Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-18 by Matt McCarroll

Year built	1988
Location of boat	Crab Orchard Lake, IL
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2005
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely, although that was only a couple months ago.
Gear that's been added	I added a wisker pole, a portable head and a new cleat on the downhaul (old one slipped). Items upgraded before I purchased include CDI roller reefing on headsail, 135% genoa, new tiller with extension, new Garlick outboard mount and tracks/cam cleats for genoa use outside of shrouds. Also, a fish/depth finder had been added with a through-hull transducer.
Structural or complex improvements	Will be adding swim ladder ASAP.
The boat's best features	A very nice and comfortable boat for the money (at least for me). We have been out with as many as 6 people and while a little crowded was still a good day out in 20 kt+ winds. Very comfortable with 4 adults. The quality of the boat seems very good. Even the "unfinished" parts aft of the births are reasonable finished and of high quality. All hardware is very solid and well finished. For an 18' boat the cabin is perfect. For daysailing it has a lot of storage and room to escape from the weather. We haven't slept on the boat yet, but it would be very comfortable for 2 adults and a kid. It obviously doesn't compare to larger cabin boats, but shouldn't be. It was designed for overnighting, although I could imagine a well organized pair doing extending cruises in the space.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	It would have been nice it the rear stay and the main sheet were in the center of the boat instead of slightly starboard. My motor is mounted on the same side and it makes it a little crowded, especialy when starting the motor. Not a big deal though. Since there is no traveler and the main sheet is attached off center, it does require a slight adjustment of the main with each tack, since it is not symmetric.
Sailing characterisitcs	I have little in the way of comparisons, except for an older C-22. The boat must be very forgiving, as I am just learning and seem to be doing ok. It does reasonably well in light winds (5-10) and is actually reasonable competitive in handicapped fleets. Anything less than a steady 5 kt and I wish I had a 150%. Anything more than 15 can justify reefing, at least at my skill level. It seems that hull speed can be hit with only 10-15 kt winds. I have been out once unreefed in 20 kt winds and the boat did fine, as I had a very experienced crew telling me what to do. The boat does have a strong weather helm and tends to round up when overpowered. The boat is really stable and capsizing would likely require wind and the right wave. I broached once in a comming T. Storm and while it was very intense the boat rounded up and righted before water came over the rail. The boat does have positive floatation, but I hope not to test it.
Motoring characterisitcs	I have a 4 hp 2-stroke that works fine. It moves along at hull speed at less than full throtle. I use the tiller to steer and lock the motor straight and this works well. In REALLY tight spots I have turned both, but this is usually unnecessary. The boat glides really far and I usually kill the motor at least 100' or so from the dock and coast in.
Liveability	I think a good analogy is to compare a VW camper van to a 30' RV. We have a weekender eurovan and the sleeping arrangements are similar. There is definately ample room to sleep comfortably, but it is "camping", not "living". There is definately ample room for me to sit comfortably in the cabin (6'1")and with the front hatch open the ventilation is usually very good. We haven't slept in it yet but will any day now.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I have had a couple of questions and contacted Catalina directly. There were extremely helpful. I used the web contact form and someone called me on my cell phone in a couple hours. This is incredible service for a multiple owner of a 17 yr old boat, since they obviously don't really owe me a thing.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	The boat trailers very easily and the mast is not very difficult to step. 2 people can do it very easily. It is a great small cabin boat. We have already received many compliments on the boat. Ours doesn't looked near its age.

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