Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 320 by Peter Clancy

Year built	1995
Location of boat	Miami, Florida
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
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	1998
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes
Gear that's been added	Autohelm ST4000 autopilot. Jensen CD player with 4 speakers. Set of Nuclear lightweight,laminated sails consisting of 155 genoa and main. Used for racing only. Doyle 190 APR asymmetrical spinnaker with ATN dousing sock.
Structural or complex improvements	No
The boat's best features	Large cockpit and interior space. Nice size aft berth and head for boat this size. Good sail-handling and overall speed. The Perkins M30 diesel gets close to 7 knots at 2,500 RPM. Wide, flat decks easy to maneuver.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Traveler difficult to adjust in heavier wind conditions. Many 320 owners have already modified the factory traveler system. Shallow bilge on earlier 320 models results in water getting into hard-to-access bilge recesses. Can be corrected with a dripless shaft seal or simply by keeping the thru-hull packing tightened down. The 320 comes with a large SS wheel which is a little awkward for the skipper to get around.
Sailing characterisitcs	Boat is responsive and handles nicely. Can handle higher wind ranges (25 knots)comfortably if sail area is progressively reduced starting at about 18-20 knots. Tends to round-up if over-canvassed.
Motoring characterisitcs	The Perkins M30 (320's also come with Yanmars and Westerbekes) pushes bost along at 6.5 to 7 knots at 2,500 RPM. There will be some variation is speed depending on prop. My boat came with factory 2-blade fixed prop. I switched to a 2-blade Martec folder. Lost nothing in forward speed but a little sluggish in reverse. Picked up a 1/2 knot or better in lighter wind conditions. Many owners swear by the Maxprop and Autoprop feathering propellors.
Liveability	A subjective question. Personally think it is quite comfortable for 2 adults and reasonably comfortable for 4 adults. The vee-berth is a little cramped for tall people. I think the settees are a better choice for sleeping.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Purchased boat used from a local Catalina dealer who kept it at their sales dock. When I took delivery an expensive Garmin G-chip was missing from the GPS. Dealer had the only keys to the boat but refused to replace as it was not listed on the purchase contract. Dealer's mecahanic was paid extra to re-pack the stuffing box but it leaked from day of delivery and could not be adjusted to stop leaking. Had it repacked and it appeared that the flax was quite old.I don't consider these to be major problems but the dealer will probably not get my repeat business for a new or used Catalina sailboat.
Other comments	One of the greatest benefits of owning a 320 is the owner's group and association with annual meetings. Also the 320 Email list which gives you couple of hundred owners to ask questions and seek advice on the boat. Lastly, the resale value for this model appears to be quite strong. Nicely equipped and well-maintained 1994-1995 models seem to be selling at or above original list prices.

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