Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 36mkII by Craig McAllaster

Year built	2001
Location of boat	Melbourne, FL
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
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?	Absolutely, the C36 MKII is a great value and all-around boat.
Gear that's been added	ST5000 Autopilot, airconditioning, stereo, TV w/vcr, tank monitoring system, davits, dodger, bimini, screen, cockpit table, ST-60 Wind, Raytheon chartplotter, main sail furling, Link 20.
Structural or complex improvements	No
The boat's best features	Great design, inside and out. The boat is strong, sails well, has a very roomy and liveable interior. A lot of storage area so extented trips are easy to handle. Most of the systems are readily accessible and the electrical system is well designed and sufficient for cruising. Engine size and speed under power is very good. Boat was in very good shape when delivered, few problems.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Leaking chainplates and the tendency for the stainless on the deck to rust - these are the major pains. A few cracks in the gelcoat that are inconvenient but not structural. ST60 Wind died after one week.
Sailing characterisitcs	A solid boat that handles the ocean well, with the main sail furling it is easy to adapt to the conditions for a husband and wife team. Doesn't point as high as I would like but it is no slouch either. It is a fun boat to sail.
Motoring characterisitcs	Very powerful under power, it can really move. The propwalk in reverse is pretty severe, it is difficult to back her in. I will probably solve this by adding an autoprop.
Liveability	We spent two weeks in the Florida Keys and it was great, we never felt cabin fever, and the walk-through transom made swimming and getting to the dingy a breeze. We use the aft cabin as our "garage" so we keep the main cabin uncluttered.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	All of my experiences with Catalina have been handled very professionally and personally. Several times Mr. Butler has personally returned phone calls. - Thats service!
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Our dealer was very knowledgeable and helpful in commissioning the boat. When we took delivery we did a 30 hour cruise to get the boat home (20 hours off-shore -- everything worked (except the fuel gauge). Our only problem is being a 3 hour drive from the dealer has made warranty issues problematic - just because of the logistics.
Other comments	I think Catalina builds a lot of boat for the money. They improve designs and focus on innovations that are evolutionary not revolutionary - I like that. We looked at a number of boats when we chose the 36, including Benateu 36 center cockpit, Catalina 380 and felt the 36 offered the best in accommodations, draft, mast height, value and price of everything we looked at. We would do it again in a heart beat.

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