Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-26 by Michael Quinlan

Year built	1991
Location of boat	Carlyle, IL
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	16-22 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2000
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. This baot is a great handling yet challenging craft to pilot.
Gear that's been added	The only gear that has been added is two 12 volt outlets. The boat came equipped with autohelm windex, self tailing winches and autopilot.
Structural or complex improvements
The boat's best features	The open cockpit, wide beam, aft berth and enclosed marine head make this boat very comfortable for weekends and short week stays. All the lines are led aft so solo handling easy. The shoal keel gives the boat great satbility at up to 30 degrees of heel. Even at 30 degrees the stanchions stay dry.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	With the 9'10" beam sometimes heading into the wind is a little difficult. The boat does seem to want to turn the beam to the wind and flutter which does force some additional rudder control.
Sailing characterisitcs	The Capri 26 handles very well under sail. The roller furling on the 150% gennaker is handy to allow quick "reefing" of the sail in higher winds. The traveler and mainsheet are very suficient. (My traveler is mounted fore of the companionway) We have sailed her on 5 - 25 mph winds with no problem at all, bar the spilled libations.
Motoring characterisitcs	I use a 8 hp outboard and the power is sufficient except in some 25+ winds.
Liveability	This boat is comfortable for up to 4 adults for a weekend and a week or more with two adults.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Catalina has been great to deal with. When I bought the boat I requested info on the electrical system. It wasn't 7 days later I received the entire blueprint layout specific to my hull number. Quick response via email and telephone to all requests I have submitted.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	For anyone considering the purchase of a Capri 26 I would suggest that you dive in. The boat is great for new sailors and ones with experience as well. The rudder responds quickly to the tiller and the sailing is as easy or as difficult as you want. Overall an exceptional sailing value.

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