Gary,
You should *really* say go back through the archives and you will see a LOT of positive comments on Catalina and especially the C36 from many boaters. When I bought mine used (its a ''99 model) it wasn''t on the market long. The resale value is great and I could easily sell my boat and get around what I put into it (how many boats can you say that about !!). They have made over 2200 and they are still coveted, and for a good reason. They are well designed and well balanced boat with an excellent layout. No boat is a perfect boat, it all depends what its going to be used for. I think the C36MKII''s is one of the best Coastal cruisers out their under $220k for me. Yeah there are other boats that are very nice but at 2 times the price. (And others I am not happy with the layout) Maybe the teak joinery is not that of a Hinckley but the money is well spent on the important parts of the boat..... these are very solid and safe .
Are you looking to purchase this new or used ? If used then everything that follows is moot, but with all due respect to Jeff, as he said his contact was a "very small sampling" There are literally Tens & Ten''s of Thousands of Catalinas out there and the experience he relays is not consistent with the huge majority. I''m sure there will always be some unhappy people. I am sure Rolls Royce get a few when they sell a Bentley too. The odds always are not 100%. But anyone that knows *anything* about Catalina knows that if they aren''t satisfied they can call Frank Butler (Founder/Owner) and get satisfaction.....not too many boat manufacturers out there where you can say or do that. There are literally hundreds of stories a year where I here that repeated, but I bet if someone was abrasive, then Frank probably was too (I will not say Frank is perfect, but he really cares about his boats) Jeff related a story of a "Beneteau warranty claims in which Beneteau split the cost of replacing a forward hatch on a boat that was out warranty" , and I can personally relate getting Catalina help with an engine/tranny problem on my boat that was neither in warrantee and I even bought my boat used ! I guess its all how you go about asking for assistance, if I called Frank and was arrogant I bet he wouldn''t give me satisfaction either.
They have tried and true designs, using tried and true construction methods.....saying the quality has gone down is in my mind fallacious, I have monitored these boats for 10 years and look at older ones often. The construction quality is pretty consistent and good . Actually I think things get better over time. For instance, just one example, Catalina recognized that the design of the shroud chainplates could be better and unless caulked well and monitored might leak a bit (nothing major, just a nuisance). I have noticed that they have changed the design of the chainplates as they have done so with MANY of their systems. They are constantly taking owners inputs and entering it into their final product.
Maybe Jeffs comments are because they are not using the high tech exotic materials with carbon fiber, kevlar, exotic sandwich core and other materials and construction methods that he is very fond of. Yes they can be a wonderful thing if used on an America Cup or custom boat with the associated costs. And I will grant you, having a lighter boat is a wonderful thing for sailing. But beware....exotic materials and construction methods if not done properly and well can be a MUCH bigger danger risk and money pit. ( just look at all those wet - delaminating cored hulls out there on the market today... For an idea read here http://www.yachtsurvey.com/core_materials.htm ) Someday if I had all the money in the world, I''d get a cored hull with the best construction designs & methods , but there is something to be said for a solid glass hull in its simplicity and *more* importantly its repair when any kind of water incursion does happen (and chances are it will - its just a matter of time)
I know more than a handful of people that cruise the C36 extensively. There is one guy (Alaskan Po Boy) that has sailed his from Alaska down the pacific and up the Atlantic on the east coast. Its a great boat with a design that really hits "the sweet spot". Not too much to single handed even in heavy seas and with the help of an autopilot its even easier (BTW my ''99 C36 only has a Raymarine 4000 autopilot which is undersized and the boat still handles heavy weather fine -- which tends to lead me to a fairly well balanced boat). With that said, I am sure there are problems that people have had over the years, any boat needs to be inspected. And in the same vein I heard about a steering or rudder failure occurring to a C36 on a voyage, but the boat was almost 18 years old and wasn''t checked --- any boat that is not inspected and maintained can have that happen even Hinckleys and Little Harbors.
I have a friend that entered his C42 "La Buona Vita" in the "Caribbean 1500" this past fall that sails from Virginia to the BVI''s. There were 46 boats entered, all makes and models -- Hunter, Tayana, Valiant, Shannon, Island Packet , Cape Dory, Dear foot, and Catalina, etc. There was some very heavy weather and this Catalina 42 came in 4th place *Overall* !!! She did great and its a great testament to the C42 (which is very much like a big C36) But what is even more telling is what happened to some of the so-called expensive blue water boats. An Island Packet and a Tayana (one of these boats was new) and others had to withdrawal from the middle of the race and be diverted to Bermuda, one had a deck fitting brake and the other had a major rudder problem. Now I wouldn''t try and infer that the Island Packet and a Tayana are not good, well built boats, because they are ! But this is just to illustrate that problems can happen to ANY boat and by inferring that Catalina is worse is incorrect .
Bottom line I am VERY happy with My 1999 Catalina 36MKII and the only reason I would change boats was if I got my hands on more money and could purchase a bigger boat....