Hey all!

I am new to the group and am just beginning a collection of projects/endeavors with my wife and daughter.

We have decided to go with the 1983 Catalina 36 as our vessel of choice to sail the Great Lakes and eventually get to Newfoundland where I grew up.  We are in Southwest Ontario.  

We just acquired SV Plan "B" from a lovely gentleman in Ontario who has sailed it for many years and lived aboard for many...in the Great Lakes.  It is in great shape with a lot of originality remaining.  

It sits currently "on the hard" in our back yard.  We will slowly invest in this as we learn more about what is needed, wanted, and affordable.  Safety and Comfort are a priority.  

I plan on taking this boat down to the shell and restoring.  I also plan on documenting this somehow...likely video.

I would love to share the good, bad, and ugly parts of the process with the community.  Is there a place on this site that would welcome this?  I am very much an average everything when it comes to the chapters of restoration .  Lots to learn which I would happily share.  I figured this would be the best way to give back as I am sure most of the help will come from this site.  Thanks in advance!

I have read back and forth about Bluewater vs. Coastal.  From what I understand, the Catalina is mostly considered a Coastal?  I would like to sail as much of the Great Lakes with my family before we start logistics for a sail to Corner Brook, NFLD, and then on to St. John's.  

I have also read and agree that a boat you know inside out and that has all the non-negotiable items/ retro-fits completed with a smart design that creates many redundancies that you can readily map out in any situation...is the best boat for you.   

...not getting caught in terrible weather is a way to increase positive experiences...but I also want to be prepared for worse case scenario for some peace of mind.  Is the Catalina 36 a reasonable choice for this type of sailing plan?  

I have heard of the Catalina smile and know that there were some repairs completed to fill in a small grin.  I have read that there are new specs to "beef up" this joint.  Wondering if I should consider dropping the keel and spending some time and money investing in a much more robust situation.  Larger keel bolts?  Metal plates?  More cloth?  Carbon fiber? All of the above?  I know that having the keel come off is very catastrophic.

Thank you all for your help.  Any "weigh in's" in any of the topics above would be appreciated.  If anything, I am sharing with the community where we are and where we are headed.  We absolutely love this boat already and can't wait to put some TLC into it regardless of where it may take us.  

Merry Christmas all!

Luke