Catalina 36
Built 1982–? by Catalina Yachts
About the Catalina 36
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1982–?
- Builder
- Catalina Yachts
- Designer
- Frank Butler
- Length
- 36.33 ft
- Waterline
- 30.25 ft
- Beam
- 11.92 ft
- Draft
- 5.83 ft
- Displacement
- 13,500 lb
- Ballast
- 6,000 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Stern thruster
- none
- Steering
- pedestal cable · Edson
Sources disagree on number built, fuel tank, water tank — left blank rather than guessed.
Mark II introduced August 1994 at hull #1368 (larger cockpit, new deck and interior). MkII hull is solid hand-laid glass with vinylester outer plies; deck balsa-cored (earlier decks plywood-cored). Lead keel on 316 stainless bolts. Standard fin (5.83 ft) and wing keel (4.43 ft); a Scheel keel was offered for a while; tall rig optional. First brochure confirms 13,500 lb and 5 ft 10 in standard draft (shoal 5 ft 1 in, 14,300 lb). Builder history: first boat July 1982, hull #2000 December 2000. Specs above are Mark I (sailboatdata).
Known problems for this model
-
Leaking chainplates deck
Owners surveyed by Practical Sailor commonly report chainplate leaks needing yearly inspection or rebedding.practical-sailor.com
-
Keel smile and wood keel stub (Mark I) hull
On Mark I boats a recurring crack at the keel joint or sunken keel-bolt washers can point to a deteriorating wooden keel stub; owners discuss removing the wood, retorquing bolts and resealing the joint.forums.sailboatowners.com · cruisersforum.com
-
Average joinery interior
A common owner complaint is production-grade interior woodwork (ill-fitting cabinets and drawers).practical-sailor.com
-
Poor access to port side of engine engine
Reaching the port side of the engine is difficult.practical-sailor.com
Steering
Edson — Pedestal chain-and-wire steering parts: good
Edson (New Bedford, MA) still sells service parts: chain-and-wire kits, sprockets, idlers, pull-pull conduit steering and internal pedestal parts, and keeps steering data sheets by boat model, many decades old.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (service parts)
Common problems (3)
-
Old or slack steering wire steering
Edson advises replacing steering wire about every five years, checking tension with the wheel locked, and inspecting under load annually; owners often find decades-old stiff wire.usna.edu · youtube.com
-
Lubrication and fastener checks steering
Chain, wire, sheaves and pedestal bearings need regular oiling or greasing, and clevis/cotter pins and bolts should be checked monthly to avoid failures.usna.edu
-
Replacing engine control cables in the pedestal steering
Swapping throttle/shift cables inside an Edson pedestal is a common owner job requiring removal of the wheel shaft sprocket pin.forums.sailboatowners.com
Edson — Traditional geared steerers (worm / rack-and-pinion) parts: good
Edson says its traditional wheels and geared steerers are still available, now built with modern materials; rack-and-pinion steerers are offered for transom-hung and inboard rudders.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (traditional steerers)
Model sources (8)
sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com · forums.sailboatowners.com · cruisersforum.com · catalinadirect.com · catalinayachts.com · catalinayachts.com · catalinayachts.com
Other Catalina models
- Catalina 22 1969–?
- Catalina 25 1976–?
- Catalina 27 1970–1991
- Catalina 30 1974–2008
- Catalina 320 1993–?
- Catalina 34 1985–?
- 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.