Catalina 30
The Catalina 30 is a 29'-11" long fiberglass sailboat first produced in 1974 by the Catalina Yachts Company in California. It is a sloop-rigged boat with a fixed lead keel. It has a beam of 10'10", and a draft of five feet, three inches. The Catalina 30 has been through three revisions:
- Mark I - Produced from 1975 to 1986.
- Mark II - Produced from September 1986 until 1994.
- Mark III - Produced from 1994 to 2006 (replaced by the C309).
All three revisions refer largely to revisions of the cockpit, rather than the hull itself, which besides modernizing the keel, the wetted area of the boat did not change. There are three types of keels; the original 5' 3" deep keel is still preferred for all-around performance where water depth is no problem. The early 4' 4" shoal keel has been replaced by the modern 3' 10" deep wing keel.
The Catalina 30 was the largest and longest continuous production keel boat in the world, with over 6,500 hulls produced. In 2001 it was inducted to the American Sailboat Hall of Fame.
Configurations
The Catalina 30 has various configurations which affect overall performance. Early hulls were equipped with a tiller only, and with the main sheet traveller located at the aft end of the cockpit. Eventually all boats were delivered with wheel steering and the main sheet located over the companionway hatch.
The Catalina 30 is available with two mast lengths, the Standard Rig and the Tall Rig. It is also available with and without a bow sprit.
The Catalina 30 also had various engine configurations. Early models had a standard Atomic 4 gasoline engine, followed by the Universal 5411 diesel. Later, the M-15 and M-25 diesels became standard.