Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-22 by Bill Kreston

Year built	2003
Location of boat	Longboat Key, FL
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2004
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, I would buy the Capri 22 again. It is a great sailing boat. I often go out in the morning just after sunrise and enjoy a morning sail. When everyone else is up, it is great to have something that is comfortable enough to take a crew. It is a well made boat with quality components and looks good.
Gear that's been added	It had a depth sounder and compass when I bought it. I have considered adding an autopilot, but have decided I don't really need one. The only think I have done is replaced the traveler line to make it a continuous line and the boomvang line so that I can reach it from the tiller. Mostly, just to make single-handling easier.
Structural or complex improvements	None
The boat's best features	I like the way the boat looks, the cockpit is giant and it sails great. Without a doubt the sailing performance is the best feature. The boat sails really well in winds in the 7 - 12 mph range. I use the boat for day sailing and the boat is almost overkill for a daysailer, but it is nice to have the big boat feel in a boat that is so easy to sail. Just for grins, I sail mine in and out of our 75 ft. canal to the bay. It performs well in close quarters.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	No problems, nothing broken.
Sailing characterisitcs	Great in light winds. As the winds pick up, I will sometimes just sail with the mainsail. It is very easy to get to hull speed, about 6 kts. When the puffs come, you can feel the boat take off.
Motoring characterisitcs	I have a 6 HP Dahatsu. Probably more horsepower than needed, but it has been useful in getting off the occasional sandbar (I sail in Florida, if you haven't run aground, you will).
Liveability	Don't know, only use it to day sail, but it would be easy to "camp out" on.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	N/A
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I bought it through Masthead Enterprises in St. Petersburg. I had good experience with the purchase. Basically, I called them, told them what I was looking for and they had a boat in brokerage that was what I wanted. No problems getting the deal done.
Other comments	I've owned an Ericson and Morgan, now a Catalina. I like the fact that Catalina is able to stay in business and is well respected in the industry. I think for the money, you can't beat Catalina.

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