Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 27 by Mark

Year built	1987
Location of boat	Hobart Australia
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
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	2006
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely
Gear that's been added	Boombag, Dodger, winch covers, fly screens.
Structural or complex improvements	No
The boat's best features	Space!! Cockpit is far more spacious than any similar sized boat. Lots of room below .
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Minor chainplate and hatch leaks. Nothing a little sealant wouldn't fix.
Sailing characterisitcs	Sails well downwind and acceptably to windward. A little easily overpowered to windward. Need to reef early to maintain balance. Races well.
Motoring characterisitcs	Universal 14 has not missed a beat. Pushes into 20 knot headwind no problem. A tendency to cavitate at hull speed under motor. Will cruise at 6 - 7 knots. Low fuel consumption.
Liveability	We have 3 snall children. V berth for the 2 older ones, Port settee with lee cloth for the 3 yr. old, starboad double for mum and dad. quarter berth for storage!! As with any small boat, storage is at a premium, creative solutions are called for.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	We hve one of the few Catalinas in our part of the world. We get many envious lookers.