Head room

[ggander]

I'd like to purchase a model newer than my 1985 MK 1. What year did the standing headroom shrink from 6'6" ( I was on a MK II and disappointed by the loss of a few inches from the MK 1)

[dwarburton]

I am assuming that you are tall.
I am 6' 0" and for the most part don't have a problem with the headroom.
One of the criteria I had when we bought a bigger boat was that I would be able to stand up when I brushed my teeth.

One boat you might want to look at is the Catalina 350. It is one of the new Catalina designs with a higher freeboard than the 36, and it has something like 6' 7" headroom. It is a nice boat, but for various reasons we went with the 36 MkII.

[ggander]

Thanks for your reply! I'm 6'6" tall. I would love a newer model but not in my budget. I need to know what year they changed the head room. How late of a MK I can I buy and still get the head room? I was on a 1999 MK II and the head room is not sufficient.

[LCBrandt]

g gander,

I am not sure you'll get the answer to your question without taking a tape measure into a number of boats at your local marina. Catalina 36s have evolved over the years, for sure. But most notably, that evolution has been in beam, particularly in the aft 1/3 of the boat, and not in height of the salon and other interior compartments. At least that's been my observation, but if others here are able to offer either validation or contradiction I wouldn't be surprised at all.

I am wondering, since you write from the perspective of a Mk I owner, what would have caused the lessening of height in the head? If the hull forms have been the same throughout its life, either the location of the head, the deck structure, or the sole structure would, by default, be the answer. Wouldn't it? I am not familiar with the Mk I, and wonder if the head is in the same location as the Mk II, just forward and port of the mast??? I think that the grid structure lies just beneath the head sole, so would that have changed?

[ggander]

Thanks for comments and sorry for the confusion. I'm speaking about headroom as opposed to room in the head. I've owned an early MK 1 and could stand up right in the main cabin, no problem. Not so with a Mk II. As the C36 evolved did the deck drop, floor rise or a combination of the 2. Because a 1999 model was a good 2" shorter. I'm hoping to buy an early 90's model and was wondering if this change occurred before the full blown MK II was marketed.

[ggander]

g gander,

I am not sure you'll get the answer to your question without taking a tape measure into a number of boats at your local marina. Catalina 36s have evolved over the years, for sure. But most notably, that evolution has been in beam, particularly in the aft 1/3 of the boat, and not in height of the salon and other interior compartments. At least that's been my observation, but if others here are able to offer either validation or contradiction I wouldn't be surprised at all.

I am wondering, since you write from the perspective of a Mk I owner, what would have caused the lessening of height in the head? If the hull forms have been the same throughout its life, either the location of the head, the deck structure, or the sole structure would, by default, be the answer. Wouldn't it? I am not familiar with the Mk I, and wonder if the head is in the same location as the Mk II, just forward and port of the mast??? I think that the grid structure lies just beneath the head sole, so would that have changed?

Thanks Mark, pls see my next post.

[dejavu]

FWIW, my 1991 model is identical in interior headroom to my old 1986 model. I think the change to the MK II came somewhere around 1992.

Mike