Catalina 34 Mk II

The Catalina 34 Mk II (1996–2008) is the second generation of the Catalina 34: the same 34 ft 6 in hull below the waterline, kept identical so the two could race one-design, under a new deck and a stern more than 2 ft wider that gives a roomier cockpit and open walk-through transom with a boarding platform, stern-rail seats and a deck-stepped mast on a compression post. Principal dimensions, 528 / 554 sq ft rigs and fin or wing keels are unchanged from the Mk I.

The transition to the wider stern began in 1994; the boat was shown at the 1995 Atlantic City Sail Expo as hull #1295, and Catalina's own timeline lists the Mark II's introduction in February 1996 'with re-designed and enlarged deck, transom and interior'. The 1997 order form lists the 30 hp four-cylinder Universal M-35 as standard, later replaced by the 35 hp M-35B with Catalina's '(C)' wiring standard. The family is recorded as discontinued in late 2008 and available by special order after that. No Mk II hull count has been established; Boat-Specs estimates about 550.

The association's change list for 1996: wider stern above the waterline, seats on the stern pulpit, deck-stepped mast with compression post in place of the keel-stepped option, new head mould, revised deck mould without dorade vents, lower traveller, new companionway hatch and slides, almost all exterior teak eliminated, engine panel moved to the pedestal, optional fixed cockpit table, louvered teak cabinet fronts replacing sliding black Plexiglas, a hanging locker in the aft cabin, revised V-berth lockers, a Corian-style galley counter with trash bin, rubber galley flooring and a relocated electrical panel. The rig gained inboard shroud bases with fore-and-aft lowers, a rigid vang and double-ended mainsheet. The elliptical rudder is standard on late boats.

A separate generation because the deck, transom and topsides aft are new moulds, the mast step differs, and the market lists boats as 'Mk II'. Hulls built in the 1995–1997 transition with the wider stern are counted as Mk IIs. Tall rig, wing keel and in-mast furling remained options; the Mk I's early shoal fin and keel-stepped mast were no longer offered.

The most expensive Catalina 34s: most have the M-35 or M-35B diesel, the elliptical rudder and wheel steering. Check the aft water tank capacity against the manual revision (owners have measured 28 gal where the manual says 42), the keel-stub joint and keel bolts, chainplate bedding and the deck core around them, as on the Mk I.