Catalina 28: A Sassy Pocket Cruiser
Spinnaker’s fleet of sailboats is growing. The latest addition is the club’s fifth Catalina 28. Rather than a stretched Catalina 27, this Gerry Douglas-designed vessel was designed from scratch as a speedy, more modern, more polished-looking boat.
In many ways, the Catalina 28 is mini version of the bigger boats you can charter either from Spinnaker or in exotic locations around the world. The boat will give you the experience to get you ready to jump aboard a charter vessel with comfort and confidence.
Catalina 28s have step-through transoms, which allow for easier boarding — and easier rescue — as well as an interior that looks and feels like a much larger boat. The 28 can sleep four easily and six cosily. A two-burner propane galley stove with oven, a refrigerator, a compact chart table and full complement of electronics complete the package for a boat ready for overnights anywhere on San Francisco Bay.
Some years ago, I took the club’s first Catalina 28 out for an evening sail with two Spinnaker club members and two people who had never been on a sailboat before. Our trip onto the South Bay south of the San Mateo Bridge was terrific fun. In 15 knots of breeze, we sailed smoothly at hull speed under reefed main and 95% jib. Performance was not an issue.
Both the experienced crew and our newbie guests had a great time. Everyone pronounced the boat comfortable, easy to manage in decent wind and a blast to sail.
Auxiliary power comes from a Universal diesel beneath the companionway that provides plenty of push.
Spinnaker has — so far — five Catalina 28s. They all have the same basic sailing attributes. But each has special features as well.
Tunkentell, for example, has a shoal-draft keel, which gives the skipper a small added bit of room in shallow waters. It also has a dodger, which you can think of as a windshield to keep your crew dry and warm even on a cool, windy evening.
For those looking for a bit more adventure, Belle sports Catalina’s tall-rig configuration, which adds more sail area to the rig.
Spinnaker’s latest addition, Osprey, has a self-tacking jib to make crew work a snap. A boom along the jib foot and a track on the foredeck mean it can be possible to tack the boat without messing at all with the jib sheet.
Catalina Yachts made two versions of the 28, and Spinnaker has examples of both. Tunkentell, for example, is is from the first group, produced between 1991 and 1995. It measures 28 feet 10 inches in length overall, and just under 24 feet on the waterline, giving the boat a hull speed of about 6.5 knots.
The Mk ii version, like Osprey, is about a foot longer overall, but has the same waterline length as the original version.
Come by and take a look at Spinnaker’s new babies, and maybe sign up to take one for a spin. These boats are a great way to step up for those looking to advance from Merits or Catalina 27s.They make it simple to step onto a larger boat without losing the ease, simplicity and maneuverability of a smaller boat.