Catalina 2013 *UPDATE*

Drowned Rat

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Getting ready for our second annual Catalina trip! Hope the weather holds up!



 
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G

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

that a bad arse setup!!!
 

mansters

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Feb 25, 2013
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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

How much fuel do you carry?, im going out there on Wednesday by charter boat out of San Pedro
 

Drowned Rat

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

12 gallons and it's more than enough to get there and back from Long Beach. I have about a 200 mile range with that much gas.
 

QC

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Mar 22, 2005
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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

Where you hanging DR? Just curious. I love Catalina. Camped in a couple of the sites there before, stayed aboard a few times, and stayed in hotels in Avalon. Goat Harbor was my last stop. Great little place.
 

Sinistre1

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

What size is your Saturn and how many hp the outboard? What speeds are you making one up wot??
 

Drowned Rat

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

Hi QC. Staying at Two Harbors, Isthmus Cove. We waited too long to reserve a camping spot so they are all gone. We're traveling in a group so we'll stay on one of the bigger boats. Great spear fishing there. Can't wait!

Sinistre, it's a 14 footer with an 18hp motor. Top speed fully rigged is about 20 mph give or take, depending on her mood. :)
 
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Peter_C

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

I would like to make that trip someday. One of our local dive clubs rents a ferry, the Boy Scout Camp, and brings a bunch of inflatable boats over the easy way. I have other friends that often make that trip, but they have a much larger boat with a kicker. Then there is Jon, who is on this board, and has stories to tell of putting a hole in the floor of his boat, and making the slow drive back with a boat full of water. They almost called out for help on the radio. Adventure is always right around the corner. Be safe and enjoy the trip :)
 

smashed

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

I decided to buy one of these, a Saturn 14 footer instead of the Zodiac Zoom. The problem is that I have a 9.8 2 stroke tohatsu 2001. Is there a chance that this boat will plane so underpowered. I am not planning to have more than 2 adults +30 pounds of gear.
Also, is it a huge effort to assemble and inflate. I have to store it deflated, no other choice at the moment.

Thanks!
 

Drowned Rat

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

Thanks Peter_C, we're traveling with two sailboats, so we've always got that out if it gets sketchy. I wouldn't feel comfortable making that crossing alone, just in case.

smashed, it will plane with that light load. I'm carrying about 500-600 lbs motor and gear plus two adults and two kids and it still planes relatively easy (it's no rocket ship by any means, but it wasn't meant to be). With one person on board, it planes very quickly. I do have Smart Tabs on the back though, it absolutely won't plane without them, when fully loaded. Most of the weight on my boat is aft, full size battery, 12 gallons of fuel, two passengers. You might be ok without them if you sit one person up front, at least till you get on plane.
 

QC

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

Dang, I love the Isthmus. Have fun. Be safe!!!
 

Sea Rider

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

I decided to buy one of these, a Saturn 14 footer instead of the Zodiac Zoom. The problem is that I have a 9.8 2 stroke tohatsu 2001. Is there a chance that this boat will plane so underpowered. I am not planning to have more than 2 adults +30 pounds of gear. Also, is it a huge effort to assemble and inflate. I have to store it deflated, no other choice at the moment.

Thanks!

Sorry for going off topic here...

You're looking at a HUGE size sib, assemble, inflate time not to mention the weight, is directly proportional to lenght, width and tube size. Get a electric pump or a high flow kite/ paddle board hand pump to make your boating life easier while inflating. The 14" footer is rated for max 40 HP engines to have fun while boating with full stated load or passengers capacity, much less with 30 HP though not to mention 18 or 9.8 engines.

Assuming will get on plane with a 9.8 is a wild guess. Will depend entirely if having tubes/keel top psi inflated, correct leg/transom height match & trim setting, well distributed load, outing with minimum passengers and riding on flat calm, windy, choppy sea conditions. Worst scenario, just fast displacement speeds.

Don't buy the air deck 14" footer model, that model needs a heavy duty air deck for top rigidity and it's just being delivered with a standard air deck. A 2 strokes 18 HP engine would be ideal, right in middle 9.8 and 30.

Happy Boating
 
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smashed

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

Sorry for going off topic here...

You're looking at a HUGE size sib, assemble, inflate time not to mention the weight, is directly proportional to lenght, width and tube size. Get a electric pump or a high flow kite/ paddle board hand pump to make your boating life easier while inflating. The 14" footer is rated for max 40 HP engines to have fun while boating with full stated load or passengers capacity, much less with 30 HP though not to mention 18 or 9.8 engines.

Assuming will get on plane with a 9.8 is a wild guess. Will depend entirely if having tubes/keel top psi inflated, correct leg/transom height match & trim setting, well distributed load, outing with minimum passengers and riding on flat calm, windy, choppy sea conditions. Worst scenario, just fast displacement speeds.

Don't buy the air deck 14" footer model, that model needs a heavy duty air deck for top rigidity and it's just being delivered with a standard air deck. A 2 strokes 18 HP engine would be ideal, right in middle 9.8 and 30.

Happy Boating

Thanks! I ordered the Saturn 385 with hard floor. Will get the Bravo SUP pump as per your recommendation. I really liked the Saturn 430, but will have to live with the 385 for now. I know I will still be underpowered but hopefully I can get at least 15 mph alone. Will report in the other topic I opened.

DR thank you for your detailed comment. Have a great journey!
 

Sea Rider

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

A 385 hard floor is a excellent roomy size sib, if going for the paddle board hand pump ask seller to match a Halkey Roberts bayonet hose end connector to match same valve type if having same air valve. Most spare plastic adapters that comes with pump doesn't fit well air valves.

Happy Boating
 

Drowned Rat

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

Back from the trip. Dolphins didn't dissapoint this year either. I don't think I've ever seen as much marine wildlife in one place as I have on that crossing from Long Beach to Catalina. Saw two different species this year, the common dolphin (hundreds of them, very playful) and another kind that I don't recognize. They were very dark grey in color and bigger than the common dolphins. In addition, they were quite a bit more aggressive (in a playful way). There was one VERY large dolphin (maybe 10' long) jumping literally right next to my boat while on plane. He would jump about 3 or 4 feet out of the water and then lean over toward me so when he landed in the water his dorsal fin would send a huge splash right at me. He did this over and over again with scary precision, soaked me and everything in the boat. Sometimes he would move up to the bow and jump right in front of the boat and use his tail to send a huge splash pouring over the boat. By the time I got the GoPro on him, he was almost done showing me who's really in charge out there. I'm posting a still off the GoPro here hoping somebody can help me identify the species. You can see all the water on the lens is from him splashing me over and over again.



Here's another still of a baby common dolphin. It was jumping alongside the boat with its mom having a good ole' time. It came up once on its own and jumped higher than usual. There are no adults in the screen for size reference, but this is a very small dolphin.

 
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Drowned Rat

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Re: Catalina 2013 *UPDATE*

Did a little spear fishing on the island, didn't have much luck this time and no sharks this year. Or I should say, we didn't *see* any sharks this year.



Mr. Sea Lion was waiting for us in our slip back in Long Beach!

 
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QC

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Re: Catalina 2013

Re: Catalina 2013

Is that Shoreline Village? Parker's Lighthouse?
 
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