Catalina 27: Popular for day and overnight cruises

The Catalina 27 gets a bad rap from some sailing purists. But that’s not fair. The boat is the most widely produced keelboat of all time for a reason. Actually for quite a number of reasons: simplicity, versatility, sailing qualities and comfort being a few.

For Spinnaker Sailing members and students, the Catalina 27 is a great step up from Spinnaker’s main training vessel the Merit 25. The two boats seem quite different at first look, and in many ways they are, but they also share some similarities.

At 26 feet 10 inches, the 27 is not too much longer than the Merit (which measures 24 1/2 feet length overall). The two boats dock in the same sized slip and both boats draw around 4 feet (meaning how deep the boat is in the water). Both boats are very maneuverable and both handle the challenges of San Francisco Bay well.

Beyond that, however, the 27 feels like a much different kind of boat. Down below for example, most people can stand up without hitting their heads. Speaking of heads, they all have on-board enclosed bathrooms (also called a head) with berthing accommodations that make them habitable for overnight stays. All six of Spinnaker’s Catalina 27s have wheel steering (allowing skippers to steer standing up), self tailing winches and inboard diesel engines.

So why the rap from the purists? Mark it down to perhaps a bit of snootiness, the kind some auto enthusiasts might display in touting a Mini over a mid-size sedan. The Catalina 27 outweighs the Merit 25 by 2 tons (6,850 lbs vs. 2,900 lbs). So it feels a little more ponderous. And then compare the amount of sail aboard the two boats. The Catalina carries far less per pound of boat weight than the Merit. (The numbers: 15.22 square feet of sail per pound of displacement for the Catalina 27 vs. almost 22 square feet per pound of displacement in the Merit.) So the Merit — like that Mini — is more lively, which is really another way of saying it’s not as comfortable.

For those looking to get a feel for larger boats, perhaps with an eye to chartering in warmer climes, the Catalina 27 is an excellent introduction. It offers most of the amenities and equipment one might find on a charter yacht while being easy to handle for a crew used to a Merit. The transition from Merit 25 to Catalina 27 is not jarring.

In fact, for Spinnaker students used to sailing aboard the Merit, the most important things to learn aboard the Catalina 27 have to do with operating the engine and the head, rather than with actual sailing.

Catalina 27 specifications: Length Overall: 26′ 10″ Beam: 8′ 10″ Draft: 4′ Length at the waterline: 21′ 9″ Displacement: 6,850 lbs. Number built: 6662