Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 34mkII by Mario Pasquini

Year built	2002
Location of boat	Milford, CT
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
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?	Yes....maybe, the 36...though.
Gear that's been added	Yes, the Gori prop. About to install the Snake River Ultra tank monitoring system to monitor the holding and fresh water tanks.
Structural or complex improvements	No
The boat's best features	All accessories that are needed are installed for comfortable short term cruising(1-2 months). Neat installation of all equipment. The boat is dry and comfortable in winds to 22 knots. With 3 bladed prop, it powers through a chop, easily. The sail combo is fine for typical cruising coditions of LI Sound and the waters of New England.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Main Sheet blocking not enough...in 24 Knot winds and one reef in, getting the main in to make a gybe in a safe way, was not possible. pulling in the main sheet so the boom was over the center line of the boat was not possible by hand. Therefore the boom could only be pulled in to about a 15 degree angle to the centerline and the gybe was completed be altering course until the boom came over on to the other tack. A leak developed after the boat was not even used 6 month in the port rear lower chain plate rod. This was due to an improper application of sealant on the lower rod plate which was left unsealed for about 1 inch, allowing water to penetrate into the boat. The companionway hatch was not fitted properly and could not be opened without sticking terribly. The dealer had to rework it twice.
Sailing characterisitcs	The boat does not point very well, it tacks through about 100 degrees. This was somewhat expected with a wing keel and crusing jib. Generally this is acceptable when cruising since no one i know tacks when cruising, they motor. But when daysailing, it is somewhat disconcerting. I've reefed the boat, solo sailing and the boat sails well reefed. The boat is no rocket but is adequate in the typical wind conditions of 10 to 18 knots. I have a "Stack Pack" mainsail which works well and better than the Dutchman that is standard with the boat. But I think I'd choose the furling main system in the future...I think it's a good deal and easier yet, for solo sailing
Motoring characterisitcs	The 3 bladed Gori prop is the best...It gives the advantages of a 3 bladed prop without the drag and it's price is significantly better than the Autoprop and other feathering ang folding props.
Liveability	It really needs more clothing storage space to be more liveable. More drawers, closets, and food storge space. All our clothes for a 2 week vacation are stored in duffle bags because there's no where else to put them. They're put on the bunks and have to be shuffled around constantly to get them out of the way....I'd make the boat have slightly less "Open Space", and put more shelves and closets in there.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	The Engineering and customer service departments was poor...I called about the leak and some other things and they were NOT customer friendly. The Parts Department was adequate...delivering what I needed, in a reasonable period of time.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I bought the boat, new, from Hellier Yacht Sales in New London, CT. There are excellent!! They had some warantee issues to handle and did it without a hassle for me...They're great, and if I could, I'd buy another boat from them.
Other comments	I still like it!

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