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Ocean boat to Catalina?

MagicMan

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Considering purchasing a boat to cruise the harbor and have the capability to take to Catalina without breaking my back. Some of the requirements
Trailerable
Fuel Friendly
Maintenance friendly
Large enough to carry 6 people
Under 20K
Lets hear it.
 

rivergames

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22' Center Console with a Outboard

Or This:
 

MK1MOD0

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I was going to say the same. The under 20k is going to be the hard part. But Totally agree on a CC. Something with good freeboard and a nice deep v. Prices are up, but my guess, if you could teach itto30k, you can find some nice boats out there.

ps. A nice walk around style would be a great fit as well.
 

Gonefishin5555

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Considering purchasing a boat to cruise the harbor and have the capability to take to Catalina without breaking my back. Some of the requirements
Trailerable
Fuel Friendly
Maintenance friendly
Large enough to carry 6 people
Under 20K
Lets hear it.
Grady White or Robalo or Pursuit probably older than 20 years and need to look outside CA to find something in that price range. You can find some repowered with a 4 stroke already. I am looking for fishing boat but some have extra seating options built in already that might work for harbor cruising. Its gotta be 21ft plus and deep V to do Catalina.
 

Thunderhead1

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your gonna want to get to the 28 to 30ft mark to carry 6 people ,gear, fuel and still have a fighting chance at the return trip after 2pm...
22ft with 6 people and gear is great for a Booze cruise in the harbor...

Dont come up short out there, Its not like the river where someone will be by in a minute to give you hand...


Mike
 

Gonefishin5555

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your gonna want to get to the 28 to 30ft mark to carry 6 people ,gear, fuel and still have a fighting chance at the return trip after 2pm...
22ft with 6 people and gear is great for a Booze cruise in the harbor...

Dont come up short out there, Its not like the river where someone will be by in a minute to give you hand...


Mike
good point on the size with that many people. I bet 5 out of 6 of your harbor cruising friends would get seasick on the way over
 

MK1MOD0

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Yea, the six people part is tuff. A lot of the smaller boats won’t do it comfortably.


with 2-4 people, this might work for ya:

D65967B3-D4B6-4F37-96F7-585332F62E37.jpeg
 

boatnam2

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I almost bought a 25 with cabin and I/O first thing i noticed leaving HH was it got real small real quick with bigger rollers, so much so my GF said she had enough of test ride so we headed back. I was still going to buy it but held off, maybe until next year.
 

Thunderhead1

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Yea, the six people part is tuff. A lot of the smaller boats won’t do it comfortably.


with 2-4 people, this might work for ya:

cabin View attachment 1138872

I wouldnt leave the breakwater with an Evinrude on the back especially if its the FITCH. If your not interested in fishing , you could pick up an older cabin cruiser that would fit the need... But CC is definetly the way to go for versatility and all around comfort.
 

rivergames

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I have a 23 Parker and I do not take it out with any more than 4 heads on board.

But I fish and need the room. 6 would be fine if just cruising to Catalina for a boat ride.
 

hallett21

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boatnam2

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I have been looking pretty much everyday for 2 years, 20k don't get you much, maybe older center console with a high hour outboard, which they will tell you they go 3000 hours, but when they don't, you just added another 30k to your new old boat.
 

Xring01

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Believe it or not… Maxum makes a 23 (SR and SC)boat thats handles the ocean pretty damn good, and can carry 6 people. It comes in an open bow and a cuddy. If you can find a good used one, it might fit the requirements you stated.

I have made that trip many many many times, but I left from San Diego to Catalina on many fishing trips.

So I recommend nothing smaller than 23ft, a damn good VHF radio/antenna, EPIRB at a minimum. The afternoon’s trips home can get pretty rough and choppy, please ask me how I know.

Here is a quick pic I snapped from the interweb
4F2F5299-534A-48E8-8A02-8FF96391CAA7.png
 
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Yldboyz

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The boats with the cabins are nice, you can sleep on the boat while in Catalina.
 

Desert Whaler

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Grady White or Robalo or Pursuit probably older than 20 years and need to look outside CA to find something in that price range. You can find some repowered with a 4 stroke already. I am looking for fishing boat but some have extra seating options built in already that might work for harbor cruising. Its gotta be 21ft plus and deep V to do Catalina.
Agreed . . . not sure what year(s) it happened but when the AQMD started putting the screws to boat manufacturers late 80's early 90's . . . many, if not all went to lighter lay-ups and more enviro friendly floatation foam . .. a la Boston Whaler. My friend had an 18 foot Robalo center console which I believe was an early 90's model and the transom was over 3 inches thick. I think the hull alone weighed over 3K lbs. With it's weight and 21 degree deadrise I don't think it was even possible to pound in that thing. You could take a baseball bat to it, and you wouldn't phase it.

When it comes to comfortable channel crossings, a deep deadrise is going to be your friend . . . just be careful, some boats that have sharp entries with steep deadrise 'can' tend to wonder-off to the side abruptly in big following seas. I almost got thrown out of my buddies 18" Wellcraft coming back Santa Cruz island . . . he slid down the face of a big swell and didn't throttle-back . . . punched the swell in front of us and the boat lunged off to the port side, luckily I saw it coming and was gripping the grab rail . . . but it was SKETCHY ! Came to a screeching hault.

One thing to keep in mind is that the older heavier hulls, while pretty bullet proof, require more HP to plane, and stay on plane, especially ones with a steep deadrise. So they tend to like to drink fuel. Pack on 6 people and that all exaggerates. To have 6 on board, I think you're looking at 24 feet minimum and 250+ hp outboard(s).

A "classic" (pre-90's) older Boston Whaler 22 Outrage CC 'may' get the job done, and You could probably pick one up relatively cheap. They are a very dry boat . . . but ride like shit (compared to others in it's class / era) and have zero storage, . . . and are ugly as hell LOL.

Good Luck and keep us posted on what you are looking at.
 

Xring01

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The boats with the cabins are nice, you can sleep on the boat while in Catalina.
yeah, but packing 6 people will be tight…

like everything… lots of give/take in the boating world. No free lunchs at all. Just bend over and break out that wallet and fork over more $$$… on a regular basis. LOL
 

rivermobster

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I been wanting to give it a try, Anyone else want to try.

It's Easily doable...

Leave at the butt crack of dawn, have breakfast over there, and head back ASAP! It's like Parker spring time midweek in the morning.

Check the weather two maybe three times (especially for wind) and have at it.

I'd try and be back before 10am at the latest no matter what though!
 

ltbaney1

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Catalina flyer
Use the rest for bar tab

You are welcome

Brought to you by a true professional
I have dropped a couple bucks at the marlin bar. a few years ago my parents bought me and the wifey the helicopter ride over and back, that was pretty damn cool. i had never been in a helicopter or set foot on the island before. first flight over at 6am and last flight back at 6pm. thought there would be more to do on the island. we took the golf cart cruise and drank our faces off. tried a couple of the other bars but had the best time at the marlin. would go back just for conversations we had there and the people coming in with plates of food like a pot luck.
 

Done-it-again

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West coast ocean boating is different the FL. The swells that come and go daily are worse than choppy water....

I used to fish out to horseshoe kelp in a 15' tri haul, but would never head to the Catalina. I wouldn't go anything less than a 23' and built for the ocean. Look into Bayliner Trophy's, pretty sure you can get something close to your price.

This was my fathers boat for many years and we finished all around the islands... Should have never sold it..

DSC00620.JPG
 

boatnam2

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Nice Parker for sale on CL, if you can find another 40k laying around. My little brother fishes Catalina all the time in a 19ft aluminum rig, drives over, sleeps on the beach and comes back in morning, not my cup of tea.
 

FishSniper

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Considering purchasing a boat to cruise the harbor and have the capability to take to Catalina without breaking my back. Some of the requirements
Trailerable
Fuel Friendly
Maintenance friendly
Large enough to carry 6 people
Under 20K
Lets hear it.
I have run both a 21 striper and 20 foot Grady White to Catalina both with small cuddly cabins. Both handled the chop fine as long as you watched the forecast and didn’t go on an ugly day. I fished no more then 2-3 on them though like others have said you will need a much bigger boat if your wanting to fish 6. The Grady hasn’t been used in the last couple of years and is sitting on my driveway need to either start using it or sell it.
 

NicPaus

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I have run both a 21 striper and 20 foot Grady White to Catalina both with small cuddly cabins. Both handled the chop fine as long as you watched the forecast and didn’t go on an ugly day. I fished no more then 2-3 on them though like others have said you will need a much bigger boat if your wanting to fish 6. The Grady hasn’t been used in the last couple of years and is sitting on my driveway need to either start using it or sell it.
Post a pic
 

ltbaney1

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I have run both a 21 striper and 20 foot Grady White to Catalina both with small cuddly cabins. Both handled the chop fine as long as you watched the forecast and didn’t go on an ugly day. I fished no more then 2-3 on them though like others have said you will need a much bigger boat if your wanting to fish 6. The Grady hasn’t been used in the last couple of years and is sitting on my driveway need to either start using it or sell it.
Lets go fishing. :D
 

ChiliPepperGarage

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nameisbond

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Extra engine in the ocean is almost mandatory. Back when I was a teenager my dad had a Boston Whaler Rage with twin 150's. We lost a motor on one fishing trip out in the San Juan Islands. We got home on one. Glad we had the extra motor on that trip.
 

stephenkatsea

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Seas are usually good in the morning. Go over in the morning, spend the night on a mooring in Avalon and go home the next morning. The Catalina Cannel is usually rough in the afternoon. FWIW - We been fortunate to vacation some nice places. A week at Catalina while on a mooring in Avalon remains one of our favorites. If possible bring a Zodiac type skiff for paddling around the moorings and going to shore.
 

MagicMan

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Seas are usually good in the morning. Go over in the morning, spend the night on a mooring in Avalon and go home the next morning. The Catalina Cannel is usually rough in the afternoon. FWIW - We been fortunate to vacation some nice places. A week at Catalina while on a mooring in Avalon remains one of our favorites. If possible bring a Zodiac type skiff for paddling around the moorings and going to shore.
How do you book the mooring?
 

ChiliPepperGarage

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How do you book the mooring?

You can't. First come, first served. Call the harbor master when you get there and they will assign you one. 310-510-0535.

Here's a nice little video on how to tie up to a can. You may have to watch it a few times. 😝 Gloves are a good idea as the lines are slimey. Also, have a boat hook.

 
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stephenkatsea

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That mooring video is good. This is best done with 2 people. But one person can do it. Good idea to shut down your engine once you have pole and buoy in hand. Avoids getting mooring lines potentially your prop. Take your time. It actually easy.
 
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