Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 27 by Frank Burst

Year built	1977
Location of boat	Lake Ontario
The boat is sailed on	The Great Lakes
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	1994
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, I got my monies worth. I should have looked at other boats and talked to others concerning a gas vs diesel engine. I have a gas and it requires much maintenance. I have looked at other 27-30 ft. boats and most are better built than the Cat 27. The galley is useless as is the fore berth if only for children of midgets. The head is too small and there is little storage. I think the Sabre 28 is a much better built and designed boat. I will keep mine since I've gotten use to it and know it well. If I cruised more I would trade up.
Gear that's been added	No
Structural or complex improvements	No
The boat's best features	It cheap and performs well. It's okay for limited cruising for two.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Jell coat has numerous stress cracks. Battery storage is poor and hard to get at. Working on the engine is a nightmare. You need a set of mirrors or arms 6' long. The port locker is impossible for a large person to enter thus you can't get at that side of the engine.The ice box gobbles ice. It's poorly insulated.
Sailing characterisitcs	It a hearty boat in 15-20 MPH wind. I just upgrade the genoa to 153 so it should perform better in light wind.
Motoring characterisitcs	I blew a hole in the exhaust pipe and water drained in the hull through the reinforced rubber tail section. Quite a nightmare. Poorly designed.
Liveability	Okay for two.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I have ordered a few parts. They were fine to deal with. I appreciate the fact that they support older boats.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments

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