Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-14.2 by Peter Young

Year built	2003
Location of boat	Canyon Lake, TX
The boat is sailed on	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	2004
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Most defintely. This has been a great starter boat which I have yet to outgrow. Though Catalina claims it to be a family boat (2 adults, 2 kids), it can get pretty cramped. The ideal is one adult and a couple of kids, or 2 adults. You can manage with 2 adults and 2 kids (even 3) but you have to be pretty careful and patient.She is very responsive, yet relatively easy to sail. Rigging is simple, and easy to set up. I trailered for a few months before leaving at club - trailers very nicely.Appears to be very well built, love the self-bailing feature, and the new cubby is nice - watertight with a locking door.Am looking forward to racing in the fall regattas.
Gear that's been added	She came with a jib furler - very nice addition when winds get gusty and when coming in.I changed the traveller (added length and a couple of knots midway). Big improvement when close - keeps the boom parallel to the boat.Added a little block to the tip of the mast with a small (1/4") line with a snap on one end. I use it to hold the boom up when we anchor, as well as to hold the mast when I am stepping it down alone (because the forestay is part of the furling jib).Also made a little ladder out of wood and line - hook it onto the stern - makes it much easier to get back in the boat - which isn't easy without it!
Structural or complex improvements	None - there's no need to...
The boat's best features	Have a great, responsive dealer in Austin, TX. Parts are easily available. And, she's a very nice looking boat.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Had only one problem early on. We flipped and the boat turtled almost immediately. Turns out the mast wasn't properly sealed and took on water. My dealer re-sealed the mast (no charge). I haven't capsized since, so I don't know if this will prevent turtling.
Sailing characterisitcs	Great sailing in everything from 5 knots to 20 knots...
Motoring characterisitcs	None
Liveability
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Excellent.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	See above - everything has been great. Bought the boat new from the Austin Sailboat Shop. Highly recommended.
Other comments	Having a great time... next boat will hopefully be a 22 footer!

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