Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-16.5 by Joe Statt

Year built	1999
Location of boat	Cincinnati, Ohio
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	2006
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes! It is a marvelously stable craft. I recently took it out on Lake Erie for a cruise from Ohio to Canada. We started out in 4-6 foot waves in 20-30 knot winds. It was a blast! The boat was stable and predictable. We made good time even though we got pretty wet and had to spill a lot of wind during gusts. The down side wat the amount of water that flowed in through the centerboard trunk. I've emailed Catalina to see if this is a common problem. Perhaps the seals are worn.
Gear that's been added	None yet.
Structural or complex improvements	none
The boat's best features	Light, easily trailered. Good stable craft.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Centerboard seals aren't working too well. I don't know if this is an age or design problem. I have noticed that the centerboard does not easily retract fully into the centerboard trunk. You have to really push on the centerboard fitting to get it to fully retract. If you don't do this, a few inches of the centerboard remains sticking our of the bottom, possibly affecting the seals over a period of time. This may be the cause of so much water entering the trunk in heavy weather.
Sailing characterisitcs	I previously had a Thistle. I think it pointed into the wind a little better. The Capri is easy to rig and sail.
Motoring characterisitcs	None
Liveability	None, unless you are a very short dwarf.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Purchased from private owner.
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