A few Catalina 27s have even circumnavigated, although the design was never intended as an around-the-world cruiser. Over two decades, it developed into a prolific and broadly capable small yacht. Its virtues and compromises both stem directly from its modest construction budget.
Design and Construction
Practical Sailor’s survey characterized Catalinas generally as inexpensive boats, with corners cut in places they shouldn’t have been, and the Catalina 27 fits that pattern. Its solid-fiberglass hull lay-up isn’t overbuilt, particularly above the waterline. Because of that light construction, an impact that might merely scratch a heavier boat may fracture the Catalina 27’s hull.
Early boats left the mold without backing plates beneath the stanchions, rails, or deck hardware. Their through-hull fittings were simply gate valves screwed onto pipe nipples glassed into the hull. In some cases, secondary bonds securing attachments were poor. Leaking chainplates have also allowed bulkheads to deteriorate around their attachment points.
None of these shortcomings prevented the Catalina 27 from becoming the volume leader in its size class. They do, however, make every used example a study in work deferred during construction.
Rig, Keels, and Performance
The standard-keel, standard-rig inboard boat has a typical PHRF rating of 208, while ratings across the class generally fall between 201 and 216.
Catalina introduced a taller rig later in the production run. It raised the mainsail’s aspect ratio and added roughly 24 square feet of sail area. The deep-draft hull with this tall rig is regarded as the fastest configuration.
The shoal keel, introduced in 1979, draws just 3 feet 5 inches, compared with 4 feet for the standard fin. Its less efficient foil required about 500 pounds of additional displacement to provide comparable stability. As a result, the shoal-draft boat weighs roughly 7,300 pounds, versus about 6,850 pounds for the deep-keel version.
Outboard-powered boats are slightly quicker than inboard models simply because they carry less weight. The fastest variant overall is the tall-rig, deep-keel outboard; the slowest is the short-rig, shoal-keel inboard. The boat is easy to sail.
Despite the numbers, the Catalina 27 earned a reputation as a well-mannered boat with decent speed for daysailing and friendly pier-to-pier racing. It never succeeded as a one-design racer.
Accommodations
Nominal headroom is 6 feet 1 inch, giving the cabin more headroom than most 27-footers—a real asset below.
Catalina offered two interior plans: a traditional layout with the galley aft and an alternative with a midships galley and dinette. Most owners find the forward V-berths too short and narrow for two people. The quarterberths are the only properly sized berths on the boat.
On early boats, the electrical panel was mounted on the face of the port quarterberth. Later models received a proper circuit-breaker panel in the starboard quarterberth.
Newer boats also gained two aft-facing ventilation hatches over the head and passageway, along with a forward trunk hatch. A seahood protected the sliding companionway; the older hatch leaked badly when solid water came aboard.
Known Problems
The inboard engine is tucked beneath the cockpit, and owners uniformly condemn the lack of service access. They typically rate it at one or less on a five-point scale.
Rigging hardware presents more serious concerns. The original U-bolt chainplates for the lower shrouds have failed on a number of boats, dropping the rig over the side. Cast-aluminum spreader sockets on early masts are another weakness and have cost several boats their rigs; they should be replaced with later stainless-steel fabrications.
The icebox drainage arrangement is flawed because its skin fitting allows water to run back into the box when the boat heels. Older icebox insulation was effectively nonexistent.
The forward mainsheet traveler sits over the companionway hatch, preventing the installation of a dodger. Owners also report that the arrangement adds friction and sheet load, making the mainsail difficult to trim.
Early inboard models had poor fuel-tank installations as well.
Engines, Upgrades, and Ownership
Later-production upgrades are worth seeking. These include the seahood and molded-in foredeck anchor well, the circuit-breaker panel in the starboard quarterberth, and the improved ventilation hatches.
Replacing the cast spreader sockets with stainless-steel fittings is a sensible structural refit. Relocating or upgrading the mainsheet traveler can improve handling.
For auxiliary power, a 10-horsepower outboard suits the boat. The Atomic 4 gasoline inboard provides twice the power needed. Owners reported that the late-1970s Petter diesel was grossly underpowered, while the 11- or 14-horsepower Universal diesels fitted to later models are much more desirable.
The Verdict
The Catalina 27 is the definitive mass-market 27-footer: affordable, numerous, and easy to sail. Every example, however, demands careful scrutiny for the construction-stage omissions that define the class.
Pros
- The largest production run of any U.S. 27-foot sailboat, with parts and community support
- More headroom than most peers, at 6 feet 1 inch
- Well-mannered handling and a competitive PHRF range
- Later models corrected many early deficiencies
Cons
- Light, non-overbuilt hull that may fracture above the waterline
- Inboard engine access that owners rate as awful
- Original chainplates and spreader sockets that have caused rig losses
- Early through-hulls and missing backing plates that invite leaks and bulkhead deterioration
