Catalina 320 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 320 reads as a purposeful evolution rather than a clean-sheet design. Her bow entry is finer than predecessors and the overhang modest, with almost none aft, while the hull tapers outward at a gentler angle at maximum beam, which sits just aft of station six to broaden interior and cockpit volume without widening the waterline. The hull itself is solid fiberglass built from nine alternating layers of 1.5-ounce mat and 21.7-ounce roving, with seven additional thicknesses laid into the bottom to reach a full inch, and the material changed from woven to knitted mat for this model. Vinylester resins cover exterior skins above and below the waterline, and the hull carried a five-year anti-blister guarantee.

Structure above the waterline follows Catalina practice with a shoebox hull-deck joint: a vertical deck flange drops over the hull, bonded with filled polyester and through-bolted on seven-inch centers. The deck is cored with plywood sections and the cabin top with end-grain balsa, while below, molded fiberglass liners are tabbed to the hull. Keels were reduced in size, offered as a fin or a shallower winglet version whose narrower top cuts drag and lowers the center of gravity; the rudder was enlarged and reshaped deeper with a shortened chord and elliptical trailing edge to raise aspect ratio and generate more lift per square foot of wetted surface.

Rig and Handling

The mast is a tapered double-spreader Sparcraft section stepped on deck, with wire standing rigging tied to deck plates and stainless tie rods running to an L-bar laminated into the hull. Mast loads pass through a hardcast anodized tube compression post onto 4-by-8-inch beams in the structural grid. A Schaefer 2000 roller furler sits above the deck, and halyards lead aft to stoppers just behind the main traveler. Standard Lewmar self-tailing winches—44s primaries and 30s on the cabin top—back up a sail plan of about 520 square feet, roughly matching the larger Catalina 34. Under the three-cylinder Yanmar she moves effortlessly on power, tacks easily, and points to 40–45 degrees of apparent wind; the helm is well balanced and the boat sails best near 15 degrees of heel. One owner formerly aboard a Catalina 30 reported her significantly quicker than the 30 or 34, and another took a cruising division on a provisional PHRF of 150.

Accommodations

Below, varnished ash battens line the hull beside teak bulkheads and a teak-and-holly sole, with light from two Lewmar hatches and ten portlights, four opening. The galley to port has a double stainless sink, Grohe faucets, laminate surfaces, a Hillerange two-burner stove-oven, and a 5-cubic-foot Adler-Barber fridge with four inches of insulation. The head is tight but complete with sink, toilet, and a shower on its own sump; its hoses are reached by removing the medicine cabinet back panel. The saloon table seats four and drops to a double, while the removable forepeak bulkhead panels open stowage forward. The starboard master, entered at the companionway foot, holds a queen berth, standing headroom, and the boat’s only hanging locker. Companionway steps are rounded at the ends, and the removable helmsman’s seat exposes the swim ladder and platform.

Known Issues and Refits

Early hulls buried wiring beneath the pans, and chafe with breaks occurred; those boats were later rewired inside PVC conduit. The original bilge ran too shallow, leaving new owners with water sloshing amidships until baffles were fitted, and later molds were retooled for deeper cavities under the floorboards. A separate owner grievance held that the vang and topping-lift lines were not brought aft, which was a common complaint among owners. Mounted aft of the companionway steps, the engine is most readily reached from the stateroom.

The Verdict

The Catalina 320 is a thoughtfully updated coastal cruiser whose forward-shifted rig and reshaped appendages make her quicker and easier to drive than the Catalinas she replaced, wrapped in a solid, well-guaranteed hull and a light, practical interior. Early-build wiring and bilge shortcomings were addressed by the factory, leaving a mature design that rewards careful pre-purchase inspection of those retrofitted areas.

Pros