I have a 2001 Catalina 36 MK II Hull #1973 and I noticed that my boat does not have port lights below the hull/deck joint on either port or starboard sides. I berth next to 2 other Catalina 36s and both have non-opening port lights (2 starboard and 1 port).
Were port lights an option on the MK IIs?
Interesting. I think those fixed ports were standard after 1992 or so. My 1993 has them. Maybe the original owner of yours ordered the boat without them for some reason? When boat designers/builders (including Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalina) started adding the fixed hull ports to their designs back around that time, I remember a fair amount of discussion in the sailing world in general, with many opinions being that these ports where unsafe weak spots in hulls and should be avoided for any serious cruising boat design. I think we can safely say that has been debunked, but perhaps your boat's original owner took it to heart and had their boat built without the ports.
Don Lincoln
"Nancy Lynn"
1993 Catalina MK1.5, Hull 1238
LaSalle, MI (Lake Erie)
Universal M-35AC
I think this topic arose several years ago. You may find some additional comments with the search function. Did you recently purchase the boat? If so, maybe it is the same one that was previously referenced?
I would suspect you could change many things from the factory if requested.
Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B