1993–2006 · designed by Gerry Douglas (Catalina Yachts in-house) · built by Catalina Yachts
Mid-size Catalina coastal cruiser slotting between the Catalina 30 and the Catalina 36. Designed for coastal cruising, weekending, and club racing. Standard fin-bulb keel plus optional shoal/wing keel, spade rudder, masthead sloop rig, and fiberglass construction — the production Catalina recipe. Roomy interior for the LOA; aft-cockpit.
This is a general read on the Catalina 320 class — informed
background, not a verdict on any individual boat. Condition, refit history,
and how a particular hull was sailed and stored matter far more than class
reputation. Use it to know what to look for; for a read on a specific
listing, run a free FairKeel report on that boat.
Slots a useful gap in the Catalina line — bigger than a Catalina 30, cheaper than a Catalina 36. About 1,100 pre-Mk II hulls = good owner community.
Catalina Yachts is still in business — replacement parts and factory support remain available, unusual for a 30+ year-old production builder.
Forgiving sailing characteristics; well-suited to learning crews and coastal-cruising couples.
Known trade-offs
Not an offshore platform; production-cruiser spec across rig, ballast retention, through-hulls, and rudder bearing design.
Smaller production run than the Catalina 30 or Catalina 36 — owner community and DIY documentation are good but not at the larger Catalina-class scale.
Modest tankage by liveaboard standards — frequent re-provisioning for extended cruising.
Age-related quirks to expect
Wing keel option vs standard fin keel — different draft + ballast distribution; confirm before pricingLowall (option)
Perkins M30 / Westerbeke 29B-30B / Yanmar 3GM30F engine variants — verify the installed engine against hull numberLow1993-2006
Original holding tank + sanitation hoses reaching end-of-life by year 25+Medium1993-2000
Deck-stepped mast — check deck-core compression under mast step on older hullsMedium1993-2000
Engine variant depends on hull number and production year — Perkins M30 on early hulls, Westerbeke 29B / 30B during the mid-1990s transition, and Yanmar 3GM30F on later hulls. Heat exchanger + raw-water pump are typical 25-year wear items.
Most original wire + chainplates now at or past first re-rig interval (~20-25 years). Chainplate leaks into deck core around shrouds are the recurring class issue.
Deck-stepped mast loads the deck core directly. Compression / moisture in the core under the mast step is a class issue on older hulls. Check deck flex + mast-step bedding.
How it fits your plans
Coastal
Sweet spot. Designed for it. Forgiving sailing characteristics, roomy interior, well-known to surveyors, parts ubiquitous.
Offshore
NOT designed for it. Fin-keel + spade rudder + light displacement + production-grade ballast retention = coastal platform. Significant prep required for any sustained offshore work.
Liveaboard
Workable for two on coastal liveaboard; tankage modest (~25 gal fuel / ~50 gal water typical) — frequent re-provisioning.
Weekending
Excellent. Designed for it.
Looking at a specific Catalina 320? FairKeel reads the actual listing —
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