Catalina Yachts - Catalina Yachts Today

Catalina Yachts Today

Catalina Yachts is one of the largest boat manufacturers in the world, with over 60,000 boats manufactured to date. Though Catalina produces boats from as small as eight feet under their Capri nameplate, the company is best known for its production of mid-sized cruisers. The ocean going Catalina 50 was their largest design, but has been discontinued and replaced by the 470. Most original models are still in production albeit with substantial modifications, and there are examples of every Catalina model still in use.

Gerry Douglas became Chief Engineer and V.P in 1982 and has designed all the boats in the line since then, starting with the Catalina 36. His most recent designs include the 445, the 385, 355 and 315, all under the banner of the "5 Series." His designs have won 11 marine industry "Boat of the Year" awards. Wesco Marine is currently held as a separate entity which provides rigging hardware to Catalina Yachts. In 1998 Gerry Douglas was made a partner in this privately owned company.

Today Catalina has one production facility, in Largo Florida, the former home of Morgan Yachts (merged with Catalina). Catalina's classic approach of putting the deck on before the components go in was the rule in the old Woodland Hills California production factory which closed in 2009. In Florida the components go in before the deck goes on. In some cases large assemblies such as the head (bathroom) are pre-assembled and craned into the hull. This may be a vestige of the Morgan production culture. However in any case the philosophy remains that every bolt-on part must fit through the hatches for maintenance—even the engine.

With a few exceptions, Catalina has focused on long term models making small changes from year to year; this has encouraged the development of owners' associations which promote "one design" racing and other forms of camaraderie. In return, Catalina makes sacrifices in the ability to compete with cutting edge styles and trends. All of the larger cruising class boats, 27 feet and larger, have fixed keels with lead ballast. A notable feature of most Catalina boats is their large cabin interiors and storage they provide.

There seems to be a design trend developing since the early 1990s as evidenced by the C320, C350, C380 (series), C400, and C470 boats. These boats are taller and carry their beams (width) further back in the hull, than the classic Catalina designs such as the C30, an American Sailboat Hall of Fame inductee, C34 and C36. All seemed to be influenced by the M381, Catalina's first redesign of a Morgan boat, the classic Morgan 38 and its variants. The most recent designs are the Catalina Morgan 440 which seems to be addressing Hunter's deck salon competition, and the C309 which updates the aging C30; the C309 shares a hull with the C310, but has a C30 style interior and is the first production Catalina model with a fractional rig.