Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 28mkII by Anton

Year built	2006
Location of boat	Palm Harbor FL
The boat is sailed on	Open ocean
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	5-6
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2007
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes - shoal draft in my area. Would have bought a 309 but needed something under 4 feet. 28mkII fit the bill for the right price.
Gear that's been added	Marine Air 10,000 BTU air conditioner. Raymarine GPS chartplotter. 1000W inverter with automatic transfer switch between shore power and battery.
Structural or complex improvements	None
The boat's best features	Cockpit is roomy. Stern rail seats are great. Furling main is convenient. First time I've had an autopilot - I'm hooked. I can single hand the boat easily.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Nothing significant.
Sailing characterisitcs	Coming from a Precision 23, the 28mkII is inherently heavy and slow to accelerate. However, it is very stable - handles large wakes well.
Motoring characterisitcs	Typical prop walk but fairly quiet engine. No problem making 6 knots at 2,500 RPM.
Liveability	Great but little storage. Kids love to hang out on boat and watch movies. Marine air conditioning in Florida effectively makes this a little "waterfront condo" for the price of the slip fee.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Very good - friendly and helpful.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Great dealer network - one of the best reasons to buy a Catalina. Dealers have told me they do not carry the 28mkII since the 309 came out. One dealer thinks Catalina is "losing money" on the 309 and the current price is just an introductory price to get the boat "out there." I had to buy and ship my 28mkII from a dealer in another state (I live in Florida).
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