Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 36 by Bret Meyer

Year built	1989
Location of boat	Treasure Island, FL
The boat is sailed on	Open ocean
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
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?	Most definitely. There is no builder that can put more space into the LOA than Catalina. My wife and I, along with two dogs, have spent many a weekend on the boat and I will be racing it across the Gulf of Mexico on April 25th, 2008 in the Regata Del Sol Al Sol (Tampa Bay to Isla Mujeres, MX.) That is confidence.
Gear that's been added	I've added a "stack pack" sailing system from Doyle (awesome lazy jack/sail cover combo), new electronics (Raymarine Speed/Log, Wind); battery "fuel guage"; etc. Anything that can help with long distance passages.
Structural or complex improvements	Nothing in this line.
The boat's best features	Ease of handling and interior space.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Hmmm. The HNS Dylan Forbes is just about 20 years old, and I had an annoying leak that was getting into the cabin deck. Found it was a single screw on the companion way cover. Can't hardly complain on a boat of this age, but it is cured.
Sailing characterisitcs	The boat runs like a thoroughbred at 60 degrees off the wind. You can feel her really want to run at that point. While I have sailed as close as 30 degrees, I can tell it's pinching pretty tight that close. Easy to single hand with an auto pilot. I've also been sailing for over 20 hours in 35-45 knot winds (one gust was registered at 57.4 knots). While I don't recommend going out in a Catalina 36 voluntarily in those winds, it got us through.
Motoring characterisitcs	I've often wished she had a bit more than the Universal 25XP, but not critical.
Liveability	A couple could live on board for extented periods of time if they were so inclined. We've loved the weekends spent on her.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Have not had to yet.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	These are popular boats - the biggest selling 36er ever. They don't last long on the market with a fair price.
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