Catalina 22 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Charter four-cabin layouts are more common on the used market, though both standard and charter layouts appear, and ex-charter examples are common. The Mk II brought a longer cabintrunk and a more modern, spacious interior with exterior teak eliminated and an enlarged deck, while the Mk III used a lead-encased fiberglass swing keel. Some Mk II boats received a plumbed marine head curtained for privacy. A pop-top that lifts the cabin roof on four supports is standard on later boats and common on the used fleet. The cockpit is long and comfortable, and the companionway uses three hatch boards.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

A frequent owner upgrade on the used fleet is a bimini for sun shelter, and a spinnaker appears on some boats as a racing or downwind addition. The original foresail is hanked on unless a roller furling system has been fitted, and small jib sheet winches sit on the cockpit coaming. Buyers should note the boat has tiller steering, a transom-mounted outboard, and a lazarette with a cockpit-accessible bilge pump. Boarding ladders were optional and may be absent.

What to Inspect

Window leaks trace to the aluminum trim, and the earliest hulls used plywood stringers that can rot anchor. Swing-keel hardware wears: the cable and pivot pins may need replacement from side-to-side movement, the keel winch clutch spring needs attention, and owners report the hangar bolts loosen or seize. Cockpit scuppers are slow to drain and undersized, though many owners have added transom scuppers. Older boats placed a portable gas tank inside a non-isolated cockpit locker venting to the bilge low point, a flaw corrected later. Blistering is seldom found on hulls built after the mid-1980s.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats are typically found in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia. For a buyer, the checklist is straightforward: confirm keel pivot and pennant condition, verify window and scupper leaks, check for rot in early plywood stringers, and prefer post-mid-1980s hulls for blister resistance. A post-1976 mast and rigging upgrade is preferable, and a pop-top with added transom scuppers signals a cared-for example.