John,
It's a seaworthiness rating system that imposed some "new" construction standards on the boating industry. I'm going to guess it came into play in the early nineties. A '73 Coronado certainly predates the standard but so do many of today construction techniques. It's a rating one should always check when looking at newer boats as length alone does not establish seaworthiness. The McGregor Power 26 rated "D" The Hunter 270 rated "D" The Catalina 250 rated "C" Catalina didn't overlook the modifications Patrick Childress completed a single-handed circumnavigation in his Catalina 27 Juggernaut when they designed the C270. If you pick up a copy of The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat by John Vigor you'll find an appendix list all 45 modifications. When you look at a C270 you can see where Catalina addressed every single one. The Catalina 270 rated "B" It's my understanding the C270 failed a break over flooding calculation for category "A" but otherwise met the requirements. A smaller companionway would have let it pass but of course it wouldn't have met Frank's commitment on serviceability. Screwing the lower hatch board in place was part of my heavy weather plan. Phil Agur <http://www.catalina27.org/public_pages/profile270.htm> s/v Wing Tip C270 LE #184 MMSI 366901790 International Marine Certification Institute Recreational Craft Directive 94/35/CE Boat design categories as defined by Institute Recreational Craft: Design Category Wind Force Beaufort Scale (knots) Significant Wave Height in meters (feet) A - "Ocean" exceeding 8 (over 40 kts.) exceeding 4 (over 13 ft.) B - "Offshore" up to and including 8 (34-40 kts.) up to and including 4 (13 ft.) C - "Inshore" up to and including 6 (22-27 kts.) up to and including 2 (6.5 ft.) D - "Sheltered waters" up to and including 4 (11-16 kts.) up to and including 0.5 (1.5 ft.) A. OCEAN: Designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights of 4 meters and above, and vessels largely self-sufficient. Catalina models certified in compliance with CE category "A" include: Catalina 30 mkIII Catalina 310 Catalina 320 Catalina 34 mkII Catalina 350 Catalina 36mkII Catalina 387 Catalina 400 Catalina 42mkII Catalina 470 B. OFFSHORE: Designed for offshore voyages where conditions up to, and including wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights up to, and including, 4 meters may be experienced. Catalina models certified in compliance with CE category "B" include: Catalina 270 Catalina 28 mkII C. INSHORE: Designed for voyages in coastal waters, large bays, estuaries, lakes, rivers and canals where conditions up to, and including wind force 6 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights up to, and including 2 meters may be experienced. Catalina models certified in compliance with CE category "C" include: Catalina 250 water ballast Catalina 250 wing keel D. SHELTERED WATERS: Designed for voyages on small lakes, rivers and canals where conditions up to, and including wind force 4 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights up to, and including 0.5 meters may be experienced. _____
