Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 400 by William T. Allen

Year built	2001
Location of boat	North Myrtle Beach, S. C.
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	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2001
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, I love this boat. I bought it new in May 2001. I went to the factory in Largo, Florida twice while it was under construction. I had everything installed at the factory..auto pilot, Panda Genset, A/C, Radar, chartplotter, extended bimni, in mast fuller, electric aft head, inverter, electric windless, electric winch. I go to the boat shows and look at other boats and my Catalina 400 wins hands down for me.
Gear that's been added	No, did it all at the factory and Warren Pandy(known as "Skip") is super. Called him several times with questions and he is great. You would think he was related to Frank Butler.
Structural or complex improvements	No. Boat is strong.
The boat's best features	I used the boat from May 2001 till May 2007 in Deerfield Beach, FL (Ft. Lauderdale). In 2003 we took it up the ICW to Myrtle Beach, SC. In May 2007 we relocated it to Myrtle Beach. Therefore, we have made the ICW trip from Florida to SC three times. The boat is very comfortable. I agree with all the other positive comments of the others Catalina 400 owners.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	This is not Catalina's problem. I bought a Panda SC 4000 genset because I thought I was going more to the Bahammas from Florida which did not work out. I thought if I ever sold the boat it would be a plus for another owner who might spend more time on the hook and want to run both A/C's. I spend most of my time in a marina with electric. I spent $ 10,000 for the genset and repairs have been about $ 4,000 - $ 6,000 over the last seven years. I used it on the hook maybe three times. I run it every week under load to keep it operational. However, the zinc gets clogged which I have replaced four times at $ 500 plus labor. I have some friends with 40-50 foot power boats and their gensets are more quiet, less expensive and have given less problems. If you decide to add a genset, do your homework. I didn't.
Sailing characterisitcs	I have Hull#233 which is a MK II. It has a wing kell with a 5' 9" draft. When you go aground--you are aground!!. If Boat US is too far away, just sit back and get something cold to drink and wait for the tide to rise. I know Catalina is now offering the 400 in a 4 foot or so draft. However, when you are in the Ocean with 20 knots and 4-5 foot seas, you can just plow through those waves. The 5'9" draft and 20,500 pounds is great. You feel the stability and really feel safe and solid. In our trips on the ICW you do have some 4 foot spots on low tide(mainly in Ga.) but you just travel mid to high tide and put into a marina on low water.
Motoring characterisitcs	I love the 56 Yanmar. I have just over 1,000 hours on it and it is a real work horse. The impeller is hard to change. I may cut a door in the side panel that other 400 owners have done to make it eaiser. Mainsheet had a good article on doing this modification. In May 2007 before my last trip up the ICW from Florida to S.C. I changed my three blade prop for an Autoprop. I had looked and reviewed the folding props at the boat shows for about three years. I do get 20-25% more boat speed under power with the AutoProp.
Liveability	Great. I have four homes and five cars. However, I could live on this boat and be happy. Only major change I have made is the mattress. Nothing wrong with the Catalina mattress since it has an interspring. When I had my boat in SC in 2003 I took my Catalina mattress to my mattress factory(I make 100,0000 mattress a year) and took it apart. I took it to the Beneteau factory in Marion, SC(70 miles from my mattress factory) and told them that I almost bought their Beneteau 410 but I was not going to pay $250,000 for a sailboat and sleep on a piece of foam. They saw my point and we have been making a higher quality interspring mattress for Beneteau for almost four years now. I sleep on a 14" mattress and I made the same unit which is 8" mattress for both the forward and aft cabins of my Catalina 400. I wanted to sell them to Catalina but the transportation cost from SC to Florida just would not allow the numbers to work.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Outstanding!!! The Largo factory has been great. While I have never met Frank Butler I have read a lot about him. I am a CPA and have had several hundred people to manage at many times in my 40 years of working. Frank's policy of personally handling all compliants is great. He keeps informed on what equipment is working or not working. He can determine if the concern is a product or workmanship. He is "inspecting" what he "Expects" That kind of attention to quality is how he has established such an outstanding sailboat company like Catalina.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Bought the Boat through Eastern Yacht Sales in West Palm Beach, Fl. They did a great job commissioning the boat.Fokke DeJong did a great job and has been a source to answer my many questions after the sale.
Other comments	My Catalina 400 was my first sailboat. I got into sailing in my 50's so I did not have time to trade up like most sailors do. I had to buy what I wanted and learn how to sail it. I almost bought the 470 which would have been way to much for a first boat. I got a lot of advice from many and I did my homework for two years before I decided. I was very impressed with the quality of the boat and the equipment on the Catalina. I often heard sailors say..."You can always sell a Catalina" That says it all for me because it is true.

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