Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 350 by VLOHMAN

Year built	2004
Location of boat	CHESAPEAKE BAY, MD
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2004
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes
Gear that's been added	Starting battery, Heart 10 invertor, link 10, cabin fans, autopilot, main furling.
Structural or complex improvements	Added shelves to outboard galley cabinets
The boat's best features	Interior room, separate shower stall, expansive lazarette storage
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	While there are many possible reasons why, the bottom line is that the refrig/freezer efficiency is extremely poor adding significant battery drain. Had a few minor problems that the dealer fixed. Most significant problem was the battery switch was defective (batteries would not charge) and had to be replaced.
Sailing characterisitcs	Not the best performer in very light winds, but we are adding an asymet. spinnaker this fall which should take care of that. Initially we were very hesitant to have the main furler with all the concerns regarding sail shape. Our test sail was in 30 knots of wind and we have had unusually good winds so far this summer. We have decided that giving up maybe 1/2 a knot due to the main furler was definitely worth the instant ability to reef the main from the cockpit.
Motoring characterisitcs	Really powers through headwinds and heavy seas. Pushed hard the boat will do about 7.5 knots (calm seas, clean bottom).
Liveability	We spend significant amount of time cruising in this boat. Storage is quite adequate, especially if you can use the aft cabin for extra storage. We haven't even come close to filing up the aft lockers. Galley is great to work in, plenty of storage and counter space. Great livability for a vessel of only 35 feet.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	This is our second Catalina and the biggest challenge Catalina customers have is in contacting Catalina directly when needing to order parts. Just be prepared to hit redial until the parts people answer and don't even think about e-mail. Catalina does a nice job of an annual Catalina Rendevz on each coast. This is something that Catalina does not have to do and is a nice side benefit.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	We purchased our boat from Sail Annapolis. They delivered our vessel when promised and have been responsive in dealing with our minor issues
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