The Catalina 36 is a family of

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s that was designed by Frank Butler and Gerry Douglas for cruising and first built in 1982. A Mark II version was introduced in 1994 and produced until 2005. The design was replaced in the line by the Catalina 375 in 2008.

Production

The design was built by

Catalina Yachts Catalina Yachts is a U.S.-based builder of fiberglass monohull sloop-rigged sailboats ranging in sizes from eight to 54 feet in length. It was founded in 1969 in Hollywood, California by Frank Butler . Catalina Yachts is one of the largest boat m ...

in the

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, with 2305 built in total, but it is now out of production.

Design

The Catalina 36 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, built predominantly of

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, with wood trim. It has a

masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, ...

rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a raised

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transv ...

, an internally mounted spade-type

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

controlled by a

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and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

or wing keel. All fin keel models displace and carry of ballast, while wing keel models displace . Both models offered an optional tall rig for sailing in areas with light winds. The tall rig is approximately higher that the standard rig.

Variants

;Catalina 36 :This model was designed by Frank Butler and introduced in 1982. A total of 1766 examples were produced. The boat has a draft of with the standard fin keel and with the optional shoal draft wing keel. The boat is fitted with an

inboard engine Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a watercraft through water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting of an ele ...

. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . A 1983 Catalina 36 sailboat in her slip

;Catalina 36 Mark II :This model was designed by Frank Butler and Gerry Douglas, introduced in 1994 and was produced until 2005. The Mark II uses the same hull design and rig, but has a larger cockpit, different cabin ports, a walk-through transom and a new deck and interior design. The boat has a draft of with the standard fin keel and with the optional shoal draft wing keel. The boat is fitted with a Universal diesel engine of . The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of .

Operational history

A 2012 review by

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Jack Hornor wrote, "With nearly 3,000 boats sold over the first 26 years, the Catalina 36 is arguably the most popular sailboat of this size ever built ... All things considered, the pros certainly outweigh the cons for anyone looking for an affordable cruising boat in the 36-foot size range." In a 2015 review of the Mark II in ''Sailing'' magazine, writer Bob Pingel stated, "the Catalina 36 hits a sweet spot among weekend cruisers. It’s big enough to be comfortable and capable, but small enough to easily manage it shorthanded and it comes at an approachable price." Jake Firth of ''Sailing Today'' did a review of the Mark II. He praised the cockpit size, cabin and the handling, but faulted the high prices the used boats fetch, the lack of cabin top winches and lack of accessible stowage. He wrote, "there’s the common concern that anything built in volume is likely to be cheap and nasty with poor standards of fit, finish and standard equipment. Well, I had a good poke around Katie, Derek Savage’s 2006 C-36 MkII, and though some of the plywood hidden inside drawers and the like wasn’t the closest grained, best quality stuff I’ve ever seen, the bits that really cost and matter, like deck hardware and rigging, appeared to be of ample size and reasonable quality."

References

External links