Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-18 by Zach Heir

Year built	1988
Location of boat	Piermont, NY
The boat is sailed on	Rivers
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	2000
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. Without a doubt. If you shop around you can find the boat for a very reasonable price. This is my first boat and its a pleasure to sail.I constantly get compliments at the marina, and all the powerboaters think the boat is brand new.
Gear that's been added	I completely replaced all the teak on the boat with new teak, dont be cheap no other wood comes close. I replaced the worn clam cleats on the boat with new ones from england. I added a johnson backstay flag hoist. I also added a snubbing winch which is a nice addition for any boat.
Structural or complex improvements	Only one, the motor mount is mounted too low. When the motor mount is lifted out of the water the prop is still submerged. I am told this slows down the boat as much as 30% . I am now in the process of moving the mount up.
The boat's best features	Perfect size. The boat is small enough to fit anywhere but big enough to provide stability and a generous cabin for the size. I have a slip but we store it on a trailer in our backyard in the winter. The boat will tow easy behind just about any SUV.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Nothing major the materiels used on older boats are better than the stuff they use today.
Sailing characterisitcs	The boat sails like a dream in winds around 15 knots but anything less than 10 is frustrating with the standard jib. With slightly bigger sails the boat will sail great. I like to make the boat heel just enough to make your heart rate go up, but the boat always holds its own pretty dam well for an 18 footer. If you are one of those people who want to sail everyday this boat is perfect its easy to take out and easy to put back.
Motoring characterisitcs	The Nissan 5 hp I got when I bought the boat was a piece of crap. I bought a brand new mercury 4 hp with an internal fuel tank and it starts every single time, no problem. Like I said before the motor mount is too low. The standard mount is also way overkill for anything around 5 hp. A modern aluminum one is much cleaner looking I think and you can sell the old one on ebay to justify the cost.
Liveability	A lot of people complain its too small, but for anyone who has ever slept in a tent the cabin feels like a room at the ritz. I think the cabin to cockpit ratio is perfect and the boat feels much bigger than 18 feet.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I dealt with Catalina Direct which is the largest parts dealer in the world for catalina. That was a nightmare. They Consistently sent me the wrong parts until I had a long telephone conversation to someone's boss in California.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	No I found the boat through yahoo classifieds.
Other comments	This a great first boat if you plan on speding an extra thousand dollars you can have the prettiest boat at the marina.

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