Catalina 42 Mk II Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

What distinguishes the Mk II from its predecessor is less about structure than about form and steering. Douglas gave the new model a deeper, high-aspect, semi-elliptical rudder, and owners like John Spring noted the Mk II carries a fatter section aft and sits more buoyant than the Mark I. The hull itself is solid fiberglass, and Catalina adopted vinylester resin in the barrier coat from 1995 onward to guard against blistering. The deck is cored with a mix of half-inch marine plywood where hardware mounts and three-quarter-inch end-grain balsa elsewhere, while the hull-deck joint is an external flange bonded with fiberglass-reinforced polyester and through-bolted on eight-inch centers with quarter-inch stainless fasteners, masked by an aluminum rubrail on three-inch centers with a vinyl insert. Cabintop teak handrails were swapped for stainless steel, and the rounded stern and cockpit modifications mark the European hand Douglas described.

Rig and Handling

The Mk II is a masthead sloop carrying 797 square feet of sail on a high-aspect plan, with an anodized NG80 Isomat mast, double spreaders swept aft 17 degrees, and wire standing rigging sized at 3/8-inch for backstay, forestay, and upper and lower shrouds with 5/16-inch lowers. Running rigging uses half-inch braid halyards and half-inch Dacron sheets. The mainsheet is a 6:1 purchase on a traveler forward of the companionway, with a Garhauer vang led to the cockpit. Primary winches are two-speed self-tailing Lewmar 54s, an upgrade from the Mark I's 52s, and the boat can be had with an in-mast furling main. A maximum sheeting angle of 11.5 degrees lets her point to within 32 degrees of apparent wind hard on the breeze. Newer boats carry a Schaefer 3100 furler, and internal halyards run aft through Garhauer blocks to stoppers and two-speed self-tailing Lewmar 40 winches on the bridge deck.

Accommodations

Two interior plans were offered. The two-stateroom Pullman model places the master berth forward of the saloon — a Pullman berth 72 inches on centerline, 52 at the shoulder, 43 at the foot — with an aft stateroom in the starboard quarter, a smallish 38-inch-square head forward of it, a port-quarter galley, opposing settees amidships, and a starboard nav station with swing-out seat. The three-cabin layout substitutes two mirror-image aft staterooms, each with 6 feet of headroom, a 7-foot double berth, hull-mounted reading lights, and a hanging locker, and moves the galley amidships opposite the dinette. In both, the galley benefits from a large protected working surface and GraniCoat countertops, a three-burner Princess stove with oven, twin stainless sinks, and Grohe faucets; the dinette seats six to eight and converts to an 80-by-66-inch double. The skipper's bow head runs 6 feet 5 inches long with 6 feet of headroom. On deck, the cockpit holds 6-foot-8-inch seats, two observation seats in the stern pulpit corners, a 48-inch drop-leaf table forward of the binnacle, and a removable transom seat giving access to the swim platform.

Ownership and Systems

The Yanmar 4JH-series 50-horsepower diesel sits amidships with access from four sides, and color-coded wiring — tinned on newer boats — simplifies trace work. Two plastic water tanks sit below the sole with plastic holding tanks under the aft and Pullman berths. Fuel capacity is listed at 38 to 39 gallons, adequate for short cruising though some distance cruisers added tankage below the cabin sole. Garhauer gear carries a ten-year guarantee per Douglas, and the builder specified Lewmar, Perko, Rule, Schaefer, and Yanmar fittings rather than overseas knock-offs.

The Verdict

The Catalina 42 Mk II is a thoughtfully evolved cruiser that kept a proven hull while refining the stern, rudder, and cockpit for easier handling and a more modern profile. Her two layout choices suit both private couples and charter-derived three-cabin buyers, and the protected galley and solid tankage reflect a real cruising brief. Light-air pointing and a buoyant aft section give her a forgiving, able feel.

Pros