Catalina 22

The Catalina 22 is a 21 ft 6 in trailerable masthead sloop with a cable-retracting cast-iron swing keel, designed by Frank Butler and in production since 1969 — the boat that launched Catalina Yachts and, arguably, the American trailer-sailer market. Well over 15,000 have been built in the US alone, plus licensed production in Canada, Britain and Australia, and it remains available new as the Catalina 22 Sport.

Butler's first boat was built in July 1969 in North Hollywood; hull #5,000 followed in February 1975, #10,000 in September 1980 (by which time it was also being built in England, Australia and Canada) and #15,000 in February 1990. SAIL named it trailerable boat of the decade in 1980 and it was a charter inductee of the Sailboat Hall of Fame in 1995. The boat was restyled in 1986 ('New Design'), replaced by the wider Mk II in 1995, and joined by the back-to-basics Catalina 22 Sport in 2004; the Mk II ended when small-boat production moved to Florida in 2010.

Hand-laid fibreglass hull with a bonded liner and a plywood-reinforced hull flange; the deck is joined with a polyester slurry and self-tapping fasteners, a method Practical Sailor criticises. The 550 lb cast-iron swing keel pivots on a bolt-through hanger and is raised by a wire pennant; fixed fin (1973) and wing keels were later alternatives. Transom-hung tiller rudder, masthead rig of about 205 sq ft, outboard of 3–6 hp on a bracket, and a four-berth interior with V-berth, dinette, galley and optional head, with a pop-top for headroom from 1973.

No source gives a single verified total across all builders, so no production count is stored. Catalina's own milestones put US hull #15,000 in February 1990; the Mk II started at hull #15348 in 1995 and the Sport at #15540 in 2004; the association says 'over 15,000', Wikipedia '15,000 by 2009', and Practical Boat Owner (2021) 'thought to be over 18,000', a figure that may include the roughly 1,500 UK boats and Canadian and Australian production.

Three names are treated as models: this record covers the original 1969–1985 boat and the 1986–1994 'New Design' restyle (same hull; recorded as an alias, since the market rarely searches for it by that name), while the Catalina 22 Mk II (1995–2010, wider deck) and the Catalina 22 Sport (2004–present) get their own records because they are sold and searched for under those names. Beware inconsistent generation labels: Sailing Magazine calls the 1986 boat 'Mk II' and the 1995 boat 'Mk III', whereas Catalina and the class association call the 1995 boat the Mk II. Swing, fin and wing keels are options across the family. The Australian Boomaroo 22 and the British Alacrity/Jaguar 22 are the same design built under licence and are listed as aliases.

Swing-keel hanger bolts loosen or seize and the wire pennant needs periodic replacement; check the keel pivot and cable before buying. Early boats used plywood stringers that can rot, and water intrusion shows as bulges, discoloration and loose hardware. The hull-deck joint can leak.

Prices run from a few thousand dollars for an early boat with trailer to the mid-teens for a late Mk II or used Sport. About 90% of boats are swing-keel; the fin keel suits a slip, the wing keel is a compromise for shoal water. Confirm the trailer is included and roadworthy, and inspect the keel pivot, cable, stringers and pop-top seal.