Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-16.5 by Ed Lynch

Year built	2000
Location of boat	My Garage
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2001
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes I would. I looked for a long time to find a boat that trailers easily, would not require me to buy a larger tow vehicle, could comfortably accomodate about 4 people even 5, and fit into my garage with a 7 ft high door for storage. I take my kids camping to various state parks in the area and was looking for something else to do while we were there, I'm not much of a fisherman (i.e. I'm not a very good liar.) I tow it with a Windstar van w/ a 6 cyl and many times forget that it's back there. I also get it out on the local lakes occasionally on the weekends as well.
Gear that's been added	Nothing major. I swapped out some of the cotter rings with detent pins for the headstay(furling mounting), tack of the main sail, and the goose neck. It came with the standard roller-furling jib. I'm about ready to make a rope ladder and tie it to the barney post, as climbing in out of the water requires a major physical effort. Tried the hanging ladders but the nominal draft makes for an awkward fit, and if you flip it, the ladder won't be available when you need it. I might later consider mounting a flip down ladder off the transom.
Structural or complex improvements	None
The boat's best features	Light to tow, and stores easily (no annual slip fees). Doesn't take too long to put together to launch. Two adults make it easy, one adult with 2 children takes longer. I love the long cockpit, and the forward dry storage area (although it's a pain to get stuff in and out). Accelerates quickly.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The battens don't stay in (have lost one so far and I've only had it out 6 times). There's also a minor vibration when you get it up and going, feels like it comes from the rudder slipping thru the water. Why doesn't it just include a mounted ladder on the transom, and detent pins in the first place. A dryer cockpit would make using it in the cooler months more enjoyable. A wider door to the storage area would be nice. I purchased a masthead float which slips over the head of the main sail and connects together with the grommet for the head of the main sail to the shackle of the main halyard. Problem was that the provided shackle was too narrow for the grommets in both the main sail and the float. The dealer provided me with a wider shackle and Catalina exchanged the masthead float for one with smaller grommets. These two changes together resolved this problem. Cleats for docking would be nice to have as well.
Sailing characterisitcs	Why is the wind perfect during the weekdays, and either too strong or dead on the weekends? She's my first boat and I find her easy to sail. Quick to accelerate. So far have only had her out in winds of 10 knots or less. Very responsive to weight shifts in the boat, and heals nicely.
Motoring characterisitcs	I have a 2.5HP off the back, that goes forward and with a 180 degree turn of the motor has a reverse. I wish it had reverse and neutral gears as it would make retrieving and docking much easier. We just use the motor to get it in and out, and to raise and lower the sails. It's more than adequate for these purposes. Of course the greatest sound is when you turn off the motor.
Liveability	"Day sailer" says it all. We take it with us when we go camping but just for daytime recreation.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Via a few emails was able to get Catalina to recognize the problem with the masthead float grommet sizes being too large, and the shackle being too small. Had to wait for them to get different sized grommets before they could make a new one for me. They did well at resolving the problem.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Bought my boat in Boulder, CO and towed it back to Texas. It was a relaxing drive for me. The dealer did a great job of going over everything on the boat with me, answered all my questions, and gave several hints and tips on sailing her. They also did well working with me to help resolve the problem with the masthead float.
Other comments	I spent alot of time researching what boat to buy, both new and used. What sold me on this boat was its attractive lines, sails nicely, lightweight so it's easy to tow, long roomy cockpit, the foreward dry storage space, very affordable to purchase, and low upkeep cost since it fits in my garage. Even if I ever get a boat that I would keep in a slip, I would still keep this one to take along with me on trips to whereever.

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