Catalina 320
Built 1993–? by Catalina Yachts
About the Catalina 320
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1993–?
- Builder
- Catalina Yachts
- Designer
- Gerry Douglas
- Length
- 32.5 ft
- Waterline
- 28 ft
- Beam
- 11.75 ft
- Draft
- 6 ft
- Displacement
- 11,300 lb
- Ballast
- 4,000 lb
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Stern thruster
- none
Fin keel with bulb (6.0 ft) or wing keel (4.25 ft, 11,700 lb). Early boats sold without a bow pulpit. Mark II introduced October 2006 (model year 2007). Owners on forums say the 320 does not share the classic 'smile' problem of older Catalinas, but the keel joint should still be surveyed. Original builder brochure confirms these dimensions, weights and both keel options. Builder history: hull #1000 built March 2004.
Known problems for this model
-
Stemhead fitting failure on early boats rigging
Owners point buyers to a known stemhead failure on early 320s documented by the class association.cruisersforum.com
-
Chainplate cover leaks deck
As on other Catalinas, chainplate covers need periodic rebedding to keep water out of the deck.cruisersforum.com
-
Closed turnbuckles and unflushed furler drums rigging
Closed-body turnbuckles tend to gall to their covers, and early Schaeffer 2100 furler drums lacked flushing holes and can seize.cruisersforum.com
Engines & parts
Yanmar 3GM / 3GM30F parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Yanmar 3GM30F”
Very popular (used 3GM30Fs sell for $3,000+) and supported by a strong parts network. Cylinder head overhauls (valve seals, lapping, injector service) are a common, parts-supported repair.
Parts sources: Mack Boring & Parts (Yanmar distributor), HDI Marine (stainless exhaust elbows), Parts4Engines
Common problems (2)
-
Overheating at cruise rpm cooling
The 3GM30F has a known overheating tendency linked to its heat exchanger; owners also trace it to coked elbows, worn impellers, scaled heat exchangers or air in the raw water circuit. Some heat exchangers were replaced under warranty.forums.sailboatowners.com
-
Mixing elbow corrosion exhaust
OEM elbows corrode internally and should be inspected or replaced with stainless versions before they let water into the engine.practical-sailor.com · facebook.com
Model sources (5)
sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com · cruisersforum.com · catalinayachts.com · catalinayachts.com
Other Catalina models
- Catalina 22 1969–?
- Catalina 25 1976–?
- Catalina 27 1970–1991
- Catalina 30 1974–2008
- Catalina 34 1985–?
- Catalina 36 1982–?
- Catalina 380 1996–?
- Catalina 400 1994–?
- Catalina 42 1989–2011
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.