Catalina 30 Mk II 1987- SOLD (option of slip in Gig Harbor, WA)
The Catalina 30 is one of the most popular boats of its size. Avanti is a 1987 Catalina 30 MK II. The specifications of this boat are listed below and many articles about the Catalina 30 can be found on the internet. We wanted to take the opportunity to share information about Avanti so that you can better understand what is really for sale. When we were shopping for a 30-ish foot sailboat, we wish we had information like this.
First, we want to thank you for considering the purchase of Avanti. We have put a lot of time, effort, and funds into making her a great boat.
Avanti was purchased in 2018 from a very experienced sailor in Bellingham, WA. Based on the records we have and the racing numbers on the sails, we can conclude that Avanti was raced for a period of time. This was significant to us as we not only acquired a spinnaker with pole but also knew that the boat and rig had been put to the test (and did very well!). We do not know much about the rest of Avanti’s history but now it is time to share with you our chapter.
When we purchased Avanti, she was found to be in good condition for her year. A survey had been performed within twelve months prior to our purchase and there were no major structural problems on the boat. For our peace of mind, we hauled Avanti out in early 2019 and repeated a survey and confirmed she was in very good shape! Our goal was to turn this vessel into a sailing gem that could comfortably take us throughout Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, Canada, and Alaska. Below are the upgrades we have made that have turned Avanti into the boat we wanted. You may be wondering: “Why are they selling it if it’s such a good boat?” It’s simple really. We are purchasing a boat that is better suited for transoceanic sailing. We planned to sail Avanti for ten years but have had the fortunate opportunity to look towards a transoceanic vessel sooner than anticipated.
Our top priorities on Avanti were function and safety, followed by comfort and aesthetics. Avanti has a Universal 25 diesel engine. We completely rebuilt the engine and had it serviced so that it would be like new. This included upgrading the transmission, upgrading the alternator, resurfacing the head, and adding a few things to make maintenance easier for us. A detailed list of these upgrades is outlined in the lists below. We added a dripless system at the propeller shaft to allow for a dry engine compartment to reduce moisture in the boat and corrosion. We added a new propeller shaft, rebalanced the propeller, and added a line cutter for extra protection. Was all of this necessary? We felt that if we were going to improve the mechanics of the boat, we were going to do it right and do it all at once. It is NOT worth wrecking your boat and risking injury because your engine is not sound or protected. Avanti’s engine only has about 75 hours on it since being fully rebuilt, which is reflected on the new instrument panel (hour meter) that we installed at the time of the engine rebuild.
Fires on boats are BAD! We did a lot of research on the electrical systems of Catalina 30’s and chose to replace the entire wiring harness, install a new house battery bank (two 6v batteries in series) with new cables, and install a starter battery that is separate. The starter battery is balanced against the house batteries with a Blue Seas balancer/isolator, so we’d always be able to crank over the engine on those long trips. As mentioned above, we also upgraded the alternator as the old isolator was on its way out. This is a much more efficient system and is safe. Avanti also has a new blue-sea battery balancer that allows for fast charging and preserves the life of the batteries.
If you are not familiar, being plugged into shore power causes additional corrosion. We installed an isolator to reduce this corrosion caused by A/C power. If this still sounds like a foreign concept, that is ok, just trust us that this will save you a lot of headache and money that can be caused by corrosion on Avanti. We have found that it has worked very well, and our zincs remained intact for much longer after it was installed compared to before installation.
Another item on the boat that ensures safety is the anchor and the chain. We decided to upgrade the anchor to a 15kg Vulcan anchor after much research on the types of anchors that work best. Additionally, we purchased 150 feet of new galvanized chain and 150 feet of new rode. During our research and through our experience anchoring in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, we found that chafe was a significant problem on anchor rode in the area due to sharp logs, rocks, and other submerged objects on the bottom of the sea floor. Having chain on the floor rather than rode prevents this from happening. After a day of travel and arriving at a busy anchorage, you may not get the spot you were expecting because someone beat you to it! This may leave you with the option to anchor in deeper water. We wanted to have enough chain and rode to feel confident in anchoring in 70 feet of water in calm conditions or 50 feet of water in less-than-calm conditions. Included is a dynamic snubber to help absorb the forces that occur while at anchor.
Two additional upgrades to the anchoring system were an extended anchor roller so the anchor does not hit the front of the boat and damage the fiberglass and also an electric Lewmar windlass winch. If you are not familiar, this allows you to raise and lower the anchor with the push of a button rather than pulling it up by hand. Not only is pulling a 15kg anchor up by hand hard work, but it is messy and cold.
When it came to the running rigging, some of it was found to be worn and we replaced all of the halyards with new line. We also replaced the lifelines with Endura for safety, comfort, and aesthetics. During this project we completely removed the stanchions and deck hardware and re-bedded them with 4000UV from 3M to ensure they would not leak water. When we get into a project, we really do go for it. We decided to remove and reseal the six main windows in the cabin and also replace the crazed glass in the Bomar deck hatches.
The head sail that came with Avanti was a 150% genoa. We chose to purchase a new 130% genoa from north sails with UV protection integrated. We upgraded this new sail with hand sewn in leather chafe guards as suggested by Carol Hasse. This is controlled with a portside Harken Furler.
At the helm were outdated instruments that we replaced with new Garmin instruments in 2018 (details below). The compass was reseated, and a red night light was added for ease of use when it is dark. We added a biminy for shade and weather protection over the helm. We chose not to add a dodger as a personal preference however we have seen several Catalina 30’s with dodgers and it could be done for a very reasonable cost.
The original propane stove was refitted with CNG by a previous owner in the past. Unfortunately, CNG is no longer widely available and propane has its own issues with settling and being an explosive gas. We protected Avanti against this as well as increased usable space in the lazarette by installing a two burner Wallace diesel stove/heater. The Wallace has been instrumental in creating a dry, warm environment when the weather is cold and damp and burns off humidity rather than producing it. It also allows for a single fuel source for the entire boat. The Wallace only uses one ounce per hour of diesel fuel, so we never worry about how long we are able to run our stove/heater.
We created a custom teak countertop to hold the Wallace. There is also no danger of carbon monoxide poisoning because the exhaust is run through a pipe on the outside of the hull. Propane can create increased condensation inside the cabin. An additional bonus to this upgrade is that by removing a gas tank in the aft lazarette to power a stove, we increased storage on the boat and do not have to drag a propane or other gas tank around and refill it. We covered the exhaust pipe with a custom aluminum shield for safety and also for aesthetics.
Inside, we replaced all of the cushions with new foam and Sunbrella fabric with a more modern color scheme. The foam we chose was closed-cell to prevent moisture from entering and causing mold. We chose to use six inches of foam for extra cushion, and it makes a big difference. Sunbrella is famous for retaining its color and avoiding stains. We added a layer of memory foam to the V-berth to make sleeping much more comfortable. For further sleeping comfort we created and adapted a new table that can be lowered and converted into a berth in the main salon, using a few extra slats, which creates a larger than standard queen-sized bed. We found that a large berth with plenty of head room made the experience of staying on Avanti for weeks at a time much more enjoyable for us.
When we were initially searching for a 30-foot sail boat, we noticed that some had varnished interiors while others were dull and drab. We varnished the inside of Avanti and it made a world of difference in the aesthetics of the boat and also for maintenance and cleaning. The wood is protected and looks Bristol while adding white to some of the interior of the boat made Avanti bright and inviting.
In conclusion, Avanti is a solid Catalina 30 that has been recently upgraded inside and out. We understand why this was, and continues to be, such a popular boat. We have made her into a very dependable, safe, and functional vessel. Hopefully, this article will help you make decisions about your next boat purchase (maybe it is Avanti!). Sailing in the Pacific North West is a wonderful experience and one that should be done on a comfortable and safe boat. We encourage anyone who is considering the purchase of Avanti to contact us if you have further inquiries.
But don’t worry if you don’t have a place to moor Avanti, you’ll have the opportunity to take over the slip at West Shore Marina, located in the quaint fishing town of Gig Harbor, WA. The wait list is over 3 years now, so this might be the break you’re looking for.
A full list of comprehensive upgrades and specifications is below.
Copy of Avanti Owner’s Operation Manual .pdf – click here
| Maintenance and Upgrades by current owner | |
| 2018 | Water system overhaul |
| new pipes | |
| Added tank selection switch | |
| Inline West Marine water filtration system | |
| Engine | |
| changed out float in disel holding tank | |
| New glow plugs | |
| changed disel filters (both | |
| changed oil filter and oil | |
| Bathroom | |
| New toilet – Jabsco (large seat) | |
| re-sealed with silicon | |
| Electrical | |
| Replaced both batteries with Interstate deep cycle | |
| Switched out to LED bulbs in cabin, anchor light | |
| changed out AC 110v outlet (added USB charger – integrated) | |
| General | |
| sealed old drill holes in cabin fiberglass. | |
| scrape and clean & added zincs | |
| Sails | |
| added tell tails | |
| Replaced rigging tape (including up mast) | |
| 2019 | Galley |
| Took out CNG stove and installed new Wallas diesel heater / stove on custom teak counter | |
| Replaced table | |
| Added new cabin bed with new foam & with new table. | |
| Electrical | |
| installed battery volt meter | |
| replaced stereo | |
| added battery terminal connectors | |
| Garmin chart plotter, depth souncder, gWind, system upgrade | |
| Replaced steamer light | |
| Replaced spreader light | |
| New battery back (2 x 6v in series) | |
| Added separate starter battery and upgraded wire from alt to charger | |
| New Blue Sea P-12 (up to 40 amp) charge controller | |
| Replaced all battery wire connectors and wires to meet standards | |
| Deck | |
| Replaced Bomar hatch seals | |
| added anchor roller | |
| Vulcan Rocnar anchor | |
| Engine | |
| Hauled out engine for complete overhaul (Cap Sante Marine) | |
| New prop shaft | |
| Prop balanced | |
| Line cutter | |
| New transmission | |
| Replaced cable throttles (direction and throttle) | |
| Replaced engine zincs | |
| Oil, non-silicon radiator fluid, transmisison fluid, and filters changed at time of engine overhaul | |
| New muffler and piping | |
| Haul Out | |
| Survey 2019 | |
| Buffed & waxed | |
| New bottom paint, prop coat, | |
| Rigging | |
| New running rigging | |
| paddle board mounts | |
| New 130% North Sail genoa | |
| – added sail chaffe protector at spreader bar level | |
| – hand crafted leather protectors at head and foot | |
| Galley | |
| Replaced drain strainer | |
| counter top re-sealed with silicon | |
| New cushions including 2″ closed cell foam and 4″ mildew resistanat foam & Sunbrella | |
| Deck | |
| added new custom bimini structure and temporary bimini cover | |
| Cetol deck wood | |
| Resealed bow rail with 4000 UV & Smith’s epoxy resin around anchor roller | |
| Recreated compass housing | |
| Reseated improperlly seated lazerette security hasps | |
| 2020 | Galley |
| New custom teak laminate bilge covers with brass rings | |
| Replaced toilet outflow piping to holding tank | |
| Replaced bilge pump | |
| Added custom aluminim Wallas stove pipe exhaust protective cover | |
| Placed closet shelving | |
| New V-berth cushions with memory foam | |
| Engine | |
| New Alternator and wiring harness | |
| New cockpit control panel and wiring harness | |
| Serviced heat exchanger | |
| thermostat replaced | |
| Temperature sending unit replaced | |
| Impeller replaced | |
| Oil changed at 75 hours | |
| New Sherwood water stainer | |
| Oil and oil Filter changed 22 Nov 2020 | |
| Refilled all batteries with distilled water; checked specific gravity | |
| Deck | |
| Reseated all stanshions with 3M 4000UV | |
| Changed out lifelines from steel cable to Endura. | |
| Replaced anchor ring in anchor locker with steel U bolt and sealed with 3M 4000UV. | |
| Resealed galley windows (3 on each side) | |
| Added new midline cleates, sealed with 3M 4000UV | |
| Replaced old plastic waste and fuel caps with new SS caps | |
| Replaced waste flange with bronze fitting at deck | |
| Installed radar platform (predrilled for Garmin 18HD) | |
| Installed high power LED spreader lights | |
| Moved steamer light higher for radar clearance | |
| Installed Lewmar elecric winch | |
| Replaced anchor chain with 150′ new galvanized 1/4″ chain and 150′ new 1/2″ tripple braid rode; pull tested to 7000lbF | |
| Rigging | |
| Added reefing hardware and line on boom for mainsheet | |
| Replaced spreader bar protectors |