nancy and I have sailed Jace from Oceanside Harbor to Marina Del Rey about 70 miles, and south to San Diego. We haven’t been out to Catalina yet, but soon will be. One caution to owners of older 38, check the exhaust riser. Mine had rotted out under the wrapping, but fortunately a good repairman noticed it and fixed it before it became critical. I have also installed bronze thruhulls, as I had a leak I couldn’t find. I guess I’m old fashioned, but I still like bronze for below the water line. I also had a persistant problem with water in the shower sump. I added a riser under the counter in the sink area with a siphon break. That cleared it up. It was coming from the fresh water when someone(not me!) forgot to open the thruhull. I have also discovered that the toilet will fill and overflow if the flush valve is left in the flush position. I know I can cure this with a riser from the pump to the bowl, but I haven’t gotten it done yet.”
#193, 1982, “Dashaway” has been owned by Dick and Judy Kilroy of Marion, MA since 4/99. “We purchased “Dashaway” in Ft Lauderdale with intentions to go to Puerto Rico in 1-2/00. There were many problems and we ended trucking her to Massachusetts in 2/00. We launched her in 4/00 and sailed her on our Beverly Yacht Club cruise to Maine and did Nantucket and the Vinyard etc. the balance of the summer. In 10/00 Dick and son Dave and a friend sailed her to Bermuda thru tropical storm Leslie( a good story in itself ). In 11/00 we sailed from Bermuda to Jost van Dyke and spent the winter in the American, British, and Spanish Virgin Islands. We have added towel bars, toilet paper holders (I don’t know what these racing people do) and replaced the head. We have also added refrigeration, all sailing instruments (API , WS, KNOT/LOG, Depth ), clock and barometer, autopilot, VHF, hand held VHF, windlass and chain, 33 # claw, bow roller, deck saltwater wash pump, 2-GPS, single sideband receiver only, all new cushions below ( 6″ foam), cockpit cushions, Dodger, Bimini, insert piece for these, Nauta rubber water tanks, double battery installation(4 Sam’s Club 6 volt), 135 amp alternater and isolation transformer, profurl #42 furler, recut and added sunbrella to 2 headsails, new mainsail cover, Edson wheel brake, cockpit table (Edson), 300 watt inverter, propane stove and oven and tanks, cockpit grill( Propane), Awlgrip, tricolor, outboard lift and bracket, thru hull and loop for head and carpet. We also installed an Alpenglow light for better lighting below. Whew. We are leaving “Dashaway” in the BVI as our winter residence and also own a Morgan 38-2, “VIXEN,” which we sail out of Marion. We are members of the Beverly Yacht club, located in Marion, which is one of the sponsors of the Marion/Bermuda yacht started in 1977. We did the inaugural race with a friend and have done 5 more in VIXEN, the last in 1999 when we were third in class F, the lowest rated class. We are active in the 38-2 group and have written articles for their newsletter. Good old boat featured our VIXEN in the their May/June 2000 issue. A photo of Judy was on the cover shot in July Aug/2000 issue.”
#198-1982 “Estancia” owned by Max Soto in Costa Rica. “It is, or was a gray hull, Standard rig with fin keel. It was purchased in Costa Rica in January 2003 from a Californian who had it here since 1990. The Cat is now been painted white with dark blue stripes. It still has the original Universal 24hp engine in good condition. I have the boat in Puntarenas and use it here for coastal cruising around the pacific coast and few races. It is the only Cat 38 in Costa Rica, so it has been easily recognized and well commented by “Ticos” and lots of American sailors that are passing by. I’m planning to install a small generator, a/c, refrigeration, Pro Furl NCI-42 furler, convert or buy new genoas, spinnaker kit, radar and more extras. Future cruising plans include Cocos island, Panama and Galapagos.”
#202-1982 “Kipper” is owned by Peter and Victoria Wyatt-Cernich of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. She is currently under major refit in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. So far we have fitted a new Yanmar diesel, new rudder, new sails, scuffed and buffed mast and boom, sand blasted and repainted hull and replaced rotten laminated deck and interior cushions. Currently renewing 12 volt system and electronics then onto tidying up rest of interior. Expect to launch in May 2006 for extended cruising on the Great Lakes in preparation for reintroduction to salt water in 2007. Have requested Admiralty for permit to privateer!
#219 “Mundays Off” is owned by Joe and Juanita Munday, who live in Richland, WA. They bought their Catalina 38 about four years ago. “We have done a lot of work on the boat to make a good boat better. We replaced our Atomic, after it blew up, with a Westerbeke 38. I put on an Auto-Prop and boy what a difference under power. We spent 3 months on our boat last summer in Desolation Sound. In order to get to the Ocean we have to go down the Columbia River and through four dams. The power of the Westerbeke and the Auto-Prop sure make going through the locks less tense. The boat backs up so well now. We will be using our boat later on to cruise to Mexico. ”
#221 “Escapade”
# 223 “Auspicious” owned by Rob and Ruth Cornelsen. “We have just purchased our 1983 Catalina 38 in September, 2004 from Planet Hope (http://www.planethopedc.com) They are a chartable organization that attempts to guide troubled teens to become productive adults via exposure to sailing. She was donated by her previous owner Robert Budica who brought her to MD from CA some time after his purchase of her in 1993. We are preparing to re-fit her and then plan to sail her from Solomons Island, MD on the Chesapeake Bay. Anyone wishing to share their tips/lessons learned/pitfalls to avoid advice gained while refitting their boat please drop an email to robcornelsen@yahoo.com.”
#224 “TACITA II” Owned by Scott Miller. Ann and I bought Tacita in late 1999 from her original owner, Milton Woods. Milt owns Deception Pass Marina near Anacortes, Washington. We brought her up the Inside Passage in spring 2000 to our home in Juneau, Alaska and have cruised her nowhere near as much as we should during the short summers. Still, she’s been around Admiralty Island, out to Glacier Bay, and up Tracy Arm and Ford’s Terror. Milt took wonderful care of her, but we have slowly been replacing some of the original systems, starting with the ground tackle, running rigging, a rebuilt traveler, and every piece of hose we could find. We put in a new electrical panel using Blue Sea components, including independent battery switches, a combiner, and a shore charger. I used cherry for the panel and a new dinette table. Cherry can be stained to go well with the original finish, is easier to work than teak, and, of course, a lot cheaper. I’d like to replace the rest of the plastic laminate, as well, but it’s in perfectly good shape. New upholstery was next (burgundy), a new head, and a new autopilot. A new dodger is in the works for this spring. Next on the list is standing rigging. I’d like to pull and re-wire the mast, but there are no boatyards in Juneau that are very well equipped for that. We go back and forth about a windlass, and a second fuel tank would be great — I like Tom Troncalli’s idea of using an outboard tank as a fuel filler — and I need to do the ammeter replacement in the engine panel (which has pretty much been rewired anyway)….I’m afraid I’m one of those tortured souls who likes the projects as much as the sailing. Tacita has her original 5424 engine with about 3700 hours, and we use a three-bladed prop.
#230, “MOMENTOUS” 1983, Owned by Mark and John O’Dell, Baltimore, Md.
S&S Catalina 38 Hull #230 (a rare shoal draft keel version) was found on the internet for sale through Martin Bird & Assoc. brokerage in the winter of 2010. We don’t know a lot about her
origins but at the time she was named SPIRIT (Wash. D.C.) and was located at Holiday Point Marina on Selby Bay on the mouth of the South River in Edgewater, MD.
As far as we can tell the boat had been at Holiday Point for most of her life and was well cared for by the original, or 2nd owner (what was left of an original partnership of an early 1980s purchase from a broker in Wash D.C.) The boat had gone through an extensive refit maybe 5 years earlier,
which included an awl-grip hull job, a mast and boom paint job, a new full batten main sail, and Ray-marine radar, auto pilot & chart plotter. As far as we can tell all the work and maintenance was done by Holiday Point Marina.
SPIRIT was then transferred to another owner partnership (with family ties we believe) that had since lost interest in the boat and listed it through Martin Bird & Assoc. out of Annap. MD after about 2 years on the hard. The boat surveyed well and after some issues with a lien, yard bills
and a dirty title were cleared up, she was had by our new father & son partnership for an a VERY low price. (Well below her original asking price of $35k.) There was minor keel damage to be repaired from an unusual de-lamination problem which was isolated in one small location on the
port side below the keel / hull joint, but that was to be repaired after the boat was moved to it’s new home in South East Baltimore, MD.
SPIRIT was moved from Holiday Point to Young’s Boat Yard on Jones Creek on the Patapsco River in Baltimore, MD in mid April 2011 by a crew of three in steady rain and moderate wind.
The engine ran great and the electronics worked, but the main wouldn’t hoist the full hight of the mast — so SPIRIT made the 30 miles on mostly a wing/wing run where she showed her speed immediately, hanging around 7 knots most of the way.
Rechristened “MOMENTOUS” late in the spring of 2011, she was given a minor keel repair, two coats of A.C.T bottom paint, a loving redo on her teak, a brand new hydraulic backstay adjuster and splashed for a great season of short cruises and many days sails.
At the end of the 2011 season the boat received a cockpit dodger / sun shade & bimini, then put on the hard for the conclusion of her first season on Jones Creek. Young’s Boat Yard is full of “vintage” sailboats, most kept in very nice condition and “MOMENTOUS” has an outside slip for all passing salts to admire. She truly is the darling of the area.
Young’s yard has an active, Wednesday PHRF fleet and members are taunting us to get in. Right now we’re just enjoying sailing circles around them, and enjoying a rum or beer with the crew.
You can follow her continuing story here: http://c38momentous.blogspot.com/
#243 1983 “Waterfront” We bought Waterfront in October, 1998. We saw one sailing and had gone on the Catalina list and asked questions, and a gentlemen from Connecticut responded with one he was selling. We went to see her and the rest is history. He had owned her since new and had just totally redone her. She had new sails, new interior, engine overhaul, everything was upgraded, refrigeration, radar, microwave, propane stove, extra flexible water tanks for 100 gal., dodger and cockpit cushions to name just a few. We figured if we were to buy an older boat, this would be the one and we’re thrilled with our decision. We primarily cruise her on Long Island Sound in New York and out to Block Island, Newport, and hopefully this year to Nantucket. We have the fin keel so it can limit us but sure sails beautifully!! We also plan on doing some club racing this year.
# 246 1983 “TomCat” Formerly Xylocaine, Owned by Tom & Inger Graham. The first thing I did, after re-naming her (TomCat) was to put new life lines and several stanchions on her. Next came the cockpit cushions from Catalina. Then came the internal cushions from a great upholsterer in Dana Point. Next was lots of leak stopping at the through deck fittings. Then came a new Yanmar engine. Then the mast was refurbished by LaFelle (the original manufacturer), welded up old corrosion sites, replaced the spreaders, new mast wirin g placed in new containment tube (no more wire hitting the inside of the mast), painted it and gave me back what looks like a new mast. When the mast was down I also replaced all the standing rigging. Took the old to Catalina and they matched it. The next item on the agenda was installation of the new electrical panel and I replaced every wire in the boat with MARINE GRADE wire of the appropriate size. Two sets of 4 gang sheet stoppers, a hard vang, the spin pole on the mast with movable track, and a set of fair lead blocks (movable under load from Garhauer). I am presently fabricating a box for “in the anchor well” windless, similar to the Catalina 30. On my work bench is a Maxwell windless that will be fitted once I fiber glass the box into place. Other incidental items were the water heater replacement, new macerator(s), etc. Lots of other things that would get boring if I spoke of them such as a new prop shaft, etc. After what has gone before (over the last 3 years), things should slow down as the list is a bit shorter now.
Anyway, I love that boat. The way it handles. The way it goes to wind. I love most every thing about it. The only down side is light wind. Last Thursday we were trying to race and we had from ¾ to 1 ½ knots. Not enough to even give me any feel. Certainly not like a Schock 35 or a Olson 30. But, you can’t have everything. And I believe I have everything else. Happy sailing with your Catalina 38.
#247 1983 “Hiawatha” owned by Bob Porter. “She was previously called Ransom, then Foci and raced with the one design fleet out of Detroit (Lake St. Clair) and then out of the Grand Traverse Bay area of Lake Michigan. I bought her in the spring of 2002 and sail her on Lake Ontario, out of Oswego, New York. I take two summer months and race on Lakes Ontario and Erie and do the Port Huron to Mackinac race as well. I have taken the wheel off and retro-fitted her for a tiller (she handles nicely) and am currently sanding off the jelcoat to fix a serious blistering problem and fairing the thruhulls. I plan to race on the great lakes for a few more years, then do some saltwater cruising/racing along the East coast.”
#250 1983, “CORVUS” owned by Andrew and Diane Jessup, homeport Newport Beach, CA. We have owned her since late 1999, primarily cruise to Catalina. She has a white hull with red boot and cove stripes. She is equipped with the original Universal 3 cylinder, 24 hp engine and a three bladed feathering prop. During our ownership she has undergone numerous upgrades that include new teak and holly sole, upholstery, white counter tops, and varnished interior. The hatches have been renewed, the ice box refrigeration replaced, along with the water heater, and a vacu flush head installed. All lines and halyards are led to the cockpit. She is a beautiful yacht with great handling and sailing qualities and is registered with The Sparkman and Stephens Association.
#258 1984, “Sum Fun” owned by Harry Powell, Homeport San Diego, CA. A Congressional Cup competitor when new in 1984, she sailed and raced as Betoven’s Heaven hailing from Coronado, California for approximately 15 years. She then sailed as Freudian Sloop, berthed on harbor Island San Diego for approximately 5 years where I bought her. She is presently at San Diego Yacht Club in San Diego and used predominately as a family cruiser. This is a deep keel and tall rig model with an oiled interior and mostly original with the exception of upholstery and pretty complete plumbing and electrical upgrades in the early 2000s.
#263 “The Grateful Sled” Owned by Larry and Martha Garber. Feb. 2010. The Grateful Sled was purchased by our son, David Garber, in 1997 from Norman Laursen, who kept her on Lake St. Clair in Michigan, .She was named Therapy then. David sailed her on Lake Michigan until 2002 when due to his illness, she was put on the hard. We purchased The Grateful Sled in 2009 from David’s widow to keep her in the family.
Martha and I are long time sailors having lived aboard 4-6 months a year for most winters since 1998. We sailed throughout the Caribbean, the Baja of California, and down the St. Lawrence to FL. We sold our Outbound 44, Tradition, in 2007 because we were getting to old for long distance cruising.
The Sled has a new main (2001) and a new 135 Genoa (2009). We are having the deck and topsides painted this winter. A dodger and electronics are on the “wish” list for the future. We plan to confine our cruising to the Great Lakes with our family.
#270, 1984, “Grand Design” is sailed by Scott out of Marina Del Rey. “I have been living aboard her for 2 years now and have no plans of moving off ! While I don’t race her, (I leave that to others) I have cruised her as far as San Diego single-handedly. She is an excellent boat to single-hand, very easy to sail and very responsive. Some upgrades I have made to her are: new interior lighting, a sight glass for my freshwater tank and a Dolby Digital home (boat) theatre. I am very picky about maintenance and always get comments about her appearance. It’s great to see that finally we have a site dedicated to our unique boats!”
#274, 1984, “Incommunicado” owned by Bruce and Carole McKenney. In June of 2000 my wife Carole and I purchased our Catalina 38, which had spent its entire life to that point in Hingham, Massachusetts and was named ROB IV. We have since renamed the boat “Incommunicado” after a Jimmy Buffett song of the same name and plan to keep the boat in Newburyport, Massachusetts. We were supposed to take delivery of the boat on July 28, 2000 in sail away shape, but unfortunately our boat dealer underestimated the work to be done and the availability of workers to do the job. While the boat did get launched in late August of 2000, it was far from ready to go to sea so we spent the later part of last season pulling small items together. Over the winter we have had the hull, mast, boom and spinnaker pole Awlgripped. The boat was originally an off white with a brown mast, boom, waterline and bottom. It is now Navy Blue with a white waterline, red bottom, gold sheer stripe, and white mast, etc. In addition we have added all new North sails, Raytheon Color Radar, Chart Plotter, GPS, refrigeration, Teak & Holly cabin sole, teak dinette table, inverter, all new electrical panel, all new interior cushions, new canvas, new white counter tops, new Force 10 stove, Microwave oven, new battery service, heavy duty alternator, Espar heating system, autopilot, all new running rigging and more. Our launch date for the 2001 season is anticipated to be May 15, 2001 and we are anxious to begin cruising this boat down East as far as Canada and as far south as Martha’s Vinyard and Nantucket. Photos of “Incommunicado.”
#278, 1984, “Island Starr” Shoal Draft owned by Bill King. “As far as I know we are still the only shoal draft on the west coast with a phrf rating. We rate 123 and are trying to get a local area allowance for Dana Point. The fin keelers down here get 6 seconds. We can’t point with you guys, but can make up some of the difference downwind. We prefer to race in the longer, offshore races and have taken 2 thirds in the CrewOfTwo, a fifth in Newport/Ensenada, and 2nd in class, 2nd in fleet in the MdR to SD race last year. Our only first place trophy was in 1999; Cabrillo Beach to Dana Point, Around Catalina Island Race, Doublehanded division. Dragging around the stubby keel and 860 extra pounds of ballast can be real chore, but we still love the boat, and really don’t mind being the only odd C38 out there. Would love to make the nationals one of these years. Although, I don’t know what you would do with us and our rating.” See Island Starr’s web site.
#280, 1984, “Wings” Owners are Craig & Vicki Steinkraus. UPDATED Feb, 2010. The boat is now kept at Pikes Bay Marina (http://www.pikesbaymarina.com/) in Bayfield, WI. Bayfield is the gateway to the Apostle Islands, which are a great series of islands for cruising and playing. We have circum navigated Lake Superior twice, and have made many trips to Canada. We enjoy the boat as much today ( possibly more) as we did when we purchased it in 1998. In the past 12 years we have owned the boat, we have upgraded almost everything possible. 300 watts of solar and a 400 watt wind generator supply more power than we consume. We have been “out” for as long a 4 weeks and were still making ice, and had frozen meat in the freezer. I retired last year, and live on the boat during the summers. Vicki is afflicted with the curse of youth, and cannot retire just yet……. The plan is in 2012, we intend to take off in the boat for South America….If we make it that far, GREAT! If we do not make it that far…..GREAT! We have no plan other than to leave the cold north, for the warm waters further south. See Craig’s great website at www.geocities.com/sailor6147.
#292, 1984, “Argo,” formerly “Coaster,” Owned by Jason Smith in San Diego, CA.
Jason is living aboard Argo in San Diego, but plans to move Argo temporarily to the Pensacola area in 2007.
Upgrades in progress or planning include: interior lighting, cabinet tops/sink in head and galley, fresh
water system. More updates to follow! Jason’s email:
#297, 1985, “Freedom,” Owned by Bill and Karen Ferrera. “Karen and I purchased Freedom from Rod and Peggy Kidd in October 2002. Since our purchase we have re-upholstered the interior, purchased a Doyle full battened main with stack pack, new Doyle #3-mast top-100% genoa, a Doyle asymmetrical spinnaker, installed a new dodger and cockpit canvas, installed an Autostream 3-blade feathering prop, replaced many other items, and just recently installed a satellite FM radio system, which really enhanced our listening pleasure. We mostly day sail Freedom in SF Bay, with a few excursions outside the Golden Gate. This summer we plan to cruise to Drakes Bay, Half Moon Bay, and possibly down to Santa Cruz. So far we have been full sail with 26 knots of wind, maybe a little on our ear, but having a great time.”
#300, 1985, “My Way” owned by Dick Lane. “We just purchased a 1985 Cat 38 with a M-30 diesel. Her name for now is “My Way” formerly called Ace In the Hole. Many up-grades have been added such as AC and heat, new 48″ wheel , newer sails, Martec folding prop, new forest green cushions, and a new paint job, forest green with a gold stripe. We bought “My Way” in Mt Clemens, Michigan, and shipped her over to Kenosha, Wis. We will be sailing from North Point Harbor in Illinois. If anyone knows the history of “My Way”, we would appreciate the contact at: Capt.Dick777@aol.com.”
#307, 1985, “Firefly IV” Robert G. Stammerjohn. I purchased Firefly IV at a boat show in Annapolis MD in 1985. The vessel’s home port is St. Inigoes MD. It is a documented vessel. Most of my sailing has been solo on the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Few modifications have been made. The Universal engine has been very faithful and reliable.
#312, 1985, “Peregrine” Owned by Steve and Sherri Smolinske of Bellevue Washington and moored on Lake Washington at Pleasure Point. We actually went to Olympia to look at another boat and while in the Broker’s office Sherri noticed the flyer for the Peregrine and said what about this Catalina 38? We saw the boat on the hard and fell in love before the car was in park. The only history I know is that the boat was in San Francisco before being moved to Olympia where the owner had it for 6 months before having to sell. Prior to that the boat was named Raising Cane out of Long Beach and I believe affiliated with the Seal Beach Yacht Club. When we took the boat it was in pretty good shape aesthetically however there were quite a few things that needed attention ( http://www.peregrine-cat38.blogspot.com/ ). When we started looking for a boat we were looking for something to keep for five or so years until the kids were both out of college when we planned to upgrade. That all changed when we got our C38.
#318, 1985, “Escape” owned by Eric Sopkin, homeport is Annapolis, Maryland.
#:320, 1985 “FIRST LIGHT” Owned by Ron and Michele Swallow, rbswallow@aol.com . I purchased the boat on February 14, 2005, a Valentines Day present for Michele from her original owner. The boat was then named “SCOUNDREL.” We immediately hauled her in King Harbor boatyard for a complete refit including all new Raymairne electronics and a gimbaled mast mounted radar antenna. Our boat is now in pristine condition, mainly due to the efforts of Mike Lonnes ( 310-463-7770 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 310-463-7770 end_of_the_skype_highlighting ). First light is berthed at the Bay Club in Marina Del Rey, CA. Michele’s brother Chris, has had his Cat 38, “Wavelength” for 22 years and is the one responsible for our love affair of these truly beautiful and fast boats.
#324, 1985, “OUTRAGEOUS” Berthed in Nanaimo
#327, 1985, “FAT CAT” owned by William Auger and sailed out of Stratford, CT. “We purchased her as “Serratoga” in Vermilion, OH, and had her trucked to Milford, CT in winter 2000. The attached photo shows her hitting salt water for the first time in her life last May 2000(photo2). We have added hydraulic backstay, three blade Maxi Prop, inner forestay, new sails, dodger, extra water tankage, electronics, electrical panel upgrades and new rigging. Her first year in New England, we took her to Nantucket, Martha’s Vinyard, Cape Cod, and Long Island. After we install radar, we hope to get her to Maine for a summer. Our previous boat was a 1980 Catalina 30 that we purchased new and kept until “FAT CAT” came along. We raced the “thirty” extensively and won the Cat 30 Nationals in 1997. We plan to club race “FAT CAT” this year. We installed a screw type mooring in the Housatonic River in Stratford, CT and keep her on a mooring at the Housatonic Boat Club.”
#328, 1985 “IMPULSE” Owned by Paul and Donna Notte. We bought Impulse in November of 2008. At that time it was located in Port Townsend Washington. When Donna and I drove down from Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, I was so excited to get there it was all I could do not to rip my passport from the customs officers hand and blow through the border. Impulse is our third boat and having been boat less for a couple of years I could not wait to get onboard raise the sails. The boat had been out of the water for awhile so we had the bottom sanded and painted rigging checked and adjusted and a new cutlass bearing installed. As it turned out the strait of Juan De Fuca was a millpond and I ended up motoring all the way back home.
Impulse appears to have been little used overall she is in excellent shape, suffering from some of the usual things a thirty year old boat does. Since we bought her we have installed 2 new 6 volt house batteries a back up 12 volt house, starting, and anchor battery. Replaced all the hoses ,belts, rebuilt the esbar heater added New radios G.P.S. inverter, a/c panel with new breakers, flat screen TV and a Honda gen set . Much of the old 12 volt wiring was replaced and all the old wire that had been left in place was removed. The head was re-plumbed with all new hose etc. this winter I’m replacing the a/c wire and fresh water piping throughout the boat. The addition of lazy jacks has made a big difference and I now sail Impulse single handed with “Otto” steering when needed. Every time I sail Impulse the voyage ends with the words I love this boat. Last summer we took her to desolation sound. On the return ride Georgia Strait was rough we were going with the tide with 25 knots from the direction we were heading the boat handled it well with no surprises. The summer of 2010 we are heading for Barkly sound. 2011 will see a, round the Island tour, then Alaska the year after.
Somewhere in all this we will have the mast removed serviced, rewired and new upholstery. Impulse was in the San Diego area for the first part of her life ,trucked to Bellingham and birthed somewhere in Vancouver B.C. later sold and moved to the Seattle area before we bought her and moved her to the jewel of Vancouver Island ,Ladysmith. She now resides at the Ladysmith maritime society docks. I try to spend one night a week on the boat and we sail her at least one day a week, it’s great to be retired. The universal engine has had at least a valve job around 2000, it’s hard to decipher the log.
#333, 1986, “Gusto” Owned by Peter Lagan and Marjolaine Boulay – February 2012 – We’re the fourth owners, and choose Gusto (formally GUSTO, then Papa AJ) two and a half years ago as a family cruiser for her comfort & performance, and potential to club race locally in the future if the kids become interested. We believe that Gusto has been in the Northwest since new; first 10 years in Tacoma, another 10 in Port Orchard, then finally in the Victoria area of Vancouver Island where we bought and berth her. For now, our focus is local cruising, as there is much to explore, and my wife & I have much to learn about sailing. Gusto is our first sailboat, and we’re rookies when it comes to handling her. She treats us well even though we’ve hit bottom, been caught in rough weather, and have given her a few scrapes while docking. Our kids, now 4 & 7, need about as much attention as sailing, which makes the experience that much more interesting. That being said, during the past couple of years we’ve sailed steadily, and we absolutely love it. Updates over the years have kept the boat in good shape with new bottom, transmission, Xantrex, Espar heat, running rigging, davits, roller furling, backstay tensioner, winches and head. We’ve updated electronics, performed minor engine maintenance (glow plugs with addition of solenoid, water pumps, valve set), leaky fuel tank repair, propane locker venting, propane alarm, solar panels, stanchion rebedding, exterior teak work revival, Campbell sailor propeller, forward hatches modification to prevent jib sheets from catching, and keel stub wood removal up to the mast step. Sails, Mast service and canvas are in the distant future. We’re looking forward to many years of fun, enjoying the cruising lifestyle, and becoming better sailors.
#352, 1987, “Possibilities” owned by Floyd & Carol White. We purchased this boat Feb 2007 after the boat in the slip next to us caught on fire and ended up destroying our Ericson 35, Feng Shui.
We are the second owners. Fred Darling, original owner brought the boat to Lake Mead, NV and actively raced her in Nevada Yacht Club events. He did take her to compete with the fleet for about a year and a half in Long Beach, CA. She returned to Lake Mead where she once again competed in Nevada Yacht Club events. With Fred being the only owner, the boat is in excellent condition and has been meticulously maintained. Of course, having spent much of her life in fresh water helps. We plan to continue with club racing on Lake Mead.
floyd.white@american-national.com
#360, 1989, “Legacy” owned by Rich and Cyndi West. We bought Legacy in 1998 and have since put about 15,000 blue water miles on her in two round trips to Hawaii (from Los Angeles) and extensive cruising through the Sea of Cortez. Our best single day run was 165 miles, which is good for us as we are very conservative sailors. On our last trip to Hawaii, we spent three days doing about 4 knots boat speed in 5 knots of wind under a spinnaker with the Monitor wind vane steering flawlessly. What a great ride! Previously, Legacy’s previous owner made trips to the Sea of Cortez, Hawaii and across the Pacific to New Zealand (she rode back to California on a freighter). On the trip to New Zealand, Legacy was in the Queens Birthday storm and faced 70-knot winds and 50-foot seas. The PO told us that the only problem this presented for him and his one crew member was that they had to hand steer as the Monitor wind vane hand no wind in the wave troughs. On a return trip from Hawaii, Legacy was knocked down while running. Among the damage done was a bent rudder shaft. The PO sailed her back to Marina Del Rey, over 1000 miles, using only sail trim to steer.
#364, 1989, “Yvonne” owned by Doug and Suzanne Walsh, second owners, since 2005, and based in Marina Del Rey, California. This boat was built for Bill and Yvonne Harris of Venice, California, who did an excellent job in specifying special spars, large Lewmar winches, all wood interior, etc. We don’t race, officially, but I can’t get the wheel away from Suzanne once I get the sails up until “we pass the next guy.” Of course, we always pass the next guy and then there is the next one. And so on. We never changed the name. We saw the movie Overboard with Angie Dickinson and Cliff Robertson and don’t want to chance it. We sail often, mostly day sails, but seldom get time to do much else. I’m one of those guys that is always looking at other boats, but frankly, when I add it all up, I always decide to stay with this one. It’s just too good to let go. Yvonne
#365, 1990, “Macavity” owned by Joseph & Gillian Launie. Our Catalina 38 was “one of the last ones built. We have a 4 cylinder diesel which was factory installed and new plexiglass hatches, different windows etc. We race Macavity in our club handicap fleet at Santa Barbara Yacht Club and have done quite well. We are full race rigged and have added an asymetric chute. We are looking for a # 3 genoa in good to excellent condition. We have a Harken split drum furler so can use either the furling sail or our racing sails.” See “Macavity” at http://www.sbyc.org/chrf/launie.html
#366, 1990, “Footprints” owned by O. Michael Green. Her name is Footprints which is the name of one of my songs I wrote. I understand was the last Catalina 38 made before changing to the 381. She has burgundy trim and upholstery and currently lies in Beaver Lake, Arkansas.