Catalina 445

[BMD21]

We owned 3 Catalinas over the years: a 22, a 25 and a 36. We had fun in each one and went a lot of places: Alaska, the South Pacific, the East Coast and trailered all over the west USA. Right up front, Catalina is the Chevvie/Ford/Toyota of the sailboat fleet.



I bought the Catalina 22 knowing nothing about sailboats and the 22 was a good boat to learn on. Nothing broke, it kept a good resale value. Frank Butler put a new hull on it after I put it on the rocks in Marina del Rey. The Catalina 25 was the "bigger boat" and we used it for years with no major problems (we had learned to sail.) Finally we decided to go to the South Pacific and started to look for a boat. I read all of the magazines and books which listed the desirable features. Catalina met all those standards and we had no problems with the two we owned. And a 36 could be sailed with two comfortably. So we bought a Catalina 36.


That Catalina 36 took us all over the Western Hemisphere, from 60 South the 60 North. It never let us down. We've had it in 40 knt winds, not long but 40 knts. I watched the cockpit filled with water and drain right out. We had 2 problems: the belt on the Autopilot stretched and the aft stay radar mount broke. None with the basic boat. Hit bottom a few times in the Caribbean and came through with only scratches.



So, I'm here to tell you that the Catalina builds a lot of good boats. When someone says they're not as good as more famous boats, my answer is that guy has no experience with Catalinas. They are well built, comfortable and can take offshore sailing with no problem. I would have no hesitation in buying another, if I were still a sailor. They are well built, sail well and are cheap to buy.


Boris

[TheWildDingo]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

He is out of the country but texted me in response to this question. Although lacking details or the results of a forensic examination, 2 aft bolts exhibited stress fracturing gave way. He said didn’t know cause but ruled out hitting anything or grounding.

Might be a “one-off” incident but was enough to convince him to walk away.

Was this an older sailboat?

From what I've read, any sailboat with a fin keel can potentially be at risk for keel issues, from:

• stretched fiberglass
• impact
• loosened bolts.

I also read that Catalina was once (80s?) using 304 stainless steel on their keel nuts/washers as opposed to 316.

Why do we not hear of Benes' or Jeanneaus' with keel issues?