Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 27 by Mark

Year built	1977
Location of boat	Redwood City, CA
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	16-22 knots
Average size of crew	Press here and selec
Liveaboard?	Yes
Owner bought the boat in	1997
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes
Gear that's been added	Depth Knotmeter Compass VHF Spinnaker Gear Remote Outboard Controls MOB pole and buoy Jib bag/cover 24 Hr vent Holding Tank
Structural or complex improvements	Permanent
The boat's best features	Easy to handle. Reaches well. Inexpensive factory parts.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Bulkheads are very poorly designed and implemented. Wood should have been sealed and method of fastening bulkhead to hull and chainplates is poor. Cockpit drains poorly. Forward hatch does not seal. Fiberglass is
Sailing characterisitcs	Sails great. Reaches very well.
Motoring characterisitcs	Outboard. Due to engine problems, have no had extensive experience under power.
Liveability	I liveaboard. Is just big enough for one person. Does not have enough storage space. Galley is hardly useable. Boat is very dry inside and easy to heat.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Bought from private party.
Other comments	Generally a very good design with corners cut in manufacturing. Simple things like sealing wood endgrain and holes for deckfittings would have my boat in much better shape right now. Method of mast wiring could have been better thought out, though it was easy to change. Since this is a production boat which did have a huge price tag, it was definately a good deal. You do get what you pay for. A little more attention to some practical/structural details could have preserved the boat better over time (not to mention better owner maintenance).

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