Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 309 by John Salley

Year built	2006
Location of boat	Deltaville, VA
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	2006
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely. Bigger always is tempting, but this boat offers everything I need for the type of sailing we do.
Gear that's been added	Autopilot, stereo with remote at pedestal, wind instruments, GPS chartplotter, tank monitors
Structural or complex improvements	Hardwired 1800 watt inverter mounted behind starboard settee backrest, Zarcor hinged companionway doors
The boat's best features	Excellent value, solid construction, easy to upgrade (i.e. glassed-in wiring conduits with plenty of room for additional wires)
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Several leaks in freshwater plumbing systems - easily fixed by dealer
Sailing characterisitcs	LOTS of weather helm when the wind picks up. Once you're used to it, it can be easily accomodated by furling. This boat doesn't like to heel - you quickly become an expert at sail trim. Otherwise, it's fast and easily handled solo considering its beam.
Motoring characterisitcs	Good power in a moderate seaway, and excellent control when reversing.
Liveability	Not enough storage. There's a fair amount of open shelf space, which would look better if enclosed but I suspect this is one of the areas where Catalina tried to control cost.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Very responsive, though a little slow with replacement parts.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Very good experience with Chesapeake Yacht Sales.
Other comments	An excellent mid size coastal cruiser for those upsizing or downsizing.

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