Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 22 by Frank Taylor

Year built	1979
Location of boat	Lake Erie
The boat is sailed on	The Great Lakes
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	16-22 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. I've owned numerous boats over the years with all types of keels, including fixed, shoal draft, wing, and swing keels. I find the swing keel on this boat to be comparable to the others. Also, the boat is easy to sail single handed and for a couple, can be camped on over a weekend quite comfortably. All things considered, I rank this particular boat as the best of the six boats I've had to date. The other boats included a Hunter, a Chrysler, a Soveregin, and a Clipper and a Cape Dory.
Gear that's been added	When I bought this boat it just about had everything one could want - cockpit cushions, lifelines, a special kick-up rudder, pop top with camper cover, etc. But I am planning on adding a bimini or dodger. Perhaps new sails.
Structural or complex improvements	No, but the previous owner had a kick-up rudder made for it and it works very well.
The boat's best features	The best feature of this boat is the fact that I can trailer it anywhere, thus, extending my sailing options. I also currently own a Cape Dory 24, which is a full keel boat that has to be hoisted into and out of the water and kept in a very expensive slip. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that the bigger one's boat is the less one actually goes sailing. With the Catalina 22 I go sailing at the drop of a hat. For instance, I regularly travel between three lakes in the immediate area and I'm planning a trip to North Carolina this year to sail in the intercoastal waterway. My full keel boat is up for sale. Don't let anyone fool you, the Catalina 22 has plenty of room in the cabin for weekending and even extended vacations. I've been on much larger boats but frankly, those people sail less and can't really go anywhere else. By the way, I never have to pay for a hotel room while I'm on the road with the boat! Any campground is fine, the boat doubles as an rv while on land.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	My boat was built in 1979. It has stood up extremely well. I plan to replace the standing rigging and when I do I will upgrade it to slightly stronger material. Although this boat is essentially a day sailor, because I'm experienced, I like to sail in wind stronger than 15 mph. I do get a little water in the bilge, but that what my electeric pump is for.
Sailing characterisitcs	I've sailed the boat in both light and strong wind. In light wind it'll ghost along just fine. In heavy wind reef down and enjoy the ride. The boat really likes wind between 12-18 mph and simply rocks when on its line. The jokers who regularly blast by my 5000lb Cape Dory were quite surprised to see me smoke them on the Catalina 22. Its a very forgiving boat to sail and can be easily single-handed if set up correctly.
Motoring characterisitcs	My 6 hp Johnson sea horse motor moves it around just fine. But here's something to consider - always have an oar handy just in case. Once, my motor did conk out and I had to paddle back to the dock using my oar. It took awhile but the boat moved along just fine. I wouldn't want to try in heavy wind though.
Liveability	People are always looking at larger boats due to the "liveability" factor. I went down that road but now I see the error of my ways. Imagine trying to take your 27-35 foot (or even bigger) boat with you on vacation. No doubt a larger boat is more comfortable while tied up at the slip, but its also much, much, more expensive. And that expense tends to grow with the length of your boat. In a decade of sailing, I've never paid less than $2000 per year to keep my boat in a marina (remember you'll have to pay winter storage). When you're sailing you want to be in the cockpit anyway, so all the supposed comfort gains of a larger boat are moot. The Catalina 22 has a very comfortable cockpit which will accomodate up to four adults. I'm a six foot tall 250 pound guy and I find the boat's interior very liveable - especially with the pop-top up. I can sleep, with my wife, in either the forward v berth or the birth which converts from the table. But to make the boat even more comfortable I put a folding section of wood between the two quarter berths and convert the entire inside of the boat into a giant berth, using the cockpit cushions. The galley is functional and you can cook on it. The sink isn't of much use however, but you can wash dishes in one of the plastic tubs you'll use to store dishware in. No way I can squeeze into the area where to porta potty is though, I have to move it out to the middle of the cabin. You may move up to a larger boat, but if you love to travel, sail, and camp, you'll miss your old Catalina 22. Why not take that money you'd spend on marina fees and go on vacation?
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	The Catalina 22 is possibly the most popular sailboat ever produced in large numbers - you can get parts for it anywhere.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I've purchased boats from private owners and from brokers and I've been satisfied with both. I highly recommend "The Sailboat House" in Madison "Strictly Sail" in Omaha, or "Sailing World" in Fox Lake IL., if you're interested in a trailer sailor. These are honest people who work for a living and love to sail. I've purchased boats from all of them and been very happy.
Other comments	Its a keeper!

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