Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 27 by Chris Junker

Year built	1976
Location of boat	Muskegon, MI
The boat is sailed on	The Great 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	2000
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, my Catalina 27 was a good buy for our family and was an excellent starter boat for us.
Gear that's been added	GPS. Will probably add a bimini this year.
Structural or complex improvements	Starboard bulkhead replaced because of rot, mast post replaced because of rot. Working on leaks - this seems to be a never ending story. Had initially huge issues with the Atomic 4 but have them resolved now. Will need to rewire the boat.
The boat's best features	The boat is tons of fun to sail, especially on a nice beam reach in 15...18-kts of wind. It is very well balanced (standard rig, tiller), experience very very little weather helm. Large aft rudder lets the boat turn on the spot and also allows for easy handling in light winds.The boat is very spacious.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	V-berth is good for my two boys and for storage.I wish the deck hardware would be a bit more beefy.
Sailing characterisitcs	Fairly quick boat for the age and size. Very forgiving. Best on a beam reach. Points nicely upwind. Hull shape is ideal for seas to about 5-ft, above she tends to ride up on the waves too much.
Motoring characterisitcs	Atomic 4 is enough to push the boat decently.
Liveability	Perfect for a weekend or a week alone. Easy to heat.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	N/A
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	N/A
Other comments	We were looking for a starter boat for a family of four. Single handed sailing needed to be possible. The Catalina 27 was the right choice for us.

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