Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 400 by Michael Froelich

Year built	2004
Location of boat	Channel Islands, CA
The boat is sailed on	Open ocean
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	16-22 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2005
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely.
Gear that's been added	I added adjustable genoa cars that dramatically increased my ability to fine tune the genoa. Also a Gori 3 Blade Folding Prop. This boat was exceptionally equipped when purchased.
Structural or complex improvements	No
The boat's best features	From a sailing standpoint, I find this boat sails easily and with great comfort and speed. I regularly single hand for day sails along the California coast.The interior is laid out very well with plenty of living and entertaining space as well as storage space. Extremely comfortable.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Nothing major. I have noticed small "spyder" cracking in the gel coat around cleats. I understand this is quite common and not structural.
Sailing characterisitcs	I sail in everything between 5 knots of wind to 30 kts. I am most impressed with performance in lite wind. It is not uncommon for me to have 5 knots of boat speed with 6 or 8 knots of true wind. Of coarse, I would rather sail a beam reach in 16 to 18 knots of wind. The boat will easily make hull speed and more.
Motoring characterisitcs	The 56 H.P. Yanmar powers the boat with relative ease. The engine noise is a bit more than I would desire but all in all I am O.K. with it.
Liveability	My wife and I spend most weekends on "Windfall". Whether we are at the dock or sitting at an anchorage or mooring we find her to be very comfortable.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	This is the third Catalina Yacht I have purchased. I have never had the need to contact Catalina directly although I have heard that Frank Butler is very responsive to customer concerns.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	All my dealings have been with by dealer, Bob Nahm, Catalina Yacht Anchorage, Channel Islands, CA. He has treated me well and I would not hesitate to purchase again from him.
Other comments	My experience with Catalina has been quite good. I have looked at the other production sailboats out there, at boat shows, and find even though other manufacturers may have some new innovative designs and concepts, I would tend to stick with what works for me. I appreciate the traditional looks of the Catalina line.

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