Catalina 27

Name: Catalina 27
Brand: Garage, Galley & Hangar
SKU: catalina-27
Price: 29 USD
Availability: PreOrder

Designed by Frank Butler and Bob Finch and built by Catalina Yachts from 1971 to 1991 (over 6,600 hulls), the Catalina 27 is the archetypal affordable first cruiser, the boat Practical Sailor called the Volkswagen of the boat market: basic, roomy, forgiving, and endlessly supported. It suits a first-time owner who wants a coastal boat to learn on with parts and sisterships everywhere, not a bluewater passagemaker. This reference is candid about the weak points that a fresh topcoat hides: the undersized lower chainplates and cast-aluminum spreader sockets that have put rigs over the side, the wet-rot compression post under the deck-stepped mast, and the keel-joint smile.

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A sample of what's inside

Specifications

Length overall	26.83 ft (26 ft 10 in)
Beam	8.83 ft (8 ft 10 in)
Displacement	~6,850 lb nominal (ranges ~5,650 lb early outboard to ~7,300 lb late shoal)
Keel / rig	Masthead sloop; fixed fin keel 4 ft deep, ~3 ft shoal, or 3 ft 5 in wing (1979 on); standard or tall rig
Engine	Outboard (~10 hp), Atomic 4 30 hp gas inboard, or later Universal 11 to 14 hp diesel
Used market	~$6k to $20k, condition-driven (well-kept boats have long sold under $10k)

Known issues, covered honestly

Original undersized lower-shroud U-bolt chainplates and cast-aluminum spreader sockets have failed and cost several rigs, though both have cheap off-the-shelf retrofit kits.
The deck-stepped mast bears on a wooden compression post that rots when water enters at the step, settling the rig; the giveaway is cabin doors that no longer close square.
The lead keel's L-shaped bolts corrode from inside the casting and the hull-to-keel seam opens into the crescent 'Catalina smile,' worst at the leading and trailing edges.
The plywood-cored deck wets out at un-backed hardware, ports, and stanchions, since the factory bedded fittings over bare washers rather than proper backing plates.

…and the full survey guide, service schedules, systems, and parts sourcing in the complete volume.

Custom Edition

Make it your boat.

We fold in your year, your engine, your electronics and refits, your hull number, and your vessel name and your own boat's photo on the cover. The book stops describing the boat that left the factory and starts describing the one in your slip.

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personalized to your vessel