Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 22mkII by tomD

Year built	2000
Location of boat	Western Canada
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	Yes
Owner bought the boat in	2002
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	This has been a very good boat overall. It would buy it again because it can live in the Real World, ie I can afford it, it can handle the waters I sail. It is sort of a small SUV of the sailing world.
Gear that's been added	Wiring to battery from aft for recharging from OB
Structural or complex improvements	no
The boat's best features	It sails well, and when the wind overpowers the sail plan, it rounds up dry. During races this boat held its own with a pickup crew, in 25 knot winds under full main and 110 jib. It is a simple rig.Mast raising system works well enough, I usually do this on my own, after "too much assistance" from people that are not aware of the procedure.I camped on it for two weeks, during which there was a 3 day cruise with two others in rainy windy weather, and it was great. The poptop tent was a big hit
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The poptop tent is not mosquito proof without toiletpaper strips padded along the contacts.The keel cable hole brings water into the bilges. the water pools in lockers instead of draining away to the bilge, so the groceries get wet: solved with plastic trays.I have bent two turbuckles on the sidestays from mast raising, they seem to hang up.the tiller handle is about 8 inches too long.
Sailing characterisitcs	With factory sailplan of 110 jib and main, it is leisurely in light airs. In 12-16 knots is is corky and fast, sails like my old dinghy. In 16-25 knot winds it stiffens up once heeled over, sails fast (7 knots), but you have to be on top of it. One reef in main plus 110 jib is a nice combo in 20 knots, but lively. The cockpit is dry.
Motoring characterisitcs	Using a 6 hp Nissan long leg and electric head, single cylinder 4 stroke. If you take the time to neutralize the direction of the thrust with the tiller, it motors well at 3/4 throttle. Motoring upwind in rollers and 25 knots+, the 6 hp is tapped out, you make about 2 knots. Good to remember if you are docking in high winds--6 hp is the MINIMUM horsepower for control. It pushes along at about 5 knots with the 6 hp on flat water.
Liveability	The veeberth was just fine for me (6' male)by myself. The best berth is the port salon berth. Headroom is barely there but just fine. tiny table is minimal for cribbage or scrabble and for dining, use your lap: I ate off the cooler lid. The little butane stove was a delight and worked well and safely. The poptop makes it a cruiser with standup room. I place a board across the cockpit seats and place a camping BBQ on it for cooking, it slides fore and aft. Pull it in close to the hatchway for cooking from inside, BBQ out of the wind! Worked slick, better than pushpit mount, no one got wet and the BBQ had a chance in the wind. Condensation was greatly reduced by the poptop screens.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I deal thru my representative.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Good service, slow but reliable responses (but then he's away sailing half the time!)Good inventory and total knowledge of these boats.
Other comments	Anchoring is simple with the locker forward. The lighting kit all worked well. sink and its drainage is more hopeless than the table--recommend using a washbasin in the cockpit. One battery seems to do well enough. The water and water pump into the sink is dinky and hard to use for large volumes of water: recommend re-routing the waterpump from the reservoir to the cockpit with a higher volume pump directly on the watercube. I just use a watercube.

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