Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 380 by Rick Beauregard

Year built	1999
Location of boat	Long Beach
The boat is sailed on	Open ocean
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?	No regrets. But I might buy a slightly older C42 if I had to do over again.
Gear that's been added	I added blocks to reduce friction on the reefing system. Xantrex 1500 inverter. Original charger is still operating as a backup. Original owner added dodger & bimini, electronics, etc. I replaced the radio with a Uniden VHF and wireless WHAM mike. Great addition with no wiring necessary. I use Weaver davits to store and carry my dinghy. I added Garhauer genoa sheet lead adjuster. These are great for adjusting and fine tuning the genoa leads under load to imporve sailing performance. Also Garhauer kayak mounts. Engine compartment insulation.
Structural or complex improvements	None
The boat's best features	We love the walk-through transom and below deck layout. Some shy away because of the head clearance in the aft cabin, but it is not really a problem. We like the bunk along the centerline and wouldn't go with the athwarts arrangement now offered in the 387.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Catalina stock sails. My gennie came unraveled and wrapped around the forestay. I like the Dutchman system, but fear the sail might tear. The monofilament does not last. I replaced with spectra line. Too much friction raising the main. The Maxwell Freedom windlass is a bad design. Nice idea going rope to chain, but the enclosed rode can be dangerous. New models have double anchor rollers. Not nearly enough fuel capacity. This is fine for weekend cruises, but I'll need mucho jerry cans for Mexico.
Sailing characterisitcs	The boat sails great with the wind up over 10 knots. If I have whitecaps, I can be competitive in a club race. Great reaching boat. Downwind sailing, not a problem, but she's no sled.
Motoring characterisitcs	Motors 7+ knots @ 2700 rmp. Backs very well with the three blade. I considered a feathering or folding prop, but the cost is not worth it.
Liveability	Very comfortable. I love the aft cabin. Shower/wet locker. Holding tanks capacity is adaquate for our uses, as is water capacity. We sail 3-10 day trips, about 50 days a year, almost always overnighters at anchor or moorings at Catalina. The galley is very functional. The larger referidgerator might be nice as in the newer boats, but we manage. More storage woould be nice if e planned to go on longer trips.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Have worked with Catalina on some issues, since my broker is defunct. Their responsiveness has been great on some issues. Hard to reach on others.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Dealt with broker. He worked hard to make the deal happen. Now out of business.
Other comments	This is the perfect boat for cruising to Catalina and Southern California. It is perfectly seaworthy to accomplish more ambitions trips with a few mods.

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