Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 22 by Robert Bemben

Year built	1991
Location of boat	Spanish, Ontario
The boat is sailed on	The Great Lakes
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2006
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, it's a good buy. Inexpensive and flexible way to get out sailing on the Great Lakes.
Gear that's been added	Heavy-duty tiller and tiller straps, new halyards, delta anchor, additional reefing points to mainsail, pop-top gas spring kit, jiffy reef system, tiller stay kit (poor man's autopilot), shore power system, and my favorite tool: Color GPS chartplotter.
Structural or complex improvements	Not really necessary. The 1991 boat has a low-maintenance wing keel, so I didn't have to deal with swing keel repairs/maintenance. Bottom was already refinished (epoxy). Reseated the mast step with epoxy this year; I suppose that is structural. Basically, the boat was sailable from the start, so I sailed 750 miles the first year out on Lake Michigan!
The boat's best features	Built sturdy enough to handle big water and waves. Lots of space - so it can be sailed over a weekend with crew (my family). Lots of information and support available for this model ... and parts/kits. Relatively inexpensive to maintain compared to other sailboats. Trailerable. Storable in my pole barn. Lots of nice teak trim on these older boats!
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Sliding hatch makes screeching noise occasionally and is prone to corner breakage.
Sailing characterisitcs	I've put this boat through its paces in big Lake Michigan waves and wind. It's performed just fine. On a beam reach tiller pressure is fairly high. Some sailors have corrected this with better rudder designs (some of them not race legal, but who cares if you're cruising) - expensive though, so that can wait. In heavy air I reef the mainsail early and use a 110 roller furling jib. The boat performs much better reefed like this - lighter helm yet drives through the weather nicely with good speed. Gennaker is nice and improves performance significantly in light winds.
Motoring characterisitcs	I have an older 9.9hp Johnson Sailmaster that can power the boat through anything the big lakes can deliver. Most C22 owners use smaller engines, e.g. 5 or 6hp engines. The 9.9 is heavy (85 lb. or so) and makes the boat a big stern heavy. But sometimes I need the extra hp.
Liveability	Well, with family the pop top with cover is essential, and it is crucial to organize the cabin thoroughly, utilizing under-seat storage that is plentiful. 2-3 days maximum without a marina stop for showers and a restaurant, I'd say!
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Haven't dealt with Catalina. The parts supplier "Catalina Direct" is helpful for parts/kits and advice. So are the various forums (e.g. "Chip's List").
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
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