Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 27 by Jeff Batson

Year built	1984
Location of boat	Lake Lanier, GA
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1998
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Definately. We looked in the mid 20s and look evrything we were looking for except an extra 2 feet for 1/2 the price. We routinely sleep over with spouse and 2 kids and do not feel crowded. She sails well, but we have not raced.
Gear that's been added	Propane grill Bottom paint job Topside paint (dark blue hull looks great) Cruise-Air Lighting fixtures in salon
Structural or complex improvements	No, except repair of cosmetic blisters.
The boat's best features	Low price Easy sailing Tremendous room for 27 feet Good owners association Lots of advice from the numerous Cat27 owners in the area The BEST cockpit room (this is where everyone hangs out) Can easily sleep 2-3 adults, plus 2 children Head Pretty lines Cheap to maintain Decent electrical layout Great for light air (common on my lake)
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	One winch broke (not specific to Cat27) Heavy downwinds difficult to sail Cockpit drains seem to clogged easily Stanchion attachments leak
Sailing characterisitcs	Points better than all mid-sized boats we have sailed (mid-80s Hunters, Pearsons, etc.) except J-24 Wish we had roller furling because changing winds necessitate frequent sail changed. Too much canvas and it sails sails bad/heels/sideways motion We have been impressed with very light wind sailing characteristics
Motoring characterisitcs	Comes close to hull speed in forward, but backwards can be tricky, but we only backup for 27 feet each outing.
Liveability	The best for 27 feet. The headroom is over 6 feet and we often have 2 adults and 2 children and never feel cramped. A more modern stove would be nice. The icebox is pretty large, but could use some more modern insulation (A block last one day in very hot interior GA The settees are good size, but we are considering a modifictation to link the port
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Broker was helpful and the former owner bought ANOTHER Cat27 shortly after our transaction.
Other comments	There is no doubt in my mind that I made a wise decision to buy. We have really enjoyed the boat, don't wish we had bigger or better (yet), and feel we got a lot of boat for the money. Please feel free to contact me for additional information and don't forget to join the International Catalina Owners Association.

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