I am not looking to start a fight at all, but out of all the production boats Catalina is my favorite for build quality. Not that any of them would be my "first" choice for a
circumnavigation, but if I did have to chose one to do so with, it would be a Catalina. Are they comparable to an Outbound, Swan, or
Oyster? Of course not, that's apples and oranges. However the things I like about Catalina are they use Lead keels, they do NOT use sail drives, and they put a lot of thought into structure and load bearing components.
Some of the things I like are:
The
rudder has a break away point built in so that in case of a grounding or hitting an obstruction at sea the bottom portion will break away while leaving a useable portion still attached.
The
Rudder post terminates at the
cockpit floor for maximum strength as opposed to terminating lower inside the
hull like a certain other production boat that sank from a broken rudder post a few years ago.
There is a
collision bulk
head built in just behind the
anchor locker, you can legitimately cut off the entire bow just in front of the V-berth and the main hull will maintain its structural integrity.
The
mast is on a
compression post that transfers very minimal loads to the
deck.
The
mast shrouds don't use chain plates from the
deck for support but transfer the load to a structural grid inside the hull using a ball and socket system. This helps prevent deck
leaks and gives a stronger support system.
Now the down sides to any production coastal cruiser is smaller tankage and that the hull above the
water line is balsa cored.
I am not saying Catalina's are the best boat ever because they do obviously have flaws, what I am saying is for people like me that can't afford an Outbound, a Catalina is a well built affordable option. Also the features I am advocating for are from their 5 series builds that started within the last 10 years or so. I cannot speak for the models before the 445.
As far as coastal cruising, any of them would be fine but personally I like the style and build of Catalina's. Not to mention that getting in touch with the VP and chief
engineer of Catalina Gerry Douglas, is much easier than other brands. I emailed their general
email once with a question and I got a response from him directly. To me that speaks volumes!
Edit: As a disclaimer. I grew up sailing a Gen 1
Catalina 30 but I do not
work for Catalina, I just really like the quality of their product for the
price point that is offered.