Articles06/04/04: Erik VanRenselaar et al, Why a C18?
Note: the following email thread is in reverse chronological order.
I would be happy to talk to you about the C-18. I must warn you though, that I
am very biased. I really like the C-18 over many other boats. In the summer of
1999, I was in the market for a small, but spacious trailer cruiser to
supplement my 14.5 ft. day-sailing dinghy (Dolphin Sr.). I wanted a Catalina 22,
but towing and storage constraints made me keep it under 20 ft. The Capri 18
fits nicely in my tract-house driveway. Some of the other boats in the running:
Potter 19, Precision 18, Windrose 18, Venture 17, Montgomery 17. Also the Siren
17, but that is mainly a Canadian/Midwest boat. The Hunter 19 could be in there,
too, but it was only in production for a few years, so not many are found on the
used market.
The Capri 18 that I found and bought was a rare find. It was here in Calif., it
was a fairly new ('93) boat, and it was in excellent condition with lots of
extras.
The things against the other boats: Potter 19: couldn't find a nice late model
in Calif. for a good price. Also, the daggerboard trunk intrudes a lot into the
cabin. Precision 18: none to be found west of Colorado. Now, there is a dealer
in Oregon, so maybe some will crop up soon in the West Coast used market.
Windrose 18: older but nicely designed boat. Most on the market show their age,
though, and the swing keel is a maintenance point. Venture 17: similar to W-18,
but smaller and a sparse cabin. Montgomery 17: too few nice used boats for a
good price. Simulated lapstrake hull was so-so in visual appeal to me. Swing
keel also. Siren 17: neat little boat with ok cabin, but not much larger than a
daysailer boat. Canadian-built and out of production, so not many (none?) to be
found on West Coast.
Things I like about the C-18: Cockpit size (approx. 6 1/2 ft), cabin (sleeps two
adults & two smaller people), looks (modern), build quality (Catalina Yachts),
fixed shoal-draft keel (simplicity, stability, and a 2 1/2 ft draft), still in
production - with good parts support, easy to rig. Side note: A Capri 18 was
sailed from Oxnard to Hawaii in 28 days, back in 1987. That fact impressed me.
One of the few things I don't really like is the lack of a mainsheet traveler. I
could install one just behind the companionway, but it would spoil the spacious
cockpit. In practice, though, the mainsheet setup works fairly well and it keeps
the cockpit uncluttered (and allows the tiller to be tilted up to clear the
cockpit for more room when docked/anchored). But it doesn't allow for the
fine-tuning that a traveler would provide. Another thing that is a trade-off is
the height of the boat on the trailer. It makes it a little bit harder to
board/load on land and it's not quite as easy as a retractable keel boat to
launch.
The fixed keel (see above) should be considered an advantage. The C-18 is also
beamy (about 7 1/2 ft wide) for it's length. This makes the boat roomy and
stable, but not as fast as some other boats in its length range. But the C-18 is
not intended to be a racer. On sailing the boat: mine's only been in lakes and
protected waters, and in winds less than 20 mph. It does very well in those
conditions. In any winds above a constant 15-20 mph, the main should be reefed
and the headsail reduced. I have a 135% roller furled jib, so that's easy for me
to do. If the boat gets overpowered, it will have a tendency to round-up easily.
That's mainly due to the shoal-draft keel and relatively short waterline length.
Proper reefing and sail trimming reduces that tendency.
Rough water sailing: The main problem is that the short length of the boat
usually causes porpoising (according to many other C-18 sailors) in the
wind-chop type of rough water. Longer (>22 ft) boats usually don't pitch as much
in the really rough stuff. I have been told that a wing keeled C-18 should pitch
less than a standard keel C-18. As I use my C-18 mainly in smaller lakes and
protected bays, the rough water ride is not a big deal. I've had four adults
(including me) in the boat for a day's sail. It was comfortable. 5 adults would
be pushing it, in terms of crowding. The cabin is roomy enough for someone to go
down below for awhile to rest or get out of the weather (sun/wind/rain, etc.)
That's especially important with smaller children.
The boat and it's trailer weigh about 2500+ lbs. This puts it out of the range
of small-car trailerability, but it can be handled with most mid-size
trucks/SUVs and minivans. The full-sized cars of modern days seem to have
minimal towing capability. The trailer is equipped with electric trailer brakes.
I consider trailer brakes, either surge or electric, to be an important
accessory. They are especially a must-have with smaller vehicles.
Setting up (or taking down) the boat takes about 30-40 minutes for me. I have a
self-contained portable mast raiser to make that part easy. You can hand-raise
(arm raise?) the mast, but a mechanical system is much easier. I have an article
on the mast raiser in the Nov. 2000 issue of Mainsheet magazine.
On the C-16 vs 18: I looked at the 16, thinking it would be more easily
trailered. The boat dealer pointed out a few things, though. The weight
difference is minimal. The 16 only weighs a couple hundred pounds less. The 16's
cabin is also much smaller. I don't really see where the 16 fits in, as the 18
is a much more comfortable boat for the same weight and size (the 16 is actually
16 1/2 ft). My local Catalina dealer in Santa Rosa (CA), usually sells a few new
18s a year. The 18s seem to be very popular in the past few years. There was a
period there between 1994 and 1998 where not many seemed to have been built. The
wing keel version (which I have) didn't come out until about 1990 or so. The
boat was first produced in 1986. There are good used ones out there from time to
time, but you have to keep on top of the classified ads, both Web-based and in
sailing related publications. I must say, though, that there seem to be many new
(2000-2003 model year) Catalina 18's out there for a good price. If you buy new,
try to get most, if not all the options.
For me (a 5'9", 175 lb. guy), the C-18 is a good sized boat. When I sit in the
cabin on the main bunks, the edge of the cabin top and deck juncture is right
behind my head. I slightly lean forward to avoid resting my head on the
interior. I need to slouch a bit to be able to lean back against the hull wall
(and have my head clear the deck above). For me, the cabin is a place to sleep,
go potty, lie down for a bit, or store gear (I can reach the cooler from the
cockpit). If I *really* wanted a parlor room, I'd have gone w/ a Catalina 22.
The V-berth would be ok for a small adult or two kids up to about 8-10 years
old. The area under the V (forward of the potti area) is used for positive
flotation and is filled with self-expanding foam. I suppose you could remove the
foam from the compartments, but I like the idea of having the flotation foam.
Regarding the options: my '93 boat has about everything you mentioned. It has
outboard jib cars for the 135 genoa sail. The stainless steel mast crutch is
nice. I've added a rubber bow roller (a trailer part) to the top of the crutch
to make it easier to move the mast aft to step it. I believe most newer C-18s
also have a complete lights package, including a mid-mast steaming and foredeck
light (like mine does). A 5 hp 4-stroke outboard would work well on the C-18.
Mine came w/ a '96 Johnson 3 hp (2-stroke). The 3 hp is fine for the boat, but a
smokeless motor would be nicer. This Johnson only has about 12-14 hrs on it,
though. I installed a long-shaft conversion kit and a finer pitch prop. The
longer shaft helps keep the prop in the water when it's rough, and the finer
pitch prop provides better thrust for a sailboat.
The storage capacity under the main berths is good. I have hammock-net carriers
on either side of the V-berth, too.
My C-18 came w/ a CDI FF-2 furler and the mentioned 135 jib. Since most of my
sailing has been done on single sail dinghies, having the furler on a
headsail-equipped boat is a great convenience. Also, because of the dinghy
sailing, I'm used to smaller boats. The C-18 is a yacht, comparatively. I'm also
a minimalist when it comes to the size of boats and vehicles. The C-18 (my
opinion) is an excellent cruiser for it's size.
About the other boats I looked at: The Windrose 18 and Venture 17 are older
boats, and the ones I found for sale needed some care and attention. I did
consider the Potter 19, but I preferred the C-18's fixed keel (wing)
simplicity/durability/stability. The Precision 18 and Compac 16/19 were also in
the running, but Precisions are hard to find on the West Coast and I liked the
*modern* style of the C-18 over the Compac. I looked at the Potter 15 and that
type/style of boat, but it wasn't much more than the dinghy I already have. A
newer Catalina 22 (Mk 2) would be nice, but my driveway's short and it wouldn't
tow very well with my smallish truck. I have had myself and 3 other adults on my
boat for a short cruise, and it worked out ok. The boat is perfectly sized for
2-4 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids.
-Erik VanRenselaar
1993 C-18 #471, "Chloe"
i completely agree w Ken Ong. We have had the
keelboat version for 8 years and it is a perfect family daysailor--at least for
a family of 4. it is stable and the boom is overhead so you dont have to woirry
about children or newcomers who are unaware of the boom and get hit or injured.
although it is advertised as a pocket cruiser you can stay overnite in (and you
can) you really have to want to do so. i think it is far better as a daysailer.
the cabin is best for holding gear and getting out of the sun for awihile. it is
small and handled easily by one person--or two for docking--so a family can use
it without really requiring significant contributions by family members--yet
they can if they want to.
my experience has been quite positive for exactly that use. i am surprised they
dont sell more of them. feel free to ask more questions if you like.
david oakley
Warren,
Question: Is the C18 (Catalina 18, formerly known as the Capri 18) a family day
sailor?
Answer: Yes.
The differences between the Catalina Johnson 18 (CJ18) and Catalina 18 (C18) are
significant, though their names may be similar. The CJ18 is a centerboard boat
with an asymmetrical spinnaker giving it a total of 317.7 square feet of sail.
The C18 is a keel boat with 151 square feet of sail. With more than twice the
amount of sail area and no keel, the CJ18 should be a rocket ship on the water.
Centerboarders are usually meant to be dry sailed (stored on land rather than on
a mooring or at a slip).
In contrast, the C18 has a 425 lbs. keel and enough sail area to make its
theoretical maximum hull speed of ~5 knots. This is a boat that will stay *in*
the water rather than fly *on* it. The C18 can be either moored, stored in a
slip, or trailered. Being a keelboat, the C18 is less likely to capsize. If it's
a stable day sailor you're looking for, the C18 is it.
Links:
C18: http://www.catalinayachts.com/yachts.cfm?act=model&id=10
C18 specifications (requires registration): http://www.catalinayachts.com/pdf/C18EL.pdf
CJ18 specifications (requires registration): http://www.catalinayachts.com/pdf/CJ18EL.pdf
Hope this helps.
I've shared this with other C18 owners who may have opinions that differ from my
own.
Ken
Ken Ong
'Amazing Grace'
C18 #333
Dear Mr. Ong,
I have been doing some reading about your Catalina 18 National Organization and
the boats that qualify. I am somewhat confused about this. Is there currently a
Catalina 18 suitable for use as a family day sailor? If yes, what is it called?
It seems as if most of the current literature is for a Catalina 18 Johnson,
which is apparently a pure racing boat. Could you please help me understand any
differences there might or might not be between boats.
Thank you,
Warren Kyprie