Four Decades After Its Introduction, The Cal 30 Remains Popular

The original Jensen Marine marketing copy pitched the Cal 30 as the boat for "the discriminating yachtsman who demands a high performance ocean racer, the man who would rather sail than maintain a boat and the sailing family which likes to cruise."

Forty-five years later, the number of Cal 30s still plying the waters speaks to the success of the design on all those points, a case of truth in advertising if ever there was one.

And why not? The Cal line is one of the most successful in the history of production sailboats – and the Cal 30 played a major role in that success.

IMPRESSIVE HERITAGE

In 1956 Jack Jensen founded Jensen Marine, which became one of the most successful fiberglass boat-building companies in California. From the start he collaborated with Bill Lapworth, an up-and-coming designer who was way ahead of his time. Lapworth’s first design for Jensen was the California 24 which was a shallow hull, centerboard design that blew the doors off its competition. Jensen raced one himself, and his name is first on the California 24 perpetual trophy.

The very successful Lapworth/Jensen combination introduced some of the first affordable fiberglass ocean-going boats that could do double duty as racers and cruisers. Throughout the 60s, 70s, and into the 80s, Jensen was a leading builder, with too many models to list here. They ranged from the still-popular Cal 20 and 25 to the famous Cal 40, notable for being one of the earliest production boats to split the rudder away from the keel.

For approximately a quarter century, Cal was at the top of its game, despite being sold to Bangor Punta, moving to Florida and then being resold and relocated again before finally succumbing to the luxury tax in the late 1980s. But the sheer numbers of Cals sold, especially west of the Mississippi, keep them visible on the water even today.

CAL 30 DESIGN

There were approximately 200 hulls built of the Cal 30 between 1962 and 1967 before it morphed into the Cal 2-30 in 1968 and the 3-30 in the 1970s. Satori was hull #1 of the design and she crossed her first starting line a week after launching. She won or placed in every one of the twenty races she entered in the first six months.

Billed in the original literature as a light displacement vessel, the Cal 30 ballast to displacement ratio is 32 percent. She draws less than 5 feet and has nearly 2,600 pounds of lead ballast. The foam-filled rudder rests on a bronze post and the rudder placement is unique in that it is in front of and under the feathering propeller which came standard. This placement makes for no prop walk and easy backing.

The Cal 2-30 and 3-30 versions that followed the original Cal 30 began to feature fin keels and spade rudders and became very popular on the race course. They came in both short and tall rig versions.

Since standing and running rigging should be replaced every 10-15 years depending on local conditions and boat use, most Cal 30s will have been re-rigged at least once and if not, it's something to consider when evaluating one. If nothing else, most owners have replaced wire/rope halyards that were standard on most boats of this age with modern low-stretch cordage.

Designed as a high-performance ocean racer, the Cal has two unusual features for her time. First, four large windows make for a light cabin, though early on they were considered dangerous for open ocean sailing. The high cabin also makes visibility forward a bit tough. However, there were never any reports logged of the windows presenting a problem and many owners relish the fact that they have great light below, as well as air through four opening ports. The second feature is the size of the cockpit drains, which were unusually small on early boats and could be considered unsafe on an open-water boat.

CONSTRUCTION

The Cal 30 hull is hand-laid solid glass which is 1 inch to 1.5 inches thick in places. The deck is one piece molded glass with a marine plywood core. A through-bolted and glassed hull-to-deck joint holds it all together.

Marine plywood on older boats has been a source of problems with water seeping in where hardware is attached to thedeck. This usually requires grinding out the affected sections, filling with epoxy and glassing over a new deck section. Few owners have reported the need for this kind of work. However, there were some issues with hull blistering which is not that unusual on a 40 year old boat.

The Cal 30 layout was designed to have a family of four cruise comfortably. A V-berth, a convertible settee with a fold down table and two quarter berths, port and starboard, provide sleeping arrangements for up to six people. Storage is good for a small boat and includes a hanging locker to starboard. Across to port is the enclosed head with a sink, a convertible vanity seat, and a hamper. There was no pressure water option initially available, but many owners have added it for convenience.

The galley is in a straight line down the starboard side with an insulated ice box, a column of drawers and a two-burner pressure alcohol stove. Many owners have since replaced that stove with a propane model, and an oven. On the Cal 2-30 and 3-30 models, the galley moved aft and to port and became L-shaped.

The original Monel water tank held 25 gallons of water and was located under the hanging locker to starboard, across from the head. There was also a 25 gallon stainless steel fuel tank under the settee on port. Some owners have upgraded the fuel tankage with additional tanks and bladders to increase range.

Battery storage is under the settee aft of the saloon table. Jensen offered a 30-amp alternator standard and a 12-volt electrical system only, with no shore power option. There are 6 thru-hulls originally offered with gate valves and many owners have replaced them with ball valves for greater security.

Although roomy for its size, this layout doesn't leave much room for a navigation area and many Cal owners have opted to mount electronics on swing arms that can be displayed in the cockpit as well as below.

ON DECK

The Cal 30 was relatively beamy for her day and at 10 feet. Her width afforded ample space below, even though the side decks could have been wider for easy access fore and aft. Her cabintop starts mid-foredeck and extends about two thirds of the way to the stern, leaving a large cockpit for a boat of this size, comfortable enough for six or seven people.

Though Lapworth didn't like weight in the bow and stern – the idea was to avoid "hobby horsing" – the Cal 30 has a sizeable anchor locker forward, with access via the V-berth. There is also a lazarette aft of the tiller to hold stern anchor rode and other gear.

Keeping a boat low maintenance has been a critical success factor for boat builders for a long time and the Cal 30 made that a key enticement. Aside from a narrow caprail, an accent brow on the cabin top and some handholds, there is a minimum of exposed teak – and therefore a minimum of varnish work. Nonskid and gel coat surfaces dominate the clean look, which came as a relief to boat owners of the 1960s, who were often faced with wood everywhere – including teak decks.

There are two sets of tracks, one on the caprail for the genoa sheets and one on the cabin, which was meant for a working jib. The chainplates are set inboard on the cabin trunk to make for a clear deck and a single lower shroud was used to allow latitude in sail trim.

Jensen originally offered 5 sails as optional equipment including a main, working jib, lapper, genoa and spinnaker. North and Baxter & Cicero were the brands of choice and none of the sails retailed for much more than $300. Bronze Merriman turnbuckles and toggles and bronze traditional South Coast winches completed the original deck hardware.

PERFORMANCE

"If you are not winning as many trophies as you should, try a Cal boat. It does make winning easier," read a 1966 Jensen Marine ad for the Cal 30. And in this case, the advertising was truthful. The Cal 30 was a rocket in its time, despite its cutaway forefoot, full-keel design and solid glass construction.

The Cal 30 has been described by owners as a well behaved vessel with good balance on all points of sail. She will do 6 to 6.5 knots in 12 to 15 knots of wind on a beam reach. She points well, despite her full keel, but may experience a little weather helm when the winds kick up. Sheeting angles are tight for good upwind performance.

Under power, the Cal 30 will travel about 5.5 knots at cruising speed. The first Cal 30s were offered with air-cooled Onan engines, which had the reputation for lasting about two years. Cal soon replaced them with Atomic 4s. The ducting for the original air intake was actually molded right into the deck, and makes for an interesting grate still visible in the cockpit.

To get away from the risks associated with gas engines like the Atomic 4, many owners re-powered with diesels like the popular 4 cylinder Universal engine. Unlike on many Cals, the 30s had a straight drive shaft instead of a v-drive. Access to it and the engine are adequate, but it helps to be small and flexible when doing engine work.

The 1962 brochure listed the price as $13,500. Today, Cal 30s can cost twice that, which is a testament to the creation of Bill Lapworth and Jensen Marine – and not a bad return on a 40-year investment for a Cal owner.

Zuzana Prochazka is a freelance writer who additionally serves as Technical Editor for Seafaring Magazine and co-hosts Latitudes & Attitudes TV.

Boat Sales | Market Sales