Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 36mkII by Bill

Year built	1995
Location of boat	Saugatuck, MI
The boat is sailed on	The Great Lakes
How the boat is used	Multi-week coastal cruising
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	Yes
Owner bought the boat in	1995
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely! The boat has done everything we've asked of her from day sails to 12 weeks non-stop sailing on the Great Lakes. Even in the biggest seas, 12 feet, and highest winds, 45 knots, we've been ALARMED by the weather BUT...the boat stood up and took what was thrown at her.
Gear that's been added	The biggest addition we've made was a WaveStopper hard dodger and bimini installed by Muskegon Awning, complete with 3 60-watt solar panels on the rear bimini that supplies about 75% of our TOTAL energy needs. We added a 1500-watt Trace inverter/charger and it works very well. We added the new Raytheon 2KW radar/chartplotter (Waltz pivoting mast mount) with NEW color display this year and I can't say enough about how EASY the display is to read in TOTAL sunlight. We also updated the GPS to the new Raytheon WAAS GPS and it's remarkably accurate but...be CAREFUL of using the "charts" as the total accuracy of WAAS GPS often puts you as much as several hundred feet from where the chart "Thinks" you are!
Structural or complex improvements	When we replaced our original soft dodger/bimini package we upgraded the stainless rails to 1 1/4 inch rails and this has created a much stronger and stiffer overall package. I highly suggest it to anyone.We also, when we changed our dodger/bimini package, had a full enclosure made so we have excellent all weather protection and an extra room when at anchor or at the dock.
The boat's best features	The cockpit is as good as any boat we've ever been on and the V-Berth that we use as the owner's suite is larger than virtually ANY V-Berth on any boat regardless of size; of course this is a Catalina tradition as even the C-30's V-Berth is much larger than your typical 40 footer from any other manufacturer.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The original traveler on the C-36MKII was not easy to use to say the least. The NEW C-36MKII models have an outstanding traveler and we've upgraded to it. We've also upgraded most other Garhauer blocks for reduced friction and we've added the Dutchman Batt Cars on the mainsail to reduce it's friction.One note of caution to MKII models prior to Catalina ADDING a galvanic isolator...get one and install it! Without this the hot water heater is very much at risk of hundreds of pin holes; we speak, unfortunately, from experience.The factory installed Autohelm 4000 autopilot works well but the "band" at the wheel failed after 5 seasons of use; Raytheon says that this should be inspected annually and they repaired it for about $100. We use our autopilot at least 90% of our total time on the water and the 4000 has worked very well under all conditions including running wing on wing for extended periods.I must mention the only real concern about the wing keel model cradle. The aft portside pad pushes into the hull and creates "crazing" under the waterline; each owner needs to make certain that when their boat is pulled from the water that it is properly "bunked" on the cradle; it's not impossible to do this but...it's an extremely difficult job. We had our cradle extended and added 2 additional mid-boat pads to better "bunk" the boat and this has worked very well. Fin keel model 36's do not have this concern.
Sailing characterisitcs	We've done everything from simple day sails with just the main or just the head sail (the boat sails exceptionally well, by the way, with JUST the headsail) to overnight sails to long distance full Lake Michigan sails. The mainsail is a good choice of short handed night-time sailing as the boat will easily sail to windward at 5 knots in 15 knots of wind under just the mainsail
Motoring characterisitcs	The Univeral engine, with minimal attention, wil work forever!
Liveability	Very comfortable for 2 people for extended use.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Frank Butler personally addressed any issues I've had and I couldn't ask for more than that.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	The Fullbright family has owned Sail Place in Cedar Springs, Michigan, for 30 years; I've bought 4 Catalina's from them and have sold (no...the boats and the Fullbright's sold...I just directed) numerous boats. They're honest, fair, and are sailors themselves. They're without doubt Catalina's BEST dealer in the world!
Other comments	I am the Lake Michigan C-36 Fleet 12 Captain and also am a former founding member of LMCA. Our Catalina's are STRONG boats that will serve us well!

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