Catalac 8 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used brokerage market for a Catalac 8 means looking at a 27-foot cruising catamaran that was the most popular model of its range, built from 1975 until Tom Lack's production ceased around 1985, with about 600 Catalacs in total built. These are pure cruising cats with moderate displacement and modest but adequate sail area, not designed for high speed, and the Mk II revision from about 1980 added a skeg with fixed rudders that improved windward performance. Buyers will find them in Panama, Australia, the United Kingdom, and France.
Layouts on the Used Market
The used boats carry five berths arranged across the central bridgedeck and the two hulls. The saloon sits over the bridgedeck with standing headroom under the raised canopy and sitting headroom by the table and seating. The forecabin has a double berth 6' 3" long by 4' 10" wide, reached through the starboard hull and galley where headroom is 6' 3". The port hull holds a very long but narrow double berth — 7' 6" plus, 23" tapering to 16" — with the heads forward of it. Many boats were fitted with a fixed shelter over the companionway hatch, asymmetric with more vertical sides on the doorway side, adding weather protection at the saloon entrance.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market a dodger and a chartplotter are commonly fitted. The 8M Catalacs were usually powered by a single outboard of 10 to 25 hp mounted centrally on the back of the bridge deck, though some were built with twin Yanmar 1GM engines of 6 or 9 bhp; twin diesels were often 10 hp each. Engine options were a single outboard or twin diesels from new, so a buyer should confirm which propulsion a particular hull carries rather than assume one layout.
What to Inspect
Documented known issues are limited but worth a look. Fuel consumption was higher, particularly with two-stroke petrol engines, so verify the engine type and expect greater burn with that setup higher fuel burn on two-stroke petrol. Beyond that, check the Mk II skeg-and-fixed-rudder modification if windward handling matters, and confirm the companionway shelter is intact since many boats relied on it for additional shelter.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These cruising cats typically appear in those four markets noted above. They are proven cruising cats — quite a number have made transatlantic and longer passages — and the main ownership caveat is fuel use with two-stroke outboards.
- Confirm engine configuration: single outboard 10–25 hp or twin Yanmar 1GM 6/9 bhp
- Expect higher fuel consumption with two-stroke petrol engines
- Verify Mk II skeg/fixed rudder if upwind performance is a priority
- Check fixed companionway shelter for weather integrity
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Catalac 8. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 | 1 | $24,000 | — |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $22,659 | -5.6% |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $34,888 | +54.0% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $30,000 | -14.0% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $23,298 | -22.3% |
Where they're listed
Catalac 8 listings appear across 3 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 2 (50.0%), followed by France and Netherlands.
Country view
4 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $22,659 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| France | $34,888 | 1 | 0 | 25.0% |
| Netherlands | $23,298 | 1 | 1 | 25.0% |