Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 25 by Tom Miller

Year built	1981
Location of boat	Lake Charles, La
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
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	1980
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	YES! Actually I no longer have this boat. I sold it in 1993 and bought a 1985 Catalina 30 in 1994 which I still own. I had my 25 for 13 years and spent many great weekends solo and also sailing with and camping out with the wife and kids (2 daughters now grown). I think this boat cannot be beat for inland lake sailing and camping soling or with small family. It came new with a 7.5 Evenrude and I bought a 9hp Tahotsu in 1990 which worked great on the boat. I loved my 25 and if I ever go back down in size I will strongly consider it again!
Gear that's been added	I added a topping lift which was a great help with reefing and I made a larger and stronger outboard bracket for the Tahotsu engine as it weighed about 20 lbs. more than the Evinrude.
Structural or complex improvements
The boat's best features
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.
Sailing characterisitcs
Motoring characterisitcs
Liveability
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments