Do I want to build one of these things?

[Don C L]

A friend of mine had a boat similar to that he used to sail to local islands from Santa Barbara regularly. He was a pretty salty old salt but he really enjoyed it and he wasn't in a hurry and he knew how to pick his weather. He didn't even have an outboard. I think it looks like a nice little boat and project if you enjoy building things and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Yes, you could probably get a trailersailor cheaper, but you may get a great deal of pleasure out of building her that justifies the expense. And it will be unique and your own creation; there is certainly something to be said for that!
As far as performance, my friend's boat would chug along at 3 to 4 knots on a reach. The main thing slowing it down was just getting knocked around by chop, like going upwind. Downwind you may see it speed up a bit. So for trailering behind a 4 cylinder car and enjoying a nice afternoon on the lake, I say it's not a bad choice at all.

[hsi88]

or drive around for about an hour. Seems lots of neighborhoods have a Catalina 22 on a trailer. I know of two here that they would probably give away for free. Sails are probably packed away in the garage. Not the same as building one from scratch, but watching a dirty old boat turn into a personalized nice boat carries its own satisfaction.

[psk125]

This guy seems to have enjoyed building his and taking it on a 200 mile sailing cruise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwAEeIBHr38

Shows the boat in operation in some other than calm conditions, with owners comments.