BOATOWNER’S BOAT REVIEW
Catalina 36
Test-Driving the First Catalina 36 By Hal Smith
Cruising World recognized the C-36 Mk II by making it the Boat of the Year in its class in 1995.
E
veryone who sails a Catalina 36 remarks about how sweet she sails and how responsive she is. There is a reason for this. Catalina took a unique approach to designing the Catalina 36. In 1981, they built a prototype boat, and invited a variety of people to sail it and provide critiques for improvements before production began. We were one of those who had this opportunity to test the new C-36. It was a perfect boating day in Long Beach, CA. The new C-36 was easy to find floating sweetly on the first dock and ready for our sail. Our first peek inside was a shock. It had no interior! Instead of settees and a galley, there was a pile of sandbags with ballast to simulate the weight of an interior. Lifting the cockpit locker hatch revealed the engine controls down in the cavity. After throwing off the dock lines, we motored out of the marina, and I stood on my head to manage the engine controls as
my wife and daughter hailed steering directions. When we unfurled the genoa, we realized that we had not been provided with a winch handle. This was quickly solved by heading the boat into the wind, pulling in the genoa sheet as hard as possible, and bearing away to a course to match the close-hauled trim. It was nimble like a smaller boat but was riding smoothly like a much larger boat. The mainsail was sheeted in, and we were under sail. The helm was light and responsive. The new boat moved with a graceful motion but drove forward with that wonderful sound of water being sliced and rolled into little waves. I tightened the wheel lock, released the wheel and left the helm to walk about the boat. We remained on course for over 10 minutes without any attention paid to the wheel. She handled easily with great manners, including docking. This was a remarkable boat. The interior evolved several times through the years
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SOUTHWINDS
February 2013
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