MacGregorSailors.com

Is there a new Cat 18 possessor here?


Cat 18 Nat Assoc. Burgee

No.

But it seems to be a nice little boat

And as Roger would say with that little guy the vehicles tires are no doubt going to get wet.

Yeah, we began missing sailing and overnighting a lot, so we picked up something inexpensive to keep in a slip on the local 2,000 acre lake next year. They'll let us keep it in a 16' slip, the least expensive. Despite the short size, the cockpit is huge, with 6'10" long seats, and the quarter berths that go back under them are 7'6" long.

Overview

Specifications

OTOH, the v-berth is only 5' long, with the potty underneath, so we're going to leave the cushions out and build in storage there with a table that slides out between the cabin seats like another 18 owner did.

It came with a 48 quart Coleman cooler like MacGregor used in the X. That can be stored back under the companionway, but when it's out and being used as a step, there's room for two 5 gallon jugs of water aft of it under the companionway. We've ordered a small butane stove for it and will probably just use a dishpan for a sink rather than install a through hull for a sink drain.

The fuel compartment is large enough for a 6 gallon tank plus a 2 gallon reserve can. Our 4 HP's tank is only 3 gallons so there's lots of room left over. The light 4HP 2-stroke on the swing-up motor mount is only 15" so I should be able to lift it off onto a dinghy fairly easily.

Our 18 is a 1999, the last year the Capri name was used. Henceforth, it's the Catalina 18. In 2004, they redesigned the deck mold and it became the mkII. Ours uses star board outside where the older models used teak, but there's still the same teak inside, some of which the mkII's don't have. Ours also has the white vinyl interior cushions with blue piping vs the cloth upholstery of the older models. It came with a roller-furled 135 genoa and coaming tracks and winches, where the older models had a hanked on working jib and cabin top tracks and winches. I was really surprised at how much came standard on this boat, and ours has quite a few of the options.

Equipment

What Barb likes most is despite the 425 lb lead keel (with a 45 lb battery on top of it), the boat has positive floatation, with no through-hulls below the waterline. In fact, it only has one above it, that for the included manual bilge pump outlet. The entire areas under the v-berth, and aft of the lined lockers in the quarter berths, contain poured in foam. With the 2'4" draft, when (not if) we run aground, it'll only be in waist-deep water for her. Of course, she loves the cockpit cushions, and is out buying a tarp for a boom tent as I write this.

Indeed, it'll need a steeper ramp than the X, with the boot stripe sitting 3'4" (aft end of bunk) to 3'6" off the ground. But as you can see in the picture TT posted, the TrailRite trailer has a built-in tongue extension that goes almost all the way back to the keel. If that's not enough with the 4' or so overhang of the long bed truck, I might try a hitch extension like the guys with truck campers use. But this will only be an occasional thing with us slipping the boat.

Anyway, we're in the process of cleaning her up, and I took the day off today to rebed the chain plates and other deck fittings.

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Moe

Congratulations on the new baby Moe....looks nice.

My Island is turning into a godsend for getting my day sailing fix...the kids got tired of sailing last weekend, so they stayed with Grandma while Barbara and I took her out on the river for 3 hours..at least this time she didnt have to paddle...

That boat looks well designed and lots of fun. Glad you are back with some sails Moe. I like the cabinetry example the other owner did.

Here are a few pictures:

Catalina has great customer service. You can call them and get replacement parts. Have a problem? You can talk with Frank Butler the founder of the company. MacGregor could learn something from them.

With that keel I bet you can kick a Mac's butt on most points of sail..impressive that it is still positive flotation too..

A Silver Seagull would look great on that transom Moe...remember that "Reverse Gear is merely a poor substitute for good seamanship and handling of the tender"

I'm going to put Catalina's customer service to the test real soon. The boat came without an owner's manual.

I agree Stephen, a Seagull would look cool on there. The little Johnson doesn't have a reverse either... just forward and neutral... but you can spin it around 360º.

Here's a closer look at that keel (and the aft end of the tongue extension):

moe;

great boat, we've looked at them at shows, actually amazed how much room there is in the cockpit. the cabin is fine for 2 overnight, and my wife and i actually prefer it to the 22ft version. its alot of boat for the $$, i think you'll enjoy!

FYI, we looked at a new one at the boat show in calgary, it was 16,000 brand new. which doesnt seem to bad for the boat, hope you got a good deal