Catalina 36 Buyer's Guide, From Hull No. 1 to the Mk II

Gerry Douglas's first boat, and 2,305 more

The Catalina 36 began a long career for its designer. Gerry Douglas, who later became Catalina's chief designer and co-owner, has said the 36 was his first design, drawn in 1982. Catalina's history records that the first Catalina 36 was completed in July 1982 at the Woodland Hills, California, plant. When Douglas announced his retirement, Cruising World put total Catalina 36 production at 2,305 boats.

Practical Sailor described the 36 as an extraordinarily popular design. Catalina built hull No. 2000 in December 2000, and the boat stayed in production into the mid-2000s before the Catalina 375 took over the slot in 2008. Few 36 ft sailboats in the US come close to those numbers, and that is the single best reason to buy one: parts, knowledge and fellow owners are everywhere, backed by the Catalina 36 International Association.

Douglas told Practical Sailor that the target buyer was a couple or family who mostly weekends and takes vacation cruises, may plan some extended cruising and wants a comfortable, stable and predictable boat that fits the budget.

What changed with the 1994 Mk II

The Catalina 36 Mk II was introduced in August 1994, starting at hull No. 1368, and won a Cruising World Boat of the Year award in March 1995. The hull did not change, because Catalina wanted the boat to keep sailing as a one-design fleet, but the Mk II got a larger cockpit and a modified deck and interior. Douglas told Practical Sailor that three different decks were built over the years, with most changes cosmetic or ergonomic.

Construction also evolved. Later decks were cored with end-grain balsa, while earlier versions used plywood, and Catalina used vinylester resin in the outer hull plies under the gelcoat to resist osmotic blistering. The standard rudder was later reshaped to a semi-elliptical blade, and an optional Scheel keel that had limited success was replaced by a shoal draft wing keel.

For buyers, the Mk II's bigger cockpit and updated deck make it the more comfortable boat for entertaining at the dock and for cruising couples. The Mk I sails the same way and costs much less.

Practical Sailor's blustery Puget Sound test

Practical Sailor tested a three year old Mk II with the tall rig on Puget Sound in 15 to 30 knots of wind, loaded for cruising with kayaks on deck and a dinghy in tow. Under full main alone in 16 knots true it made 5.7 knots. Upwind with full main and a 135 percent genoa it made 5.5 to 6 knots, and reefing the main flattened it to about 15 degrees of heel and lifted speed to 6.2 knots.

With a second reef and the headsail rolled to 105 percent, the boat made 7.1 knots upwind with water coming over the bow and touched 7.6 knots. Off the wind on a broad reach it reached 8 to 8.5 knots, a knot above theoretical hull speed. Tacking angles were about 100 to 110 degrees, which the magazine called not stellar but normal. The testers recommended a backstay adjuster to control headstay sag and better-cut sails than the standard inventory.

The numbers back that up. Sailboatdata lists a sail area to displacement ratio of about 15.4 on the standard rig and a ballast ratio of about 44 percent, which explains why the 36 likes to be reefed early and then stands up well in a breeze. PHRF ratings run about 140 to 150 depending on the fleet.

Deck details that owners change

Practical Sailor measured the Mk II cockpit at 8 ft 8 in with 17 inch seats and comfortable backrests, steered by a 42 inch wheel that eases heavy-weather steering but blocks movement forward when singlehanding. Side decks are 17 inches wide with a 1.5 inch toerail and a cabintop handrail running the full length.

The magazine also pointed out weaknesses that many owners fix: stanchions only 24 inches high, wet cockpit seats that get slippery when heeled, an inboard genoa track about a foot too short for reefed upwind sailing, and standard Dacron running rigging. Primary winches were self-tailing Lewmar 48s, the furler a Schaeffer 2100, and most deck hardware came from Garhauer.

The famous game table and a 78 inch aft berth

Below, the layout stayed essentially unchanged for almost 20 years. The saloon runs 13 ft 4 in from the companionway to the forward cabin with up to 6 ft 5 in of headroom. The galley is L-shaped to port at the foot of the companionway with a two-burner propane stove and double sinks, opposite a U-shaped dinette, with an L-shaped dinette also offered.

The quirk everyone remembers is the game table, flanked by two heavily cushioned chairs, which can be lowered to make a 6 ft 2 in berth. Douglas said it had been part of the design since hull No. 1 and was the first of its type in the industry. The head is forward to port with access from both the saloon and the forward cabin, and the V-berth measures 90 inches wide at the head.

The aft cabin under the cockpit holds a 78 by 80 inch double, though with only 16 inches between the cushion and the cockpit sole above. Practical Sailor's owner survey found the main complaint was average joinery, from cabinet corners that do not fit squarely to drawers that need planing, which owners accept on a production boat.

Universal diesel, 25 gallons and a hard-to-reach port side

The Mk II's standard engine was a four-cylinder Universal 35B, rated at 35 hp by sailboatdata, with Catalina estimating fuel use at about 0.8 gph at 2,200 rpm. Practical Sailor found it held the boat head to wind easily in 25 knot gusts and gave quick response under power. Access is through the companionway steps and panels in the aft cabin, and reaching the port side of the engine is awkward.

Tankage is coastal: 25 gallons of fuel under the aft berth and 72 gallons of water. That is enough for weekends and Bahamas hops, but long-distance cruisers usually add jerry cans or a watermaker.

Buying a 36 ft sailboat with this much history

Whether you are browsing 36 foot sailboats for sale in Marina del Rey or on the Chesapeake, the Catalina 36 will be on the list, often several at once. That supply keeps prices sensible and lets you be picky. We estimate $8,000 to $20,000 a year to keep one, depending mostly on slip fees, plus a reserve for sails, rigging and eventual repower.

Focus the survey on a few known issues. Practical Sailor's owners reported leaking chainplates that need annual inspection or rebedding, and the lower shrouds load the hull through tie rods that should be checked. Keel bolts and the keel joint deserve attention on any boat of this age, and the Catalina 36 International Association is the best place to learn what other owners have found.