Catalac 9 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Catalac 9M — also called the Catalac 30 — means looking at a compact cruising catamaran of which about 255 were built, the most successful model from its builder and the ancestor of every other boat in the range. At 29 feet 3 inches overall and 8,000 lbs dry, with a 2 foot 6 inch draft, it is an easy boat to haul and store, and its bridge-deck layout still reads as a usable small cruiser.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 9M carries two main berths on the bridgedeck forward of the saloon, with occasional singles further aft in the hulls and a galley below in either hull. A single head and shower room serve the plan, and an aft cockpit with protected wheel steering is standard. Early examples used lifting dinghy-type rudders; later boats adopted fixed rudders protected by a skeg, which allowed them to sail a little closer to the wind, so the rudder type is worth noting when comparing individual boats.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, solar and autopilot are commonly fitted, and a chartplotter and hot water are likewise common, reflecting how owners have modernized these cats for time aboard. A spinnaker is also commonly found. For a buyer, the meaningful clusters are power and energy — solar to keep house batteries up — and navigation and comfort, where chartplotter and hot water show the boat is set up for extended stays. The commonly fitted items mean a well-equipped example need not be heavily reworked.
What to Inspect
The 9M was very strongly built with thick GRP hulls and glass windows, and part of the superstructure such as the solid foredeck used sandwich GRP. No Catalac has ever pitchpoled or blown over and upturned, which reassures on structural confidence. Still, confirm which rudder configuration a given boat has, since the move to fixed skeg-protected rudders was a meaningful design change rather than a cosmetic one.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats typically appear in the United Kingdom and United States. For a shopper, the checklist is straightforward: verify rudder type, confirm the galley-side hull and head layout, and check that commonly fitted gear like solar and autopilot is present and working. A Catalac 9M with fixed rudders and a sensible equipment set makes a rational entry into small catamaran cruising.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Catalac 9. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $59,850 | — |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $23,106 | -61.4% |
Where they're listed
Catalac 9 listings appear across 2 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 1 (50.0%), followed by United States.
Country view
2 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $23,106 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| United States | $59,850 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina 34 | 34.5' | $ 32,500 | 139 | 36 |
| Catalac 8 | 27' | $ 24,271 | 5 | 1 |
| Catalac 9You are here | — | $ 41,482 | 2 | 0 |