Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 42 by Rodney K. Parker

Year built	1990
Location of boat	City Island, New York
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
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	Brok
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, without a doubt. The Catalina 42 is roomy both on deck and below, and handles well in all sea conditions. As far as value is concerned it has held its value in a market where the asking prices on 40 footer is becoming prohibited. I am the second owner and after 10 seasons I am as impressed as ever with its look and lines. I've owned two other makes prior to the 42, but Catalina is one company which I would definitely stick with.
Gear that's been added	Auto-helm Naventer 500 Chart Plotter, Crusing Spinnaker
Structural or complex improvements	None
The boat's best features	The large cockpit permits safe sailing with a large crew, the shoal keel permits access to relatively shallow waters. Because of the wide beam the tri-cabin layout keeps the crew happy and makes for one of the more spacious 42 footers I have ever seen.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	No problems so far.
Sailing characterisitcs	The 42 loves all points of sail. It charges and tracks upwind well and is balanced on reaches. I particularly like to surf down wind in open ocean in about 25 knots of wind.
Motoring characterisitcs	The 4 cylinder Yanmar has been extremely dependable. I have put it to the test motoring for periods of 36 hours without so much as a sputter.
Liveability	I have a tri-cabin layout which I think detracts from the 42s use as a liveaboard. I think the 2 cabin layout may be more suiteable for that purpose.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	N/A
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	N/A
Other comments	I plan on keeping it for many years to come.

Contact
About
Terms of Use