cat 18 vs precision 18

[g grewe]

I am trying to decide between purchasing a late model cat/capri 18 vs a precision 18. Any input regarding relative strengths and weaknesses of each(seaworthiness,stability, etc., ) would be appreciated

 

[mg]

capri

the capri was my 5th boat . it took me more places that any other boat i had, bigger or smaller. my only real complaint is that i was too hot for comfortable cruising. and no air gets down below.the small cabin heats up quickly and is oppressive at best during summer outings . i have a 22 now and find the same problem but the extra room below seems to make it a bit better. the other prob with the 18 was you couldnt sail with a bimini as the boom is too low. i got tired of cooking in the sun. i often cruised the boat for 2 weeks at a time and trailered all over with it.i didnt want to recut the main and lose any sq footage to raise the boom so i bought a 22 with a wing. but now i dont trail as much . its just tougher to rig and launch. as for the 18 is sailed great , showed no stess cracks, and moved nicely. if i ran aground it was easy to push off and in many places i could sail up to the waters edge and hop off. thought not as much as i would have liked . the boat trailed easily and rigged in 1/2 hour. i sail mostly by myself. this was a major plus. but dont think size is the factor for ease of rigging and launching. for me the oday 23 was the easiest boat i ever rigged and launched. a combo of boat design rig design and trailer design is the key. i had to have a tounge ext added to the capri to get it to float off the trailer and even then loading without a finger pier is a real pain. and all in all i have to say the 18 was probably the best boat ive owned as far as getting me places i hadnt been before.and if i could have sailed with a bimini...... but be warned if you sail with anyone more than singlehanded you will feel cramped and miserable in no time. the 22 is a better choice if sails include more than 2 extra for a daysail or a wife for the weekend . good luck

 

[Erik]

Catalina Capri 18

I bought my '93 C-18 over 2 years ago. I like it very much. Here in Calif, Precisions are rare (only seen a P-165 and P-23 up close), but I've heard they're built more lightly than Catalinas. I considered quite a few boats in the 17-19 ft range, and the C-18 seemed to be the best, all things considered. The Potter 19 is ok, but seems flimsy and the cockpit's small. For now (and probably for a long time), the C-18 is a perfect size boat for me. I mainly daysail, solo, and with one to three other people. The C-18 is a good size for that. the 6 ft long cockpit is roomy for an 18 ft boat. I'm also somewhat of a minimalist, so the cabin seems roomy enough for my needs. A simple electrical system, porta-potti, ice chest, and small OB motor are all I need. Setup and launching are easy for me, especially with the mast raiser unit I designed and built. Towing is easy with a mid-sized truck (about 2500 lbs gross trailer weight). Check out the Catalina Capri 18 Nat'l Assn website at: www.catalina18.net for more info.

 

[Ed Lynch]

Cat versus Precision 18 - It Depends

This past year I went thru the process of acquiring my first boat. In this process I evaluated a 1996 Precision 18 and also looked at the Cat 18. Both are nice little cabin boats with nice sized cockpits given the overall size of the boat. If you'll be trailering , the center board on the Precision makes it easier to launch versus the fixed wing keel on the Cat. The Precision weighs about 1200 pounds which versus 1800 lbs for the Catalina. You then have to add the weight of the trailer to this. I didn't want to buy a new vehicle to enable me to tow as that was one of my requirements.The Precision could be parked in a standard garage by dipping the tongue of the trailer down as it passes thru the garage door. The Cat sits too high for a standard 7 ft high garage door.Because of the weight difference there is a difference in the thickness of the fiberglass. The used one I inspected showed some cracking that steered me away from it. The life line stanchions did not appear to have any metal backing plates or if it did they were very small. There was some visible cracking when I inspected the boat from the inside. I also pulled back the rubber edging where the hull and deck are joined together and found a considerable degree of cracking under this edging. I was after a trailerable that would fit in my garage and ended up getting a C16.5. Nice large cockpit and no cabin. It fits my needs.