Association Forum - Cat25 or Cat27.....Please Help!!!!!

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Cat25 or Cat27.....Please Help!!!!!

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Xavier
Deckhand

Member Avatar

2 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/20/2002 : 12:16:00

I’ve been in the market for a small Catalina for several months now. I’ve spent a lot of time on large racing machines to know that all I really want is a small (not too small) boat. A boat that at least has an enclosed head. I’m not interested in taking the boat anywhere. I don’t need to trailer anywhere. Just kept at my slip.

I’ve looked at a lot of C27s. I’m more interested in a C25 fin keel. The problem I’m having is finding a C25 for sale just to look at. I’ve seen lots of pictures. But it does not give me any indication of interior space. I know that the C27 is 2 feet longer over all but shorter at the water line. Can anyone please give me the difference (that you know of) between the two boats? Interior space, sailing powering and handling abilities?

Edited by - on

Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1595 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2002 : 13:14:12

I can provide a little information that may help. At one time I considered moving up to a C-27. The extra 2 feet in lenght is eaten up on a C-27 by the aft engine well and fuel tank area. The V burth area is actualy 6" shorter on a C-27 than a C-25. The big advantages are wider beam, Standing head room and its easyer to find one with an inboard motor. However it may be a gasoline atomic four. You may have to spend more time and money maintaining the C-27. I beleve the C-25 tall rig uses the same mast as the C-27. For sail area and specs you would need to look at and compare spec sheets. I could never find a
C-27 with the interior I liked. The head took up a lot of room and the inboard ate up the stbd. sleeping area. I felt minus the head room the C-25 was more for less. I cant understand why you would have trouble finding a fin keel. Where are you located ?

Edited by - on

Bristle
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
834 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2002 : 14:51:02

Hello Xavier...

Be aware that besides the 3 keel configurations, the C-25 has two rigs, standard and tall, where the tall mast is 2' taller and the boom is 1' lower. Not being racers, we prefer the standard with the higher boom. There are also essentially 2 interiors--traditional (settees on both sides) and dinette. Both have advantages and somewhat different "feels" below. The keel choice doesn't affect the interior layout or headroom as it does on the C-250.

Having sailed a little on a C-27, I'd say it's less tender (probably due to the beam) and nicer if you want to spend time below, due to the headroom as well as the beam. At 5-9, I have to tip my head in the 25, but my 5'4" wife has full standing headroom. We bought the 25 because it fits better into the slips in our boat club (not yacht club) and the outboard is simpler to deal with than an Atomic inboard. When we get the right shaft length (extra-long), it'll be fine for our purposes.

There's a bunch of the C-25 fins here on the CT shore (including ours on the hard)--where are you?

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 SR-FK #5032 "Passage" in CT

Edited by - bristle on 03/24/2002 17:12:12

Edited by - on

Bill Holcomb
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2002 : 20:00:41

What you will probably notice first in the interiors is that the C27 main saloon feels bigger. The headroom is 6' and with a beam of 8'10" there is more "elbow room". But, as stated already, the 27's V-berth is shorter. And, the quarterberth is smaller in the 27 as well. So, the overall size is more of a larger feel on the 27.

The 27 also weighs about 2,000 lbs more than a C25. In rough weather, many people like the solid feel that the extra ton gives. In light or moderate weather though, there's not much of a difference.

Most of the 2 feet of extra length are in the stern lazarette. And, as you have already found out, the waterline of the C25 is actually a little longer. From a racing standpoint, I think that a tall rig/fixed fin keel C25 is a good match for a standard rig C27. PHRF ratings make the C27 give time to the C25. But in light breezes, the narrower and lighter C25 will often sail faster on a boat for boat basis. Moderate breezes the boats are pretty close contenders. But in stronger breezes, the C27 often is faster around a race course.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

Edited by - on

Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1595 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2002 : 21:55:34

If your from Corona California there is a C-25 for sale in Dana Point. There is an older one up in Ventura and several others further afield. Go to www.boats.com set your search peramiters and see what is in your area. BTW I spent many happy hours sailing Newport Harbor.

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5913 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2002 : 12:25:08

Because the C-25 has a longer waterline than the C-27, it is, by design, capable of higher speed than the C-27. The significantly lighter weight of the C-25 enables it to accelerate faster than the C-27. Because a lot of C-27'S have inboard engines, and are slowed by prop drag, the actual speed differential is usually considerable. I have not found either the standard or tall rig C-27 to be competitive with either the standard or tall rig C-25 in any wind condition. If you are really into racing, the C-25 (either standard rig or tall rig) is the better choice.

I like the tall rig C-25, because it has more sail area and is therefore faster than the standard rig C-25. While it is true that the boom on the tall rig normally hangs a foot lower than the boom on the standard rig, you can have your sailmaker put a flattening reef in your mainsail, and raise the boom up to the same height as the standard rig boat when you are cruising. By having the tall rig, you have the option of using the full sail area, whenever you decide you want to make better speed. If you have the standard rig boat, you don't have that option.

I also prefer the fin keel, although the performance difference between it and the wing and swing keels is slight.

However, overall, the C-27 sails well, and is a much beefier boat than a C-25. It's rig is much sturdier, and it can stand up better to heavy weather. If you want a rock-solid, safe, well-built cruising boat that sails as well as, or better than, most 27 foot cruisers, you would be happy with a C-27.

Steve Milby "Captiva Wind" C-25 T/FK #2554

Edited by - on

ltenny
1st Mate

Members Avatar

35 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2002 : 17:06:32

I also looked at both the C25 and C27 - I ended up buying the C27 because I felt the standing headroom (I'm 6' and can stand upright pretty well in a 27) made such a huge difference in how I felt while on the boat. I think the standing headroom becomes even more important if you're planning on doing overnights or short live aboard stints.

I'm sure you will enjoy either one though!

Lee

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2002 : 20:44:18

Before I bought my Cat 25 last fall, I also had a hard time deciding on which one, 25 or 27, to get. I already had a Venture 25, so I thought if I was going to upgrade, I might as well go longer and get a 27. The 27 appealed to me primarily in the headroom department. I thought that if I had more headroom then I would be more inclined to go on more overnights instead of just primarily daysailing. But after considering environmental issues that are local to me, I chose the Cat 25 fin keel boat. In western Lake Erie where I sail, seaweed blooms have been a problem in the last few years. As I enter Lake Erie from the channel leading out of my marina, I am constantly dodging these seaweed islands that are usually between 10 and 20 feet in diameter. But it seems inevitable that I will run into a submerged seaweed bed and that's when the fun starts. There is nothing worse than having to go diving to remove a ton of seaweed from the keel cable, rudder, and/or prop. Fortunately, with a 25 fixed keel, I no longer have a cable for seaweed to cling to. The leading edge of the rudder is accessible from the transom so if it get wrapped with seaweed I can simply(and sometimes not so simply) use the boathook to remove it. If the outboard prop becomes fouled, I can tilt it up and again use a boathook to remove the dreaded weed. Now if I opted for the 27 with an inboard and the prop gets fouled it's back over the side I go. The same goes for unfouling the 27's rudder which is underneath the boat. It doesn't take a whole lot of times going over the side to remove seaweed to find out that this is something you don't want to do. For both this reason and that I fell into an unbelievable deal are why I now have a Cat 25.

Don Lucier, Northstar
C25 SR/FK

Edited by - dlucier on 03/23/2002 19:10:48

Edited by - on

Ken Cave
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
148 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2002 : 00:17:13

If you are into racing, the 27 is probably the best boat that Frank Butler ever designed. (outboard model), and there is more head room for us tall folks.

Trailering a 25, however, is a better bet-and it will point better than most Catalinas, except for the 27, sailed properly.

Hope this helps

Ken Cave

Edited by - on

ssteakley
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
467 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2002 : 00:51:44

My suggestion is to forget the C27 anf the 25 and find a 250 WK, that will solve all the other problems,
Steve Steakley
"Moon Chaser" #385 250WK

Edited by - on

n/a
deleted

Members Avatar

125 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2002 : 01:03:04

Xavier......listen to the deckhand. He knows from what he speaks.
Look at the C250. If you will be trailering get the water ballast.
I had the C22 with a swing keel, some guys like to be swingers, but it was a incredible hassle to rebuild, and a constant worry about cables, winches and STUFF. I have had a C250 for 2 years, done the upgrades, it's the bomb ( kid talk)

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.