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

Identified risks (11)

Discrete events, kept out of the cost ranges so they stay visible and can be retired once you have looked.

• Deck core saturated around stanchions, tracks, hatch frames or the mast partners

  $3k–$24k

  30% likelyexpected $3kinferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding. Practical Sailor records the deck as 1/2in marine plywood where hardware attaches and 3/4in end-grain balsa elsewhere; the boat is 25 years old, has spent its life in San Francisco Bay saltwater, and no rebedding appears anywhere in an otherwise granular equipment list. Probability is my judgement of how often boats of this age and construction show wet core on a moisture meter, not a published rate. I have put it slightly below where I would put a pure-balsa deck, because plywood under the hardware is exactly where the fasteners are and plywood tolerates moisture better than end-grain balsa does. The keel-stepped mast adds a second entry path at the partners that a deck-stepped rig does not have. Retire or confirm this at survey — it is the main reason to pay for an out-of-water survey rather than a walkthrough.

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“The deck uses marine plywood (1/2") and balsa coring (3/4").”

• Exhaust mixing elbow or rear-mounted oil cooler failure, potentially with water ingress into the engine

  $800–$9k

  30% likelyexpected $750inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding. Both failure modes are documented by 4JH3E owners rather than by Yanmar: the exhaust elbow failing at around 1,400 hours with a standing recommendation to pull and inspect every five to six years regardless of hours, and the oil cooler across the back of the engine failing prematurely at 600 hours when corroded. This engine is 25 years old at 856 hours, so it is well past the calendar interval on both even though it is nowhere near the hours interval. Probability reflects that these are common on this engine, not that anything is known to be wrong here. The high end is water reaching a cylinder through a failed elbow, which turns a $600 part into an engine rebuild.

  Taking care of a Yanmar 4JH3E — Trawler Forum“one owner experienced failure at 1,400 hours; "5-6 years pulling the exhaust elbow to inspect/replace" suggested as preventative maintenance”

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Yanmar 50 hp FWC 4cyl with approx 856 engine hrs”

• Maxwell 800 windlass housing corroded through, requiring replacement rather than repair

  $600–$7k

  30% likelyexpected $1kinferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding. Owners of this exact boat report the Maxwell 800 failing when saltwater draining through the top corrodes the cast housing, and report the unit misbehaving under load. The VW800 has been superseded by the VW1000, and a class-forum contributor warns that Maxwell changes designs without changing model numbers, so a like-for-like swap is not guaranteed. Probability is my judgement for a 25-year-old deck windlass in continuous saltwater. The high end is a Maxwell 1500 VWC or Lewmar CPX3 replacement plus Bay Area installation and any deck reinforcement; the low end is a motor swap, which one owner did for $425.

  Replacing the Maxwell 800 Windlass — Catalina 4 Series Association“The Maxwell 800 failed because the saltwater draining down thru the top eventually corroded the cast housing”

  Replacing the Maxwell 800 Windlass — Catalina 4 Series Association“it would be a good idea to measure very thoroughly before making any assumptions”

• Rudder bearing failure or blade core saturation on the MkII spade rudder

  $2k–$13k

  20% likelyexpected $1kinferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding, and kept separate from the steering cost item on purpose: that item prices routine bearing service, this one prices the discovery that the blade is wet or the upper bearing assembly has let go. The class forum records exactly that failure — retaining bolts coming adrift and the rudder post dropping — on a different hull of the same model. The MkII's rudder is the deeper high-aspect semi-elliptical blade introduced to fix the MkI's helm pressure, so it is a larger, more loaded spade than the earlier boat's. Probability is judgement, not a published rate.

  Rudder trouble — Catalina 4 Series Association“the rudder post seems to be inches lower and, 'hanging by the wires attached to the steering quadrant.'”

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“The Mark II introduced a deeper, high-aspect, semi-elliptical rudder.”

• In-mast furler jams at sea, mainsail unusable or damaged, mast work needed in the Pacific

  $500–$14k

  25% likelyexpected $875inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding, and the dollar figure is the least important thing about this line. The Puddle Jump organisers warn that in-mast systems reef badly downwind, which is the point of sail this entire voyage consists of; a Catalina 42 owner reports having to go forward to the mast base in wind to start the furl and calls it unsafe; another owner of the same boat reports it working smoothly every time after rig tuning. Probability is my estimate for at least one jam requiring intervention over a year of trade-wind sailing on a 25-year-old furling spar, not a measured rate. The high end assumes a damaged sail and spar work in French Polynesia, where special orders take weeks to months.

  In mast furling — Catalina 4 Series Association“it literally requires me to go to the mast base on deck and start the furling by hand”

  What Sails Should You Choose for a Pacific Crossing?“The problem is that they make reefing more difficult when sailing downwind”

  Tahiti Cruisers Guide — Marine supplies“Most special orders require weeks to months.”

• Mast step or heel corrosion discovered when the keel-stepped rig comes out

  $1k–$14k

  20% likelyexpected $800inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding, and specific to this boat's rig type rather than to anything observed. A keel-stepped aluminium mast has its heel sitting in the bilge, which is the one place on a boat guaranteed to be wet and salty; the classic outcome is galvanic and crevice corrosion at the heel and step that nobody sees for decades because nobody pulls the stick. Rigworks lists corroded mast bases first among the things that turn a rigging quote into a larger bill, and recommends pulling the rig every five to six years partly for this reason. Probability is my judgement for a 25-year-old keel-stepped spar with no recorded unstepping. Note the interaction: this is only discovered during the rigging job, so it lands on top of the largest cost line rather than instead of it.

  Replacing Your Standing Rigging — Rigworks“corroded mast bases, stripped hardware, frozen pins, failing chainplates”

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Charleston anodized, sloop, Keel stepped rig”

• Chainplate corrosion found when the rig comes out

  $2k–$13k

  15% likelyexpected $675inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding. Chainplates are almost never inspected until a rig job forces the issue, which is why this is a risk attached to the rigging work rather than a cost item. Practical Sailor's otherwise detailed construction section does not address chainplates on this model at all, so I could not establish how they land or whether they are accessible without removing joinery — that absence is the reason this line exists. The premise is 25 years of saltwater and probable deck leaks at the plate penetrations.

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“The article does not address chainplates specifically.”

• Keel-hull joint separation ('Catalina smile') or keel bolt corrosion requiring a keel drop

  $2k–$18k

  12% likelyexpected $720inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding, and deliberately set lower than you might expect. The 'Catalina smile' is well known, but the forum discussion of it concludes it is usually a cosmetic failure of non-flexible fairing putty rather than structural, and specifically associates it with older, smaller Catalinas — the C-27 through C-36 — with raked keels, rather than with the 42. A wing keel is also a shallower, wider footprint than a deep fin, which spreads grounding loads. Against that: this is a 25-year-old bolted lead keel with no grounding history stated, 8,300lb of it, and San Francisco Bay has a lot of shallow mud and a few hard edges. Probability is judgement. The high end is a keel drop, re-bed and re-torque with the rig out.

  Catalina 'smile' and keel separation — Sailboat Owners Forums“This separation is a cosmetic failure to the fairing putty”

  Catalina 42 mkII brochure“ballast weight of 3765 kg 8300 lbs.”

• Osmotic blistering found at the survey haulout

  $2k–$18k

  12% likelyexpected $840inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding, and again set low on the evidence rather than high. Practical Sailor's owner survey found blistering on fewer than 10% of these boats and typically minor, and records that Catalina moved to vinylester resin barriers from 1995 — six years before this hull was built. That is about as good as a 25-year-old production hull's blister prognosis gets. Against that, the same survey records one owner with blisters over 60% of the bottom, so the tail is real. The high end is a full peel and barrier coat at Bay Area rates on a 43.2ft hull.

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“Osmotic blistering affected less than 10% of surveyed boats, typically minor... Since 1995, vinylester resin barriers have been used.”

• Freshwater tank failure or contamination

  $500–$6k

  15% likelyexpected $300inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding. Water tank problems on the Catalina 42 MkII are discussed on owner forums, though I was not able to open the specific thread I found and so cannot tell you the failure mode or which tank. What I can say is generic and sound: 25-year-old tankage and potable hose on a boat with 111-138 gallons of capacity split across multiple tanks under joinery, where access is usually poor and a leaking tank often means removing furniture. Probability is judgement. The high end assumes a tank has to be cut out and replaced.

  Water Tank Issue on a Catalina 42 MKII — Sailing Anarchy Forums

• Structural stiffness and hull-pan or engine-bed issues under sustained offshore load

  $1k–$15k

  10% likelyexpected $400inferred

  Reasoning, not a source: Reasoning, not a finding, and included because it is the honest expression of the design disagreement rather than because anything specific is wrong. Practical Sailor records one owner complaining of hull flexing in four-foot seas with consequent electrical and plumbing problems, and records that the engine is mounted with lag bolts into a 3/8in moulded glass pan filled with hardwood — an arrangement the designer defended on record but described as unconventional. Neither is a defect finding; both are the kind of thing a coastal boat gets away with and a boat doing 6,000 miles of ocean might not. Probability is low because the same review calls the lamination schedule ABS-approved and the hull thicknesses are substantial. The band represents remedial tabbing, engine bed reinforcement or chasing down flex-induced leaks.

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“One owner complained of hull flexing in 4-foot seas with electrical and plumbing issues.”

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“The engine is mounted using lag bolts into a 3/8"-thick molded glass pan filled with hardwood.”

Systems to check (24)

• Standing rigginglisting only

  Charleston anodized masthead sloop rig, keel-stepped, double spreaders slightly swept aft, 1x19 shrouds per the brochure. The listing is completely silent on standing rigging age, while being detailed enough elsewhere to name ten line stoppers and a serial number — so the silence reads as conspicuous rather than accidental. Assume original 2001 wire until an invoice says otherwise: that is 25 years old at purchase and 27 at departure, against a published wire service life of 10-12 years. Rigworks also notes many insurers will not cover sailboats with aged rigging, which may make this non-negotiable regardless of measured condition. Rig dimensions for re-quoting: I 53.00, J 16.42, P 46.75, E 15.50. inferred

  Replacing Your Standing Rigging — Rigworks“many insurance companies will not insure sailboats with aged rigging”

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Charleston anodized, sloop, Keel stepped rig. Double spreaders- slightly swept aft”

• Mast, boom and fittingslisting only

  Keel-stepped anodized aluminium mast by Charleston Spar — Catalina's own long-time spar supplier — with an in-mast furling system, plus a Garhauer rigid boom vang and traveler. Two things follow from the spar being Charleston rather than a mainstream European brand. First, parts: Catalina Direct still stocks Charleston Spar in-mast inhaul and outhaul lines across the C-28 to C-440 range, and Catalina owner associations maintain Charleston Spar parts pages, so this is better supported than an orphaned spar would be — but it is a US-only channel, and nothing in Papeete will stock it. Second, keel-stepped means the mast heel lives in the bilge, which is a corrosion location and a deck-leak path the deck-stepped alternative does not have. No unstepping history is stated. ALREADY ABOARD, for your catalogue, in the negative: no mast-climbing gear, no removable inner forestay, no trysail track mentioned. inferred

  Furling In-mast Inhaul Line C-28 to C-440 w/ Charleston Spar — Catalina Direct

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Garhauer rigid boom vang and traveler”

• Running rigginglisting only

  All lines led aft to the cockpit through ten Garhauer line stoppers, with two Lewmar 54ST primaries and two Lewmar 40ST cabin-top winches. Nothing whatsoever is stated about the age or condition of any line, and the 2019 sail renewal is the only rigging-adjacent date in the listing — so assume 2001 rope. Positive for this voyage: everything led aft with self-tailing winches of that size is a genuinely shorthanded-friendly deck layout, and the Garhauer hardware is heavy, cheap to replace and made in the US. No winch service history stated. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Lewmar (2) 54 ST Primaries / Lewmar (2) 40 ST cabin top winches”

• Sailslisting only

  The best news in the file: in-mast furling main by Quantum 2019 and 110% furling jib by Quantum 2019, on a Schaefer roller furling head system. Both sails are seven years old at purchase, nine at departure, and named to a real loft with a real year — which is a materially different quality of statement from 'serviced' or 'good condition'. What is missing is the rest of the inventory: no downwind sail, no gennaker, no storm jib, no trysail, no spinnaker or whisker pole mentioned anywhere. A 110% jib on a masthead rig with a 16.42ft J is a Bay Area sail plan, chosen for a windy estuary; the Puddle Jump guidance prefers an overlapping genoa for a Pacific crossing precisely because a small jib lacks power off the wind. Note also that an in-mast main is hollow-leeched and battenless, so the actual main area will be meaningfully below the 362 sq ft the brochure quotes for the standard sail. Design disagreement recorded and not adjudicated: the Puddle Jump organisers warn against in-mast furling for downwind ocean work, while Catalina 42 owners on the class forum split between one calling the system unsafe in wind and another reporting it rolls smoothly every time once the rig is tuned. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“In Mast furling main - Quantum 2019 / 110% furling jib - Quantum 2019”

  What Sails Should You Choose for a Pacific Crossing?“a self-tacking jib is easy to handle, but it lacks power in light winds”

  In mast furling — Catalina 4 Series Association“it rolls in and out very smoothly every time”

• Enginelisting only

  Yanmar 4JH3E, 50hp, four-cylinder, freshwater-cooled, serial number E22417, approximately 856 hours, fitted 2001. Publishing the serial number is unusual and useful — a dealer can pull the exact build. This is the right kind of engine for this voyage on two counts: it is a mechanical, non-electronic Yanmar that a competent owner can service by hand, and Sin Tung Hing Marine in Papeete is the Yanmar distributor for French Polynesia and performs 1,000-hour services, so the halfway point of the route has factory parts support. 856 hours in 25 years is roughly 34 hours a year, which is very light — the concern is calendar-driven wear, not wear from use. Documented model failure modes to check: the exhaust mixing elbow (owner report of failure at 1,400 hours, with pull-and-inspect recommended every five to six years regardless), the rear-mounted oil cooler when corroded, scale buildup on the closed-cooling side, and flexible mounts compressing around twelve years. No service history, oil analysis or compression figures are given. Practical Sailor notes the engine is accessible from four sides with the oil filter reached through a small hatch in the starboard cabin, which matters when you are servicing it yourself in an anchorage. One documented 4JH3E reached 3,700 hours in good order.

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Model 4JH3E / Serial # E22417”

  Tahiti Cruisers Guide — Marine supplies“Sin Tung Hing Marine serves as Yanmar Distributor with parts availability”

  Taking care of a Yanmar 4JH3E — Trawler Forum“Engine Valves: Every 1,000 hours”

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“A Yanmar 4JH2E diesel (50 hp) powers both versions, accessible from four sides.”

• Shaft, coupling, prop, stern glandlisting only

  Conventional shaft drive: 1-1/4in stainless shaft through a bronze stuffing box ('bronze backing gland' in the listing), driving a three-blade fixed bronze propeller, 18in diameter with 13in pitch, right-hand. This is good news structurally — no saildrive, so no rubber diaphragm as a five-year below-waterline consumable, and Practical Sailor describes the keel and skeg arrangement rather than an exposed strut. The fixed three-blade is the trade-off: excellent thrust for motoring out of a calm or into an atoll pass, meaningful drag under sail on a 6,000-mile passage. Nothing is stated about cutless bearing condition, last alignment, or gearbox service. No shaft brake or rope cutter mentioned.

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“1 1/4" SS shaft. 3 blade fixed bronze 18" RH 13" prop. Bronze backing gland”

• Fuel tanks and systemlisting only

  The listing states no fuel capacity at all, and the three sources that do state one disagree materially: sailboatdata says 38 gallons, the 2005 brochure says 46 gallons with an optional 17-gallon additional tank, and Catalina Direct sells the C-42 replacement tank as 34 gallons. Since the brochure describes a later engine and the sailboatdata record describes an earlier one, neither is reliable for a 2001 hull — this needs measuring, not looking up. At the Yanmar's roughly 1.25 gal/hr at 2,800rpm from the brochure, 34 gallons is about 27 hours of motoring and 46 gallons about 37, which at six knots is 160 to 220 nautical miles. That is thin for the doldrums and makes jerry-can capacity from your generic catalogue a real requirement rather than a nicety. No filtration detail, no inspection port, no fuel age, no polishing history. A positive: a replacement tank is a stocked, model-specific part rather than a fabrication job. inferred

  Catalina 42 mkII brochure“Fuel consumption at 2800 rpm is approximately 4.7 ltr/hr 1.25 gal/hr”

  Fuel Tank 34 Gallon C-42 — Catalina Direct

  CATALINA 42 MK II — sailboatdata“Fuel Capacity: 38 gallons (144 L)”

• Electrical, AC and DClisting only

  ALREADY ABOARD, for your generic catalogue: nothing that supersedes a catalogue line, but several things worth knowing. Correct US shore power fit — 30 amp with a 50ft cord and a ProMariner Zinc Saver 30A galvanic isolator, which is a thoughtful piece of kit rather than standard equipment. A Heart Link 2000 Mariner inverter/charger, which is long obsolete: Heart Interface was absorbed into Xantrex and the Link 2000 dates from the 1990s. Three 4D batteries replaced in 2024 — see the batteries assessment. No solar, no wind generator, no external regulator, no DC-DC converter, no battery monitor beyond whatever the Link 2000 provides. The original 2001 distribution panel and harness are unmentioned and should be assumed original, which is the premise of the electrical cost item. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Heart Link 2000 Mariner Inverter / Charger. (3) 4D batteries (2024). ProMariner Zinc Saver 30amp galvanic isolator. 30 amp Shore power. 50' Cord”

• Battery banklisting only

  Three 4D batteries dated 2024 — two years old at purchase, four at departure, and the only dated maintenance item in the entire listing besides the sails. The listing does not say what chemistry they are, whether they are flooded, AGM or gel, or how the three are split between house and start. A 4D is typically 160-210Ah, so three of them is somewhere around 500-600Ah nominal — but as lead-acid that is roughly 250-300Ah genuinely usable, against 600Ah of LiFePO4 in your catalogue, which is usable almost in full. I have deliberately NOT marked battery-300ah-x2 as aboard and have NOT set a fittedQuantity, because doing so would zero a line that is not actually satisfied: nominal lead-acid amp-hours and usable lithium amp-hours are not the same unit. If your model wants credit for these, the honest figure is the usable capacity, and it needs the chemistry confirmed first. Practical note: three 4D batteries are heavy — roughly 130lb each — and where they sit matters on a boat whose stability margin is already the open question. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“(3) 4D batteries (2024)”

• Steering gearlisting only

  Edson stainless 44in destroyer wheel on a pedestal, with a 5in Ritchie compass. Nothing at all is stated about cable, quadrant, sheaves, bearings or last service, and no steering work appears anywhere in the listing. The class forum records a specific and expensive failure path on this model — the upper rudder bearing's four retaining bolts working loose and letting the rudder post drop — plus two maintenance details worth writing on the bulkhead: tighten those bolts in small increments or the stock misaligns and the helm goes stiff, and never lubricate these bearings with anything but water, because grease swells them. No emergency tiller is mentioned anywhere, which for this voyage is a required item and one of your catalogue lines. inferred

  Rudder trouble — Catalina 4 Series Association“NOT to lubricate the bearings with any lubricant, except water, as it will swell the bearings.”

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Edson SS 44" wheel”

• Autopilot and self-steeringlisting only

  Raymarine ST6002 autopilot control head. I have deliberately not marked autopilot-ev200 as aboard, for two reasons. First, the ST6002 is a control head, not a drive — the listing never says which drive unit is fitted, and drive capacity is the only thing that determines whether a pilot can hold a 20,500lb boat downwind in a following sea. Second, this is early-2000s SeaTalk-generation Raymarine, contemporary with the retired E120, so replacing it means a new drive, course computer and head rather than a head swap; the existing wiring will not carry a modern EV system without new runs. There is no windvane self-steering and no evidence of a mounting arrangement for one — worth measuring the transom, since a wing-keeled Catalina 42 with a fixed prop, a hard dodger and 20,500lb of displacement is exactly the boat where a windvane earns its keep on a 3,000-mile downwind leg. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Raymarine ST6002 Autopilot”

  E Series Classic — Retired Products, Raymarine

• Hull and laminatelisting only

  Hand-laid solid single-skin fiberglass with gelcoat, per the listing, corroborated in detail by Practical Sailor: an ABS-approved lamination schedule, 1-3/8in to 1-1/2in thick at the keel, 5/8in to 3/4in at the turn of the bilge, 1/2in to 9/16in at the sheer, with a fiberglass pan bonded to the hull for rigidity that also forms the cabin sole. The hull-deck joint is an external flange, glassed with fiberglass-reinforced polyester and through-bolted on 8-inch centres — a good joint, and Practical Sailor records only one hull-deck seam leak among the boats surveyed. Design ratios, which I have recomputed independently rather than copied: displacement/length is 20500/2240 divided by (0.01 x 36)^3 = 196, matching the brochure; capsize screening is 13.83 divided by the cube root of 20500/64 = 2.02. That last number sits almost exactly on the 2.0 rule-of-thumb line, which is genuinely ambiguous rather than reassuring or damning. Designer Gerry Douglas; roughly 300 hulls built from 1995. No bottom paint date, no grounding history, no prior survey mentioned. inferred

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“The hull is solid fiberglass with an ABS-approved lamination schedule. Hull thickness measures 1-3/8" to 1-1/2" at the keel”

  Catalina 42 mkII brochure“The displacement-to-length ratio is 196 for both fin and wing keel versions”

• Keel and keel boltslisting only

  THE GATE, AND IT PASSES. The listing states plainly, in its own hull-and-deck section rather than in a copied spec table, 'Wing keel (LEAD) 4'10"'. That is corroborated by both the Catalina brochure (wing 1.47m / 4'8"-4'10") and by Practical Sailor ('shoal draft boats with a 4'10" keel and wing'). Sailboatdata gives the shallow wing as 4.92ft (1.5m), and per your deepest-credible-figure rule I have recorded 4.92 in draftFt rather than 4.83. Either way it clears the 6.5ft limit by more than eighteen inches. This matters enormously, because the same model's fin keel draws 6.67ft (6'8") and would have failed the gate outright — so the keel identification is the difference between a candidate and a non-candidate, and it should be confirmed by tape measure at the survey haulout rather than taken from a broker's bullet. Structure: both variants carry an identical 8,300lb of lead, bolted, in a trapezoidal profile that Practical Sailor describes as parallel top and bottom with a relatively flat profile and skeg. The cost of the shoal keel is not draft-related — it is that the same ballast sits roughly 22 inches higher, which reduces righting moment, and a wing keel is notoriously harder to free after a grounding on a falling tide. No grounding history, no keel-bolt torque record, no comment on the keel-hull joint. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Wing keel (LEAD) 4'10"”

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“Two configurations are available: shoal draft boats with a 4'10" keel and wing, or later models with a 6' fin keel. Both carry 8,300 lbs of ballast.”

  CATALINA 42 MK II — sailboatdata“Draft (Standard): 6.67 ft (2.03 m); Draft (Shallow Wing Keel): 4.92 ft (1.5 m)”

• Rudder and bearingslisting only

  'High aspect semi-elliptical rudder' per the listing, which confirms this is the MkII blade rather than the MkI's. That is a real improvement and Practical Sailor explains why: the original short rudder created helm pressure, the MkII introduced the deeper high-aspect semi-elliptical blade, and multiple MkI owners who retrofitted it reported better handling and less pressure on the helm. So this hull has the good rudder. The cost is that it is a larger, more heavily loaded spade with no skeg support, and the class forum's rudder discussion is entirely about the upper bearing assembly and the post dropping. Nothing is stated about bearing condition, blade core, stock material, or whether the rudder has ever been dropped. One recorded MkII owner impression, worth knowing before the sea trial: the boat 'seemed heavier to steer and the bow seemed to dive into the water' compared with the MkI, and took adjustment time.

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“High aspect semi-elliptical rudder”

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“Multiple owners retrofitting this upgrade reported "improved handling and less pressure on the helm."”

• Deck, hardware and hull–deck jointlisting only

  Double-high stainless bow pulpit, double-high lifelines with boarding gates port and starboard, single bow roller, deep anchor locker. Deck construction is 1/2in marine plywood where hardware attaches and 3/4in end-grain balsa elsewhere, per Practical Sailor — the plywood inserts are a better arrangement than balsa alone, since the fasteners land in wood that tolerates moisture. Hull-deck joint is an external flange, through-bolted on 8in centres. ALREADY ABOARD but the catalogue line still stands: double lifelines exist bow to stern with gates, but on a 2001 boat they will be original, and if they are vinyl-coated wire — as most US production boats of that era were — they are exactly the case where corrosion hides under the coating and the wire fails without warning. I have not marked lifelines-guardrails aboard for that reason; confirm the wire type and date, and the line can be zeroed. No chainplate detail available from any source. No rebedding history. No jacklines or hard points mentioned. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Double high SS pulpit. Double high life lines with boarding gates port and starboard”

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“Hull-deck joints feature external flanges with fiberglass-reinforced polyester and through-bolts on 8-inch centers.”

• Through-hulls and seacocksnot looked at

  Nothing whatsoever known. The listing does not mention seacocks, through-hulls, valve material, backing blocks or bilge pumping anywhere, and no one has hauled the boat to look. Assume original 2001 fittings after 25 years of continuous San Francisco Bay immersion. This boat has more penetrations than most 42-footers because it has two heads, each with an intake and a discharge, plus two shower sumps. This is a total blind spot and among the cheapest things to resolve at the survey haulout: count them, exercise every one, check whether any are gate valves rather than proper seacocks, and check whether every one has a soft plug tied to it — that last item is your damage-control-kit catalogue line, but it is worth measuring the fittings now so the plugs bought later actually fit. inferred

• Plumbing, water tanks and headslisting only

  Two heads: Jabsco manual forward, Raritan electric aft — both of unstated age, both original-generation makes for a 2001 US production boat. Deep double stainless galley sink with hot and cold pressure water. The brochure gives holding tanks of 30 gallons forward and 22 gallons aft, and freshwater of 111 gallons in two-cabin layout or 131 in three-cabin; sailboatdata says 138. This is a two-stateroom boat, so 111 gallons is the likely figure, which is generous for two people and a real asset. Nothing is stated about tank material, hose age, or the last time anything was sanitised — assume original throughout. There is an unresolved forum thread specifically titled about a water tank issue on a Catalina 42 MkII which I could not open; flagged as a pointer for the surveyor rather than as a finding. ALREADY ABOARD, for your catalogue: no watermaker, and no bilge pump detail of any kind, manual or electric. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Jabsco Manual head fwd / Raritan Electric - aft head. Deep double SS sink. Hot / Cold pressure water”

  Catalina 42 mkII brochure“Water capacity varies by layout: two-cabin models hold 420 ltr 111 gal.”

• Ground tackle and windlasslisting only

  The most detailed ground-tackle description of any listing in this project, and the detail is what lets me be precise about what is and is not credited. Fitted: Maxwell 800 12V vertical windlass with up and down deck switches, a deep anchor locker, a single bow roller, a Delta 35lb plow anchor, an estimated 60ft of 5/16in chain and approximately 120ft of 5/8in rope rode. Three judgements follow. (1) The windlass IS marked aboard — its manual specifies 5/16in ACCO G40, exactly the chain your plan buys, so the gypsy is right. See its age caveat in alreadyAboard and its risk line. (2) The PRIMARY ANCHOR line is NOT marked aboard. A 35lb Delta on a 20,500lb boat is undersized against a Rocna 25kg/55lb, and the difference is the whole point of the catalogue spec — a year in Pacific atolls with squalls and coral is not the duty this anchor was chosen for. The Delta could sensibly become the secondary, but that is your decision to make, not mine to book. (3) The CHAIN line is NOT marked aboard and I have set no fittedQuantity. There is 60ft of the right size, but its age and grade are unknown and 25-year-old galvanised chain in saltwater should be assumed spent; crediting 60ft against a 300ft requirement would make the boat look cheaper than it is. Note from the Tahiti guide that chain ordered in Papeete takes months, so this is a Bay Area decision. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Maxwell 800 12 Vertical Windlass with up and down deck switches. Delta 35# plow with est of 60' of 5/16 chain and approx 120' 5/8 line”

  Chain size for Maxwell 800 Windlass — Sailboat Owners Forums“according to the manual, the recommended chain size is 5/16" Acco G40”

  Tahiti Cruisers Guide — Marine supplies“Sin Tung Hing Marine stocks chain with multi-month lead times for special orders”

• Safety equipmentnot looked at

  Nothing known and nothing claimed. The listing mentions no liferaft, no EPIRB, no flares, no jacklines, no harnesses, no MOB gear, no fire extinguishers, no bilge pumps and no medical kit. All of it is generic catalogue, so no cost is raised here, but record that this boat comes with none of it. One boat-specific safety observation worth carrying into the sea trial, from an owner who cruised the model offshore: the bridgedeck is low enough that he kept the bottom washboard in at sea to stop water going below. That is a design characteristic rather than a defect, but it bears on companionway arrangements, washboard security and where the drop boards live on passage — and it is the kind of thing you can only assess by sitting in the cockpit. inferred

  Catalina 42 as a bluewater cruiser — YBW Forum“bridgedeck was a bit low for offshore sailing & kept bottom washboard in at sea”

• Electronics and navigationlisting only

  Fitted: Raymarine E120 colour radar/chartplotter at the helm, Raymarine ST6002 autopilot head, Raymarine ST60 knot/depth/windspeed-and-point instruments, Standard Horizon Quantum VHF with RAM remote mic, Ritchie 5in compass, plus a Sony stereo, Bose and Polyplanar speakers and a 24in ViewSonic TV. Judgements: the ST60 instrument set and the fixed VHF ARE marked aboard, with notes; the E120 and its radar are NOT. The E120 sits on Raymarine's retired list as an E Series Classic, and my inference — not a Raymarine statement, since their page gives no support-cutoff or spares policy — is that a retired 2000s MFD is not the plotter to leave for the Marquesas on, and that its SeaTalk-generation instruments will not join a modern NMEA2000 backbone without a converter or new cable runs. The radar scanner type is not stated at all; your catalogue specifies solid-state, and a 2001-era magnetron radome is not the same thing. No AIS of any kind. No satellite communications. Positive for the route: Raymarine has a warranty service dealer in French Polynesia, so if you keep any of it, it can be fixed at the halfway point. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Raymarine Radar / Chartplotter E120 - color at the helm. Raymarine ST 60 Knot / Depth / Windspeed-point. Standard Horizon Quantum VHF radio with Ram Mic”

  E Series Classic — Retired Products, Raymarine

  Tahiti Cruisers Guide — Marine supplies“Alex is the Raymarine warranty service / dealer for French Polynesia”

• Canvas, dodger and coverslisting only

  A hard-top dodger with new windows, plus a bimini. The hard dodger is a significant and underpriced asset for this voyage: it is stronger than canvas in a boarding sea, it is a place to mount solar, it does not need re-stitching every seven years, and 'New windows' is one of the few dated-adjacent claims in the listing. The bimini's age is not stated. No cockpit enclosure, no sail cover (an in-mast main needs none), no wheel cover, no awning. Worth noting for your generic solar mounting decision: a hard dodger top is the single best solar mounting surface on a boat this size and should be measured before any arch or rail-mount arrangement is priced. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Hard top dodger with New windows. Bimini”

• Windows, hatches and portsnot looked at

  The listing does not mention a single hatch or portlight. Nothing is known about type, make, gasket condition, acrylic crazing or rebedding history, and no one has hosed the boat down. Assume original 2001 hatches and ports throughout, which puts gaskets and bedding compound well past normal service life. The one adjacent fact is a positive: the hard dodger's windows are new, so the largest and most expensive single piece of acrylic on the boat has been dealt with. For this voyage the questions are whether any hatch leaks (because that is how the balsa core gets wet) and whether the deck hatches can be secured or shuttered for a following sea. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“Hard top dodger with New windows”

• Dinghy and outboardnot looked at

  None. No dinghy, no outboard, no davits, no foredeck chocks, no lifting tackle and no towing arrangement mentioned anywhere in the listing. Entirely your generic catalogue's problem, so no cost is raised. The one hull-specific note: this is a 43ft boat with a substantial foredeck and a deep anchor locker but no davits, and the MkII's fuller, more buoyant transom is a plausible davit location — worth assessing on the walkthrough, because where the dinghy lives on a 3,000-mile downwind passage is a real question with only three answers and each of them has consequences. inferred

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“Primary differences include the transom design (fatter, more buoyant aft section in Mk II)”

• Interior and sea berthslisting only

  Two-stateroom layout with a queen forward master — the right configuration for a two-person crossing, since it trades a third cabin for stowage and a proper sail locker. 6'6" headroom, teak interior with teak-and-holly sole and louvered teak cabinetry, cream Ultra leatherette upholstery. L-shaped galley with a deep double stainless sink, three-burner LPG stove and oven, microwave, and top-and-front-loading refrigeration and freezer. Two heads, which is a comfort ashore and two more sets of seacocks and hoses at sea. Practical Sailor records the standing owner complaint as 'a dearth of stowage' despite impressive volume, which for a voyage carrying a year of spares and provisions is the criticism that matters most. Also recorded from the same review: the nav station's placement was called 'not easy to get to when sailing' by an offshore owner. Nothing at all is said about sea berths or lee cloths; on a two-cabin 42-footer with a queen forward and a big aft double, the saloon settees are the only plausible sea berths and lee cloths are a catalogue line that will definitely be used. inferred

  2001 Catalina 42 MkII C'EST LA VIE listing“2 stateroom with a Queen forward Master stateroom layout... 6'6" headroom, L-shaped galley with refrigeration/freezer, dual heads, and extensive storage throughout”

  Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II — Practical Sailor“One owner stated the interior offers "a dearth of stowage," despite impressive volume.”