Boat Shopping??? Checking out the Catalina 425

Today, less than one week from our sailing trip aboard Shardana, I find myself way back where we started this whole adventure... the docks at G. Winter's Sailing Center in Riverside, NJ.  On our sailing trip, we learned how fun the Catalina 425 can be.  We put it through it's paces with some young family members and with Captain Andy's preaching, we started to like it.

We talked a lot this week...

I don't want to harsh my mellow (it's almost Woodstock's 50th anniversary), so I won't talk about how we almost didn't go to check it out due to unnamed forces causing the US/China exchange rate to plummet.

I won't talk about all the very logical reasons we came up with NOT to check out the boat... things like other boats we could buy for the money, other destinations where we could go sailing, etc.

I will remind our readers that the original reason we jumped into sailing with both feet and purchased Seas The Day is the following realization which still holds true today.

1. We have both been incredibly blessed, especially in our careers.

and 

2.  Heartbeats remain our most limited resource.

And so we went to see it.

We arrived and started checking out the Catalina 425.  Here are the main CAD drawings from the Catalina 425 website...

She's a big sister to the Catalina 315 (Seas The Day's model).  Basically she adds 12 feet in length and 2 feet in beam (width).  That translates to a second head (bathroom), a real entryway to the master cabin in the bow (on Seas The Day, we have to sort of sit on the bed and swing ourselves into that cabin), a more spacious salon/galley area and an extra port/aft berth (at upper left, above).

The main purpose of this visit was to check out the onboard systems.  So most of the time was checking out storage, engines, generators, compressors, storage tanks, and the like.  How easy is it to check the oil?  Change the filters?  What's involved in running an AC unit on a boat?  Regular readers  (both of you) know I don't do too much boat maintenance myself, but I try to keep abreast of those items a boat owner should be aware of.

One significant question was "Can I fit into the shower"?  (I'm kind of embarassed that I have to ask that, but after spending the past few summers getting uncomfortably intimate with the shower curtain, it's something I need to worry about.)  I could.

The rest of the photos can speak for themselves.

It is a nice boat.

We arrived and met Glenn, the owner of the dealership.

The main thing I'm worried about is the enhanced navigation pod is mounted stylishly, but kid of low for an aging guy with a sore back and bifocals.  Glenn pointed out that "anything can be done" in terms of lifting it (but he won't promise how it will look).  He also pointed out that in this Smart and Connected world (where have I heard that before?  Oh yea, here's an example I'm a tad familiar with),  the navigation pad (and therefore the boat) can be controled from my iPad.

Let's hope you have to be on board to do that.  (You do... engine controls are not connected.... I think.)

It's amazing how much neater everything is inside the lockers and vanities when there's room.

Engine oil dipstick is a way down hidden by the black tube.

The mattress in the port aft cabin has to go.  The fancy mattress is optional, without it this space can be used as a work/storage area and offers great access to the engine, thru-hulls, generator and water heater.  Without the fancy mattress, this space can be configured for storage (how we envison using it), as a double berth (with thinner padding) or as two bunk beds on the right side (also with thinner padding).  Below are the views inside the access panels from this cabin.

This boat has full electronics.  In addition to the navigation pod are the stereo locker, generator controls, battery and shore power switches, the VHF radio and the main AC/DC panel (which looks very similar to that on Seas The Day).