Maybe
Catalina's are generally well-balanced in design and construction vs. cost. They sit pretty much in the middle of the pack in terms of quality and performance, and are fairly versatile. One thing you might want to consider about the Catalina 250 is that its design was influenced by the goal of being a trailerable boat, so maximum beam, stability, layout, and some other characteristics were slightly compromised towards this end. The fixed keel was added as an option after the first couple of years of production to swing the design back towards a more conventional sailing boat. It will work fine, but if hauling the boat around on a trailer is not something you will do, you may want to look at some other boats (including other Catalina models) to see if they are more suitable. Lastly, for learning to sail mainstream sailboats, I've found that a persons attitude and approach to learning are much more important than what boat he is sailing. Take things one step at a time (I still think docking in adverse weather is hardest), learn from your mistakes or when things go wrong (and they will), and don't get frustrated. I almost gave up on sailing after my third time out (1979) when I first faced 20-knot winds. I was very beat up, humiliated, and depressed. But I went home and re-read my How-to-Sail book, and discovered that my 17 ft boat had a roller furling main, and that it's Ok to drop the jib in high winds (duh). I've learned many more lessons since, but it's been the greatest pastime ever.
