A seriously fast boat? Compared to what?
Before you post even more uniformed stuff, how about comparing those boats to your own PHRF ratings. Catalina 22 is 276. Mac 25 is 231 and the the 26C is 222. I do think the Catalina 22 would be a great choice for the OP but I can absolutely recommend the boat I currently have sailed the crap out for over 12 years now and that is a 1990 Mac 26S. It is the master at trailering. Easy to set up and launch. A big deal for me is that I dont even need a trailer tongue extension to launch the 26S. I can set it up myself in about 1/2 hour if Im in a hurry, usually take a little longer. Macs have nice mast raising gin pole setup. If you have whatever helm issue the poster above mentioned, the boat is not set up right. You have to go to something a lot harder to launch to beat it on the water assuming all other things being equal (like pilot skill, rig tunning and condition). The Mac 26S is actually a very good boat for shallow water sailing because with water ballast, the swing centerboard is not involved in the boats righting moment. Because of this, it is just as safe to sail with the centerboard all the way down (high aspect foil) or almost all the way up (low aspect foil). Swing centerboard is also very tolerant of groundings. Built poorly (FYI, I have also owned a Catalina in the past). I have had to replace some hardware like blocks or cleats but otherwise, its in great shape (after almost 30 years now and I have beat the crap out of it for 12 years myself). If the idea of tinkering and modifying the boat to your own tastes and application is apealing, its a great boat. If you are the type to pay for all work to be done, probably not a good choice and you may want something much newer. Since Im still a trailer sailor and value that easy setup and launch, there is not any other boat I would replace my 26S with. Also a very comfy camper with the pop top but you will have to make your own pop top tent since no one sells this any more. The one issue and its a big issue is that at least in the western part of the US, there are zebra mussel inspections and water ballast can be a hassle for this. If you are located in a state with inspections at all lakes (like Colorado which is where I live half the year), I would not recommend any water ballast boat. But that is the only reason..