40 years of monohull "evolution"

[Nick J]

It's kind of interesting if you look at relative time. If someone was rigging their 1944 sailboat staring down at a brand new Ericson 35-3 in 1984, I wonder what they would have thought and the horrible thigs they were saying about the new boat. What would they have been rigging?

 

[Christian Williams]

Fiberglass caused a shudder when boats first popped out of the mold in the '60s. Yick! This stuff smells bad! (and inside the early Pierson Tritons, it did) It's unproven! "I'll give it five years in a marine environment."

When wooden boats first began to be repaired with fiberglass, it was often a sloppy job and nobody seemed to want to grind it smooth or fair it. We covered a leaky dinghy bottom with it, but with guesswork as to procedure. Everybody who examined it said, "ah, frozen snot." Such derision!

Man, was everybody wrong, wrong, wrong.

 

[Kenneth K]

Folks are clearly prioritizing space and comfort over sailing ability.

While many of us here probably see this as part of the "problem," I wonder what portion of the general sailing public thinks we have it wrong? I.e., "Of course [I'd] rather have a spacious and comfortable boat than a cramped boat that sails a little faster."

The average size of a "new" home in 1980 was 1740 sq ft. In 2022 it was 2522 sq ft. I think many today choose creature comforts over arriving in the Bahamas and hour or two earlier (and, perhaps with a little less wind and spray in their faces).

 

[Prairie Schooner]

One good reason to buy a Catalina. Original factory spec "based on location, color, and year.", at Catalina Direct.
Apparently they do this every year. I would dearly love this for Ericson.

 

[Christian Williams]

I wonder if any gelcoat doesn't change color after 30 years. Would factory color actually match?

 

[Loren Beach]

I wonder if any gelcoat doesn't change color after 30 years. Would factory color actually match?

Yes it does, and usually within a decade. That's why even pro's have trouble matching repaired areas. I have seen a perfect match on a repair show up as an obvious color change in about 3 to 4 years. Since the vast bulk of Catalina's were built in the 70's thru the 90's, that limits the ones that could be matched by a simple color code number.
BTW, I used to do some pretty close matches (passing the ten foot test, anyhow) by following advice from a local ship wright. He looked at our gel color in a buffed out area and knew which several colors to tint with. It was an interesting process, and not all that intuitive to a beginner.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Yes it does, and usually within a decade. That's why even pro's have trouble matching repaired areas. I have seen a perfect match on a repair show up as an obvious color change in about 3 to 4 years. Since the vast bulk of Catalina's were built in the 70's thru the 90's, that limits the ones that could be matched by a simple color code number.
BTW, I used to do some pretty close matches (passing the ten foot test, anyhow) by following advice from a local ship wright. He looked at our gel color in a buffed out area and knew which several colors to tint with. It was an interesting process, and not all that intuitive to a beginner.

I'm sure it does change over time and exposure. And I was able to craft a mix that matched pretty well. But it was so time consuming that I'd gladly pay for something that was close enough.

 

[Christian Williams]

I have to laugh at my own assumptions. To me, all boats are 40 years old. But I guess if you bought your brand new Catalina two years ago, and just scraped a piling, this stuff would be just the ticket.