I am in the market for a boat, and am on the fence between these two.
My friend had a 36 in the mid '80's that i was in love with. I swore one day i was going to own one.
Well that day has come, but now i have a new wrinkle. I saw a 2000 C380 recently, and i may have a new love now.
There are a few more differences besides the extra length, and beam.
Another burner on the stove, which is no big deal. Vanity up front, which might be nice if you had multiple people staying on the boat. Again, not that big of a deal.
To me, with the uneducated eye, the big differences are the heavier displacement, the separate head/shower combo, and the massive aft berth arrangement.
I will be singlehanding 99% of the time, and i imagine the 38 will probably be just as manageable as the 36.
I live in the San Diego, CA area, and most of my sailing would be centered around local coastal cruising and Channel Islands, with hopefully lots of time spent at Catalina Island.
The heavier displacement can be good and bad. I takes a little more to get you going, but is probably a little more stable when it gets ugly, or at anchor in an unprotected area or less than calm conditions.
The separate head/shower is nice too, but probably not a real deal breaker for me.
The aft bunk is really sweet! It appears that the cockpit is raised and there is a centerline queen bed option that makes the aft berth seem like a real bedroom. This is probably a real selling feature for couples, as it eliminates having to climb over someone else in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. There is also ample storage in the aft berth too.
I have always felt the aft berth in the 36 was a little claustrophobic, but i guess i just assumed i would use it for storage, and sleep in the V berth.
Another member of this site said that they sleep in the salon area on the couch area. I am not sure how this works, but i imagine that the table is involved and cushions are placed on top, and it makes in to a pretty good sized bed. This would probably work good for me too, since i would rarely have sleep over guests.
Well, that's about all i know about the major differences.
I would have to guess i would be happy with either boat, but just having trouble making the decision.
I appreciate any and all advice.
Thanks.
Blair White
Pacific Beach, CA
Blair White
2004 C36 MKII # 2169 "Dash"
Pacific Beach, CA
The rigging is significantly different.
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)
I don't know about the weight of the 380, but 36 Mark IIs are significantly heavier than the design weight. Our boat consistently weighs over 20,000 lbs when pulled for storage every year. That's empty of everything except fuel, the mast and rigging are off the boat. We even take all the upholstery home. Three different cranes have all reported that weight, so pretty sure it's accurate. Other folks on here have reported similar results.
The 380 does have a much nicer aft cabin, though I've only seen it in pictures. It also has a 30 gallon holding tank and to inland sailors that is a weak point for the 36, 18 gallons keeps you going for pump outs every 6-7 days at best. I like the salon layout of the 36 better. Hard to find a 380 for anywhere near the kind of money 36 Mark IIs sell for from what I can see. I'd be hard pressed to spend $30K extra for two feet of boat and a nicer aft cabin. They both are good boats though.
Stu,
Do you know what the basic difference in the rigging is?
B&S,
Holy cow that is a heavy boat! I had no idea a 36 would weigh in at 20K pounds. That is about the same as the 38.
Thanks
Blair White
Pacific Beach, CA
Blair White
2004 C36 MKII # 2169 "Dash"
Pacific Beach, CA
As to weight, make sure you're not comparing apples and oranges. In the slings, at normal cruising weight (extra stuff, lots of beer, owner-installed equipment, extra anchor and rode, two tool boxes, fuel, water, holding tank status unknown, etc, etc) my C36 Mk II weighs right at 19,100 lbs. Don't compare this number with a weight from a brochure.
[Hearsay, and I probably ought not repeat it: I have heard very ungood things about the sailing qualities of the C380, from a (knowledgeable) owner of a classic Sparks & Stephens big hipped Catalina 38. His classic 38 is a wonderful sailer, he says, but the 380 he had experience with on a delivery did not measure up. If you email me I can give you his contact information so you can talk to him yourself.]
Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
Larry,
I know that the older 38s were "big hipped", but do you think that is the same of the newer boats?
I believe that they only have about 5 inches more in the beam over the 36.
Blair White
Pacific Beach, CA
Blair White
2004 C36 MKII # 2169 "Dash"
Pacific Beach, CA
The term 'big-hipped' applies to older S&S Catalina 38s, an aspect that is very noticeable when you have a close look at one. The term doesn't refer to the beam of the hull, but to its shape...which is like this... ( ). Very noticeable. This classic model hasn't been manufactured for at least a decade, I believe.
Today's C380s are normal everyday shape as you might expect for a modern production boat. A little more beamy than the C36, perhaps.
My friend's complaints about the C380 had to do with its seakeeping ability.
Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
Aside from the other comments about weight and rigging, my sailing friend has an older C38 and he has a small but very annoying problem.
Now, I am not familiar with the names of the various designs Catalina came out with, but if you look closely, one of the designs is vey low at the stern to the water. Other designs have the bottom sweeping up just a bit at the stern.
The problem he has is that at anchor, he gets a very annoying slapping sound from the water against the hull. The aft cabin is very large but not useful if this keeps you awake all night. I know he has tried rigging stuff to hang under the stern from port to starboard to try to "break" the wavelets before they hit the bottom, but so far to my knowledge he has not been successful.
Perhaps others could comment on this or add to it.
Chuck Parker
HelenRita 2072 Mk II
2002 Tall Rig - Winged Keel
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
[QUOTE=pierview;11890]Aside from the other comments about weight and rigging, my sailing friend has an older C38 and he has a small but very annoying problem.
Now, I am not familiar with the names of the various designs Catalina came out with, but if you look closely, one of the designs is vey low at the stern to the water. Other designs have the bottom sweeping up just a bit at the stern.
The problem he has is that at anchor, he gets a very annoying slapping sound from the water against the hull. The aft cabin is very large but not useful if this keeps you awake all night. I know he has tried rigging stuff to hang under the stern from port to starboard to try to "break" the wavelets before they hit the bottom, but so far to my knowledge he has not been successful.
Perhaps others could comment on this or add to it.[/QUOTE]
The S&S designed C38 has prominent tumblehome (inward curvature towards the hull/deck joint). Its clearly a hull design of the IOR era and was intially designed as a racer. Catalina changed aspects of the orginal rig (shortened boom and maybe moved the mast) to tame the squirrliness that many IOR designs displayed and the C38 is recognized as a good sailing boat as a result of those changes.
As to hull slap, I'd say the S&S C38 is probably the least likely Catalina to experience that, but most other Catalina designs (and those of their competitors) could be under certain conditions. The MKI's are probably slightly less prone to it that the wider sterned MKII's. Either way, it seems to me more likely to be a problem in a marina than on the hook. On the hook the bow is usually into the wind and waves. With really strong current or confused seas, you might have waves hitting the back of the boat while on the hook but its not the normal condition. Also, with the wider sterned boats the owners cabin is more likely to be the aft cabin where its more likely to be annoying.
Bill Boggs
s/v Palmetto Moon
1991 C36, Hull 1128
Herrington Harbor South
Chesapeake Bay
The old S&S C38 is an entirely different boat than the C380. No tumble home, no pinched ends, I bet the C380 has nearly twice the hull volume of the old 38.
Cepheus dream
C36 MK I # 825
MK I Tech Editor No Mas
THe 36 has a very limited use aft cabin. Too low to be of much use, other than storage.
A shower would be great, as would a bit of extra room and sink in the V Berth.
Rich
Rich
Richard & Joan Bain
PAZZO Hull#1670
1997 Catalina 36 MK11
Bayfield, Ontario
My Day Job Below
www.richardbain.com
www.bineapress.com
Rich,
Thanks for the input.
I'm still going back and forth on this one, but i agree with what you say.
Used late model 36s are plentiful in CA, but there are no 38s.
I image i would be happy with either.
Blair White
2004 C36 MKII # 2169 "Dash"
Pacific Beach, CA
[quote=richie30;11932]THe 36 has a very limited use aft cabin. Too low to be of much use, other than storage.
A shower would be great, as would a bit of extra room and sink in the V Berth.
Rich[/quote]
Bah! Humbug! :D
We find it quite roomy - for sleeping....But then again we found the aft cabin in our 28 to be fine as well, so this one is by contrast quite spacious. Even room for the cats.
Agreed, but only sleeping athwartships! We tried one night sleeping fore and aft but it was hard to breathe with the cockpit sole about a foot and a half above my face :-( We have always slept in the V berth since.
FWIW, I hinged the V berth ply lid across the forward edge, and made up a line from the aft edge with a hook that clips on an eye in front of the forward hatch. This holds the ply up with all the bedding on it when I want to get into the forward locker (We are a Mk I) where we keep the sails and spare anchor, etc. That way the bed stays made up.
S.V. Wind Star
Rob & Margie Kyles: Auckland ,New Zealand
Mk I Hull #105 1983 Std Rig, Std Keel
Yes, definitely athwartships. I am a tad over 6', my wife a tad over 5', she sleeps furthest aft and we both have plenty of room in both directions. The crawling over your spouse thing is rarely a big problem since we both are of an age where, well, you get the idea.
But would we prefer the aft cabin on a 380? Oh yeah!