2001 Catalina 42 MkII "C'EST LA VIE", Alameda, CA 94501

References

• Catalina 42 mkII brochure and specification sheetmanufacturer specCatalina Yachtsmay not fit this hullPARTIALLY APPLIES — read with care. The hull data matches this hull and is the best primary source for it: LOA 43'2", LWL 36'0", beam 13'10", fin keel 6'8" / wing keel 4'10", ballast 8,300lb, displacement 20,500lb, D/L 196, I 53'0" J 16'5" P 46'9", 1x19 shrouds, double spreaders. But the powertrain and tankage sections do NOT apply: this brochure specifies a Yanmar 4JH4BE of 54hp and 46 gallons of fuel, while this 2001 hull has a Yanmar 4JH3E of 50hp. The filename and content indicate a 2005-vintage brochure, four years after this boat was built. Use it for hull, keel and rig; do not use it for engine, fuel or water capacity.
• CATALINA 42 MK II — sailboat specificationsmanufacturer specSailboatdatamay not fit this hullPARTIALLY APPLIES. Agrees with the brochure on beam 13.83ft, displacement 20,500lb, ballast 8,300lb lead, LWL 36.00ft, rig I 53.00 J 16.42 P 46.75 E 15.50, sail area 797 sq ft, designer Gerry Douglas, first built 1995, approx 300 hulls. Records two drafts: standard 6.67ft and shallow wing 4.92ft. But it lists the engine as a Yanmar 4JH2E, which is the earlier MkII fit and not this hull's 4JH3E, and its fuel/water figures of 38/138 gallons conflict with both the brochure and Catalina Direct. Its LOA of 41.86ft appears to be hull length rather than the 43.2ft LOA used by the brochure and the listing.
• Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — used boat reviewreviewPractical SailorThe single most useful technical reference found, and it covers the MkII explicitly. Source for the lamination schedule and hull thicknesses, the plywood-and-balsa deck core, the fiberglass hull pan, the through-bolted external hull-deck flange on 8-inch centres, the lag-bolted engine bed, the blister history, the MkII's deeper high-aspect semi-elliptical rudder, and the offshore-suitability verdict. Includes designer Gerry Douglas responding directly on record.
• Catalina 4 Series Associationclass associationCatalina 4 Series AssociationActive class association covering the Catalina 400, 42, 425, 440 and 445, formed in 2021 from the merger of three earlier international associations. Publishes MainSheet magazine and hosts a technical library and discussion forum. Practical value for this purchase is high: a live association is where rigging, rudder-bearing and windlass questions get answered by people who have done the job on this exact hull.
• Catalina 4 Series Association — discussion forum (Tapatalk archive)otherCatalina 4 Series Association[class forum] The model-specific forum. Source for the rudder-bearing, in-mast-furling and Maxwell 800 windlass findings recorded below. Individual threads describe other hulls, not this one, so they establish that a failure mode is discussed for this model rather than proving anything about C'EST LA VIE.
• Catalina Direct — Catalina 42 parts, including 34-gallon fuel tankotherCatalina Direct[parts supplier] Model-specific aftermarket supplier still stocking C-42 parts including a replacement fuel tank and rudder bearing kits. That a 25-year-old production boat still has a dedicated parts channel is a genuine and underrated advantage for a long refit. Note the tank is listed at 34 gallons, a third capacity figure alongside sailboatdata's 38 and the brochure's 46 — see the fuel question.
• Rudder trouble — Catalina 4 Series AssociationotherCatalina 4 Series Associationmay not fit this hull[class forum] Different hull. Used only to establish the failure mode and the cost signal: rudder post dropping when upper-bearing retaining bolts come adrift, four bolts that must be tightened evenly to avoid misaligning the stock, bearings that must never be lubricated with anything but water, and a Catalina Direct bearing kit that is sold only complete and is 'quite expensive'.
• Replacing the Maxwell 800 Windlass — Catalina 4 Series AssociationotherCatalina 4 Series Associationmay not fit this hull[class forum] Different hulls, same windlass and same boat. Source for the corroded-cast-housing failure mode, the VW800 being superseded by the VW1000, Maxwell changing designs without changing model numbers, and the observed replacement costs.
• In mast furling — Catalina 4 Series AssociationotherCatalina 4 Series Associationmay not fit this hull[class forum] Different hulls. Records both sides honestly: one owner who has to go to the mast base on deck to start the furl in wind and calls it unsafe, and another whose sail 'rolls in and out very smoothly every time' after rig tuning. The forum's own conclusion is that behaviour depends on mast rake and backstay tension rather than on the system being inherently unreliable.
• Catalina 42 as a bluewater cruiser — YBW Forumforum threadYBW ForumApplies at model level, not hull level. The counterweight to Practical Sailor's verdict — owners with offshore and Caribbean miles calling it a 'fast, comfortable offshore boat', alongside a specific and credible criticism that the bridgedeck is low enough offshore to require keeping the bottom washboard in at sea.
• Catalina 'smile' and keel separation — Sailboat Owners Forumsforum threadSailboat Owners Forumsmay not fit this hullAbout older and smaller Catalinas (C-27 to C-36), not the 42, and included specifically because it argues the phenomenon DOWN: the thread's conclusion is that the smile is usually a cosmetic failure of non-flexible fairing putty rather than a structural one, and that keels with less rake are less prone to it. Recorded so the keel-joint risk below is read at the right size.
• Taking care of a Yanmar 4JH3E — owner maintenance threadengine manualTrawler ForumApplies to the engine model, not the hull. Source for the service intervals, the exhaust mixing elbow failing at 1,400 hours, the back-mounted oil cooler failing prematurely at 600 hours when corroded, flexible engine mounts compressing at around twelve years, and a documented example reaching 3,700 hours in good condition. Owner reports rather than a Yanmar service bulletin, so treated as informed practice, not manufacturer guidance.
• Tahiti Cruisers Guide — Marine suppliesotherThe Floating Lab / Tahiti Cruisers Guide[cruising guide] Source for mid-route parts availability. Directly relevant here: Sin Tung Hing Marine in Papeete is the Yanmar distributor and performs 1,000-hour services, and Raymarine has a warranty dealer in French Polynesia. Both of this boat's two biggest systems are therefore supported at the halfway point, which is a real and specific advantage of this particular equipment fit. Chain and special orders take weeks to months.
• Replacing Your Standing RiggingotherRigworks Sailing Systems, San Diego[rigging reference] California rigger, though San Diego rather than the Bay Area. Source for the 10-12 year wire service life, the insurance point, the recommendation to pull the rig every 5-6 years, and the list of cost escalators — corroded mast bases, frozen pins, failing chainplates — that turn a rigging quote into a rigging bill.
• Average Cost to Replace Standing Rigging (with Examples)otherImprove Sailing[rigging reference] Generic rather than local — a national band of $5,000-$10,000 for 30-50ft boats and a worked 40ft example at $6,000-$8,000. Used only as the floor that Bay Area rates, crane time and the in-mast furling spar are then uplifted from. Not a quote and not specific to this boat.
• Berkeley Marine Center — Yard RatesotherBerkeley Marine Center[yard rate sheet] Across the estuary from Alameda. No effective date published, which is itself a caveat. General technician $125/hr, skilled $140/hr, haul and launch $19/ft for 40ft and longer, DIY lay days $2.50/ft/day rising $0.50/ft every two weeks, crane and Travelift $300/hr, mast storage $25/day, mast painting $120/ft. Used as the low end of the Bay Area labour band.
• KKMI Sausalito — Menu of ServicesotherKKMI[yard rate sheet] Effective 11/10/2023 — nearly three years stale as of August 2026, so treat these as a floor. Skilled craftsperson $169/hr, sanitary systems $179/hr, haul 40-49ft $17/ft, yard storage $4.00/ft/day, crane and Travelift $380/hr, plus a 4.75% Safety Health and Environment fee on all labour and goods. Used as the high end of the Bay Area band.
• Survey Prices — Steve Jones Marine SurveyorotherSteveSurveys[surveyor rate sheet] Pre-purchase survey under 50ft at $27 per foot with a $550 minimum, and explicitly no travel charge in Alameda County, where this boat lies. At 43.2ft that is $1,166. Cruising consultation offered separately at $85/hr.
• Survey Rates — Maritime SurveyorsotherMaritime Surveyors[surveyor rate sheet] Pre-purchase condition and valuation survey at $28-$35 per foot. Used as the upper bound against Steve Jones' $27/ft, giving a $1,166-$1,512 band for a 43.2ft boat.
• E Series Classic — Retired Productsmanufacturer specRaymarineConfirms the E120 sits on Raymarine's retired-products list as an E Series Classic. The page carries software and manuals but states no support-cutoff date or spares policy, so the practical consequence recorded below is inference rather than a Raymarine statement.
• Chain size for Maxwell 800 WindlassotherSailboat Owners Forums[windlass reference] Applies to the windlass model. Establishes that the Maxwell 800 manual specifies 5/16in ACCO G40 chain — the exact chain in the ground-tackle plan. This is the reason the windlass line is marked aboard rather than left standing, though see the age caveat in the note there.
• What Sails Should You Choose for a Pacific Crossing?otherPacific Puddle Jump[passage planning] Directly on point — the Puddle Jump is the rally this voyage would join. Source for the warning that in-mast furling makes reefing harder downwind, for preferring an overlapping genoa over a small self-tacking or working jib, and for treating a staysail as essential where the boat allows one.
• Alameda, California sales tax rateotherAvalara[tax reference] 10.75% combined for 2026 — 6% state, 0.25% county, 0.5% city, 1% county local, 3% county district. This is materially above the 9.25% seen in Marin and drives useTaxPctOverride. Note that one aggregator, sales-taxes.com, publishes 9.25% for Alameda and appears to omit the county local and city components; SalesTaxHandbook and Avalara both give 10.75% and I have gone with those. Confirm against the CDTFA rate finder before the number reaches a closing statement.

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