Pacific NW Picnic Cats?

[PasoSailor]

Hi - we're getting ready to flee California for the Pacific NW - Port Townsend / Sequim area - wondering if there are any other Picnic Cats in that area?

[Adigraves]

Hi there!  This is my first post....I'm in Port Townsend and found this forum because I may buy a Picnic Cat that is in Seattle.  Did you end up in Sequim or Port Townsend?  I'd love to chat.  I'm going to look at the boat tomorrow.

[PasoSailor]

Not in the Pac NW yet ( but did hang out for about 3 weeks before / after the boat show).

I know of a PC for sale in this area - supposedly "cheap" (just guessing that maybe 1500 to 2000 might take it) - although I'm not sure what that means. The owner has turtled it TWICE (once in a lake and once in the ocean and both times had to be rescued by he fire dept - so he's had a crappy sailing experience) - not too sure the circumstances and I've only heard of one other capsize - but any boat can if you try!. I doubt the boat has any damage beyond maybe an outboard dunking (just a good bath). I understand he's ready to sell. If you want I'll get in touch to see how much.

The "bad" is that the distance from my house to Sequim is 1,060 miles (one way).....so it's a hike - but a great halfway hotel going north along I5 in Oregon town of Cresswell (Comfort Inn - about 100, new and very clean) and South in Ashland where the Holiday Inn is very close to Caldera Brewing.....so as not to miss the opportunity to try Oregonian ale! . The "really good" is that the Central Coast is an awesome place for a road trip (hundreds of wineries, great fall weather, ocean and lake sailing) - so it it were me I'd just justify the trip as a vacation and not worry about it! Id suggest (in the strongest terms) to stay in the Paso Robles area - lots of breweries and wineries and fantastic places to chow down!

We ended up taking out house off market this year and might give it a go next, or depending on how things work out, maybe get a "vacation" place in your area and a place somewhere else in CA (kids / grandkids are here). So for now we aren't planning a move, but we would really like to!!!

So best of luck. Buying a boat ----- not just an adventure; a vacation road trip!

I think the PC is a fantastic boat for anywhere, but surely great for sailing around PT and Sequim. If you get one, maybe I'll bring mine up when we visit next year and we can have a "rally!".

Be standing by to hear how you make out.

Charlie
(805)674-1038

[bruce]

I hope you did get to see the PC, they are great boats!

I agree with Charlie about the capsize potential. Any unballasted boat can be knocked down, and with the open cockpit it will take on water quickly, but the PC is stable and forgiving. Reef when necessary, keep the sheet in your hand when it's dicey, and bring the CB up when running, to prevent tripping over the board if you gybe. With their broad hull form, catboats do tend to turtle from wind and wave action once on their side, and the PC is no exception.

Many add weather strip to the three locker hatches, to impede flooding the bilges, and install floatation. We have 8 Optimist 43L floatation bags in the lockers, for a total of 760 lbs. of floatation, and still have plenty of room for gear!

[Adigraves]

So good to hear from y'all!  As the dreary weather has set in up here I'm jealous of you down in the warm sunshine.

Well, I looked at the Picnic cat today and it has some pretty big issues, unfortunately.  The owner damaged the mast at the hinge and said it had been welded, but call me crazy it looks like JDweld to me.  Also the drain plugs have some funky looking epoxy that is not bonded to the hull.  I'll try to post photos.  He's asking $4500, which seems high to me even though it has a trailer and 2014 5hp Mercury 4 stroke.  Does anyone know what a new mast cost?

[img]

[bruce]

Sorry the boat has issues. That the owner isn't being upfront, and is responsible for the BS repairs, would bother me even more. FWIW, 5hp is overkill for the PC, IMHO, and extra weight on the transom is a real problem for trim. The boat likes to be on its lines, and performance will suffer otherwise. Most use 2-3hp, hull speed, about 4.5 kts is reached at about 70% throttle.

Here's the parts list from Com-Pac. Looks like the mast is $415, need to verify that includes the mast stub. The hinge is $150, if needed. The mast is typically damaged by lowering the mast without first making sure the spars are below the hinge. It's usually repairable, but I know of at least one other that the owner bought a new mast, just the upper section, directly from Dwyer, the manufacturer, and used a cut off from his old mast for the stub. I've worked with both Com-Pac and Dwyer, and both are very helpful. I'd price both, and the shipping isn't going to be cheap either. The Dwyer extrusion is DM-284 for the mast on the PC, the boom is DM-275, and the gaff is DM-1.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xtfxq40jvl9esw9/AADHttjwMACdw5Voo2NYBoLVa?oref=e&preview=PICNIC+CAT+2018.pdf
https://www.dwyermast.com/families.asp?cat1ID=20&cat1Name=Masts

You should also check the boom and gaff goosenecks for damage as well, of course.

Hard to say much about the drains without a photo. They do leak on occasion, and should be repairable more effectively than what he tried.

To post photos, go to Additional Options below the text block in either a Reply or New Message window. You can attach files there, up to 4, and they do enforce the 250KB limit per photo.