Bobsprit wrote:

Scout asked: Anyone own a Catalina?

I had an old Catalina 27 as my first boat. A great starter boat. My sails were
so blown I could only outrun crabcrushers. Deck delamination is a common
problem and early boats had iron keel bolts.

RB

FWIW I just bought a 1976 30 (#199). The Surveyor called Cat's "the
minivans of sailboats" because they do everything well but nothing
outstanding. He said that delamination was caused by moisture and could
be prevented by keeping the mast passthru, et cetera, well calked and
fixing any cracks that develop. The iron keel bolts in mine had been
replaced, or rather supplimented by long stainless screws in accordance
with a factory fix. Gimme a few years grin and I'll let you know.

cheers, Howard