Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-18 by Tom Fuller

Year built	1987
Location of boat	Fox Lake, Illinois
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	2002
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, given the size lake I chose to sail on and keeping the boat at a slip. Having grown up sailing a Melges X boat and C scow, I decided, after many years to get back into sailing. Centerboard boats are fun, especially if you're young. At my age, it's a great feeling to be able to cleat the sheets, watch the lev-o-guage, and know the boat's not going to tip over. It would probably have been boring in my teenage sailing years. For now it's everything you could ask for in an 18 footer.
Gear that's been added	New Tohatsu 4 stroke, 4 H.P. It's quiet!
Structural or complex improvements	Having bought the boat in April, all it needed was a clean up and a coat of antifouling paint. The previous owners installed a furling jib. Hats off to the inventor of that idea.
The boat's best features	A very solid boat. Imperfections can be found in any make, model, year built. I focus on sailing, not worrying about trying to make it look new again. Although, it does look great for a 15 year old boat.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Everything works great.
Sailing characterisitcs	A breeze to sail. Over 20 knots I just use the main and she seems to not miss the jib at all in speed or performance. Points great. It's totally enjoyable to sail it.
Motoring characterisitcs	As mentioned, the 4 stroke, 4 H.P. works just fine. I like not having to keep a remote tank on board. It burns .4 gallon per hour at 3/4 throttle. The motor holds about 3/4 gallon. That's about 2 hours of cruising range. My idea is to use it as little as possible and keep the sails up instead.
Liveability	The cabin's a great place to store everything. I didn't buy it with the idea of living or sleeping on board, though I may sleep one night on it just to see how it is.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Didn't
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I purchased the boat through Bob at Sailing World in Fox Lake. Great advice, help and assistance in every detail. I'd recommend him to anyone in the area looking to buy a new/used sailboat.
Other comments	Time to go sailing!

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