Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina Capri-18 by steve bender

Year built	1987
Location of boat	carlyle, illinois
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2014
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	absolutely, in fact i wish i had bought one years ago
Gear that's been added	she was pretty well equipped, with a nice merc 4 hp with low hours. cockpit cushions, cdi furler, two anchors with chain and rode and sunbrella boom tent
Structural or complex improvements	nope she is in like new condition
The boat's best features	speed and stability, she also has a very roomy cabin and a very nice interior
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	not really crazy about the mainsheet controls and i am looking for alternatives. i have learned to live with it though
Sailing characterisitcs	she is fast and quickly makes 4 plus knots in very little wind. we have had her over 6 knots and thats with a worn out original mainsail. she points much better than i thought she would and exhibits very little weather helm, she leaves a straight wake for the rudder and holds a course with ease.
Motoring characterisitcs	no problem makes hull speed at half throttle with 4 hp
Liveability	she has a lot of room for an 18 but i havent spent a night aboard yet
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	i think my catalina is a very well built boat with nice attention to detail. shes quick and extremely stable. the cockpit has very nice room and is super comfortable. i cant find much to fault. she is a bit of work to rig but i can still step the mast by hand( walking it up) and im 62. without the furled jib its a breeze. when i get a little older i might have to give up on the jib furler and just go to a hank on for that reason but for now its nice to have the furler (thats what she says). i have no trouble trailer and launching the boat with my 2 wd s-10 but without the extendable tongue it would be a pain. she fits in my garage, barely, with an 8 foot door. all in all a great boat and a beauty to boot

Contact
About
Terms of Use