12/03/05

GATITA Home (Catalina 380, hull #348)

GATITA is our Catalina 380 sailboat (Kitten in Spanish).

History

She was launched on September 21, 2001 at San Francisco Boat Works.

The Catalina 380 was introduced by Catalina yachts in 1996 and had a production run through 2002. A total of 384+ boats were produced. Additionally a 3-cabin version was also produced (model 390). In 2003 Catalina stopped production of the 380 and introduced a slightly different model - the 387. The boats were made in the Largo, Florida factory (ex Morgan Yachts).

It's not a light boat - tipping the scales at 19,000+ lbs including 6800lbs of ballast. We have the fin keel (7'2" draft) version with standard (height) mast. It's a conservatively designed cruiser that's comfortable, forgiving and sails well.

Everybody loves their boats - we are no exception. We believe that the 380 is a superbly designed boat - and the reputation will only increase with age. Our kudos to Frank Butler, Gerry Douglas and the team at Catalina Yachts!

Gatita now has a little tender, 'Chiquita', with a small 6HP Nissan outboard.

Chiquita is an Achilles LSR-96 inflatable. This boat has lightweight aluminum floorboards.

Lightweight - as in close to 100 pounds :-(

Still - it rolls up to a reasonable dimension and can be lugged around.

[Air-floor inflatable is not an option for us - as our dog Zackary will make short work of any inflatable floor - Hypalon or not ]

[Hit re-load/refresh in your browser if the pages are not loading automatically]