Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 400 by Michael Weiss

Year built	2001
Location of boat	United States
The boat is sailed on	Open ocean
How the boat is used	Multi-week coastal cruising
Normal wind strength	Press here to select
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	Yes
Owner bought the boat in	2001
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Probably not. I think the C-445 would have been a better choice had it been available at the time.
Gear that's been added	Radar, Gennaker with ATN sock, ST 6001 Autopilot, AIS receiver, Balmar 100-amp alternator, 4 Trojan T-145 6-volt batteries for house and digital voltmeter/ammeter readouts. 2000-watt Inverter. Separate 40-amp smart charger. Added sliding track on boom for easier outhaul operation. Added Forespar davits for 10ft dinghy tender. Added St. Croix dinghy engine lift. Added the Wichard gybe preventer system to boom-works very well! Also added noise reduction panels for engine compartment. Added LED cockpit lighting and interior lighting. Added ice-maker.
Structural or complex improvements	2 additional #40 Lewmar winches mounted near #58 primaries to allow for single handed sailing from either helm. This freed up the forward #40s for traveler operation and spinnaker halyard. Added Mermaid 16,000 BTU reverse cycle AC. Added 3.5KW generator.
The boat's best features	Ease of sailing, stability in rough offshore conditions, huge cockpit, spacious interior.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Year 2 of ownership we discovered that the top and bottom rudder bearings were improperly installed at factory. Had to drop rudder and replace bearings/marelon sleeves. Catalina was not helpful. Year 5, I discovered that one of the helms steering systems had been mis-routed (at factory)causing severe chaffing of steel cable-lucky to have caught it when I did. As mentioned by others, various stern gelcoat cracks, minor Lewmar port leaks and poor access to impeller. Limited storage space. Stove has 3 small burners which should have been changed to 2 large or 1-lg and 1-sm. Fridge/freezer could have been larger.
Sailing characterisitcs	Have sailed hull #210 from Maine to Mexico. Spent 3 months cruising in the Bahamas from Georgetown to Marsh Harbor. It is a well balanced sail plan. With 135% genoa, I usually start to reef around 22kts. In-mast furling system has worked well 99% of the time. The key is to furl it in correctly with some tension for a clean wrap. Reaching in 15-19kts easily yields speeds through the water around 8kts.
Motoring characterisitcs	56hp Yanmar has been very reliable and easy to maintain other than the impeller location. With a fixed 3-bladed prop, my fuel consumption estimates are .5 gph at 1500rpm, .75 at 2000rpm and 1.0gal 2400rpm. I don't usually exceed 2400rpm except for routine engine performance tests/checks. Backing is satisfactory. The boats 44-gal internal fuel tank should have been replaced with a 60-gal one.
Liveability	Not a perfect live-aboard design but I have made it very comfortable. I have the uncommon 3-cabin version and have turned the port-aft cabin in to a nice storage room. I rarely use the forward head so it makes a great hanging closet and storage unit when necessary. The reverse cycle AC keeps the boat dry and mildew-free.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	My one experience was less than enthusiastic, but fortunately I've had few problems since.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	If properly equipped and with good weather planning, the C-400 can be a fine offshore cruiser. The 5ft9in wing keel requires extra diligence on ICW and cruising in the Bahamas.

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