Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 25 by Ian Macfadyen

Year built	1981
Location of boat	Portage Des Sioux, MO
The boat is sailed on	Rivers
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1998
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes I would, this is a very easy boat to solo, especially since I add a custom electric keel winch. Excellent bang for the buck, well built and it keeps up the newer boats.
Gear that's been added	In 2000 I designed; built and installed a custom electric keel winch that is operated from the cockpit (also prevents accidental snapping of keel cable). Recently I have added a second battery bank w/dual charger to support an AC inverter to run the DVD/TV and Satellite. Life is good.
Structural or complex improvements	Custom electric keel winch.
The boat's best features	Ease of use (Solo), head room (popup top), great river boat, excellent bang for the buck.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Nothing significant.
Sailing characterisitcs	Sailing on the river provides for a wide range of sailing conditions. She handles gale force winds very nicely(storm jib and reefed main). I have had the cockpit rail in the water(60deg. heel, no reefing) and she rides herself with ease. I like the steering response whether in strong winds, shifty winds or light air. The swing keel is great for the shallow places.
Motoring characterisitcs	I have motored the better part of 60 miles up the Mississippi (to the historic town of Clarksville, MO) more than once. It has great performance with approx. 3knt current(9.9HPMerc.).
Liveability	Great of 2 people.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Excellent. Parts are cheep and available direct.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	Best purchase I have ever made.

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