Last weekend was the annual Minneapolis Boat Show, which we went to of course. And no, we did not buy another boat as some folks had feared. We did however get a chance to check out the new Catalina 355 though. I have to admit that it is indeed a very nice boat. We did not get the chance to spend as much time as we would have liked checking it out as it was very crowded, but we both came away thinking that it is a step up from previous models in design and workmanship.

In the brief walk through, really the only thing I noticed that I have concern about was that the microwave oven is mounted at eye level. Looks nice there, but if you open the door and get a cup of hot coffee in the face it might not seem like a good spot any more. Oh yea, I noticed there didn’t seem to be any way to latch the anchor locker lid down. Over all a nice boat. But like I said this was a very brief walk through.

The vee-berth seemed spacious, with center mounted double berth, good storage and lighting. The saloon seemed a little tighter than the Catalina 36 this replaces, but still plenty of room to feel comfortable. The galley is large and the head area is huge! Really, it’s about the same size as the bathroom in our bedroom at our home. The aft double berth feels spacious and comfortable as well, it does not feel like you are slithering into something like others I’ve seen. I think Catalina has a winner here. The show price was $195,500 or thereabouts.

Image from Catalina Yachts

The other highlight of the show, at least for me, was the “Be a Diver” exhibit. Old Capt. Puffy got to go for a swim in some nice tropics warm water and try out scuba diving for the first time. It was a fine experience and if the exhibit ever comes near you and you haven’t tried scuba diving, I recommend it fully. I mean, you won’t be learning how to scuba dive in the open water or anything, but it is a valuable experience. After I slipped on the wetsuit, I was given my goggles and some swim fins and sat by the edge of the pool waiting my turn. Next, I slipped on the scuba gear, received a brief explanation, “slowly sink into the water and breath normally” and I was off to the under water camera so Honey Bunny could snap a picture of the monitor. It was fun! Now I can’t wait to try it for real some day. Our friends at the marina where we keep Aurion are certified instructors, gonna have to talk scuba with them next spring.

Wee, look at me!