Catalina 42 Buyer's Guide, Mark I and Mark II Compared

A 40 footer that grew two feet and a third cabin

Among Catalina sailboats, the Catalina 42 is the big-boat success story. Introduced in 1989, it was originally conceived as a 40 footer following the 36 and 38, then stretched two feet to make room for a proper swim platform. Gerry Douglas, Catalina's longtime chief engineer and designer, told Practical Sailor that one of the goals was a three-stateroom boat, which he described as the first of its size from an American production builder. Sailboatdata records the hull as an adaptation of an earlier Nelson/Marek racing hull with a new deck, coachroof, interior and rig.

The Mark I ran from hull 1 to hull 477 and ended in February 1995, when the Mark II arrived with a rounded, more European stern and a reworked cockpit. Practical Sailor dates the end of Mark II production to 2011, and more than 1,000 Catalina 42s were built in total, split roughly evenly between two- and three-cabin boats. That volume is why the 42 is one of the easiest boats in its size to find, insure, survey and resell.

Mark I versus Mark II: what actually changed

Douglas was blunt that the hull, deck hardware, engine and standing rigging are virtually identical between the two generations. The differences that matter to a buyer are the stern, the cockpit and the rudder. The Mark II has a fuller, more buoyant stern section and a modified reverse transom with a larger boarding platform. One owner who moved from Mark I hull 240 to Mark II hull 498 told Practical Sailor that the newer boat felt heavier on the helm at first and rode higher, more like a center cockpit boat, but did not hobbyhorse.

The rudder is the most important single change. Early shoal-draft boats paired a short rudder with the winged keel, and the Mark II introduced a deeper, high-aspect, semi-elliptical blade. Owners who retrofitted the deeper rudder to Mark Is reported better handling and less load on the wheel, and Douglas pointed out that the pressure many owners blamed on weather helm was really load on the rudder and small skeg. On any Mark I, ask which rudder is fitted.

Marketing literature once claimed the Mark II was 2,500 pounds heavier than the Mark I. Douglas called that a mistake: the Mark I was never as light as advertised. Treat both as roughly 20,500 pound boats on a 36 ft waterline.

Two cabins, three cabins, and the late four-cabin plan

Every Catalina 42 puts the owner forward. In the original plan a Pullman-style double sits on the starboard side of the forward cabin, about 72 inches long on the centerline, with the owner's head right in the bow, which has six feet of headroom. Catalina's own range listings from the mid-2000s show the Mark II offered in two-cabin and three-cabin versions with either the Pullman or a centerline island berth forward, plus a four-cabin version.

The two-cabin boat has one aft stateroom in the starboard quarter, a compact second head, the galley in the port quarter and a full nav station with a swing-out seat. Its real advantage is the cavernous space aft of the galley, which owners fill with a heater, inverter, refrigeration and tools, and which gives good access to the steering. In the three-cabin boat, mirror-image aft cabins each have a seven foot double and six feet of headroom, the galley moves amidships opposite the dinette, and both the pantry and the navigator's desk shrink noticeably.

In every version the dinette seats six to eight and converts to a large double, and the galley carries a three-burner stove with oven, twin sinks and solid-surface counters on later boats. Practical Sailor's owners praised the volume but complained about limited stowage, heavy settee boards and, on older boats, drawers and doors that flew open underway. Later boats got positive latches and roller slides.

How the 42 sails, by the polars and by its owners

Douglas's polar predictions for a fin-keel boat with a 155 percent genoa show about 4.5 knots in 6 knots of true wind at 47 degrees, 6 knots in 10 knots of breeze at 45 degrees, and a best downwind speed around 9 knots at 120 to 135 degrees in 16 to 20 knots. Below 5 knots of wind it is sluggish. Hull speed on the 36 ft waterline is roughly 8 knots.

Owners describe a stiff boat that settles at 10 to 15 degrees of heel and rarely puts the rail in the water. Most tuck in a reef above 18 knots to balance the helm. A San Francisco singlehander reported carrying a 150 percent genoa to 22 knots in the Singlehanded Farallones race, and a Lake Pontchartrain owner raced his boat to class wins on a PHRF of 96, against about 105 for a typical stock 42. The tall, high-aspect rig with 797 square feet of working sail is simple: Douglas warned that it was not designed to be tuned underway and that cranking on an adjustable backstay could overload the spreaders.

Sail handling is cruiser-friendly. Halyards run aft through Garhauer blocks to stoppers and winches on the bridge deck, the mainsheet traveler sits forward of the companionway, and genoa sheets lead to toerail blocks for good offwind angles plus a short cabin-top track for small headsails.

Construction: solid hull, cored deck and Catalina's pan

The hull is solid fiberglass, about 1 3/8 to 1 1/2 inches thick at the keel and roughly half an inch at the sheer. Since 1995 Catalina used vinylester resin behind the gelcoat to resist blistering, though Practical Sailor still found some owners with blister repairs, most handled under the prorated warranty. The deck is cored with end-grain balsa and plywood under hardware. Stiffness comes from a molded fiberglass pan bonded to the hull that also carries the sole and berth bases.

The hull to deck joint is an external flange bonded and through-bolted on 8 inch centers and covered by an aluminum rubrail, and only one Practical Sailor respondent reported a leak there. Engine mounts are lagged into a hardwood-filled glass pan rather than through-bolted, which Douglas defended and Practical Sailor questioned. A Seattle surveyor told the magazine he rated the 42's construction better than some other Catalinas and many production rivals.

Yanmar power, tankage and access

Sailboatdata lists the Mark I with a Yanmar 4JHBE of 44 hp and the Mark II with a 4JH2E of 50 hp. Access is excellent for a production boat, from the companionway, the starboard cabin and removable galley panels, so all four sides of the engine can be reached. Fuel capacity of about 39 gallons is the weak point for distance cruising, and several owners added tankage under the sole. Water capacity is listed at 138 gallons for the Mark II, generous for a 42.

For offshore use, owners commonly add an inner forestay for a storm or staysail, which Douglas accepted with the note that running backstays may then be needed. Wiring is color coded, and newer boats have tinned connections.

Parts, owners and life after Catalina

Catalina Yachts paused production in October 2025 after a short-lived change of ownership, and its tooling and remaining assets were auctioned on June 9, 2026. Owners lose factory parts and drawings, but the active owner association and mainstream hardware from Lewmar, Garhauer, Schaefer, Edson and Yanmar keep the 42 easy to maintain.

Catalina 42 for sale: where the value sits

Most 42 ft Catalina for sale listings in the US fall between about $65,000 for a tired early Mark I and $195,000 for a late, well-equipped Mark II. The sweet spot for value is a late-1990s or early-2000s Mark II that has already had its rigging, sails and electronics renewed. Former charter boats are common because the three-cabin layout suited bareboat fleets; they are not automatically bad buys, but check hour meters, upholstery and the steering gear closely.

Plan on roughly $11,000 to $26,000 a year for a 42 ft slip, insurance, haul-out, bottom paint, engine service and a reserve for sails and rigging, depending heavily on region.