- Founded
- 1970
- Headquarters
- 7200 Bryan Dairy Rd, Largo, FL 33777, United States
- Shipyard location
- Largo, Florida, United States
- Official website
- https://www.catalinayachts.com/
Brand Overview
American sailboat builder founded by Frank Butler in 1970, which calls itself America's largest sailboat builder — the 22 Sport and 22 Capri trailerables, the 276 Sport, the 6 Series 316, 356, 386 and 426 and the 445, from 7.3 to 13.5 metres, owned, designed and built in Largo, Florida.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Catalina's first boat, the Catalina 22, was built in North Hollywood, California, in July 1969, and Frank Butler founded Catalina Yachts in 1970 hoping to build a hundred of them; the yard's timeline says the 22 passed hull number 5,000 in 1975 and 15,000 in 1990, with the Catalina 27 and 30 also running into the thousands. In 1984 Catalina acquired Morgan Yachts in Largo, Florida, which became its Morgan Division, and in 1998 Butler took Sharon Day (sales) and Gerry Douglas (engineering) as partners; the company says Sharon Day, who worked alongside Frank for 48 years, now leads a veteran team, and that its boats are owned, designed and built in America, at 7200 Bryan Dairy Road in Largo. The fleet runs in three series: Sport (dinghies from 12.5 ft, the 22 Sport swing-keeler, the 22 Capri and the 276 Sport), Cruiser (316 and 356) and Ocean (386, 426 and 445, with a 446 listed as coming soon and the 545). The 6 Series — 276, 316, 356, 386 and 426 — brings new Selden rigs with 'LMP' sections, Catalina/Mars shoal-draft lead keels with a 'Cruising Bulb', multiaxial fiberglass with carbon in selected places, a Sensar boat monitor and the Butler Explorer pedestal by Edson. Every model page prints an imperial specification list: dimensions, one block per keel, rig measurements, tanks and engine. Catalina also builds the True North line of Downeast-style powerboats, and its owners have had their own Mainsheet magazine since 1983.
Who sails them
Catalina owners are mostly American coastal cruisers and club sailors — first-time buyers, couples and families moving up through the range, and trailer sailors on the 22s — who want an honest, easy-to-maintain boat at a fair price that holds its resale value, a shoal-draft keel for thin water, a dealer nearby and an owners' association for their model; the yard says it has the biggest share of repeat customers in the industry.
Signature models
The Catalina 22, first built in 1969, named SAIL's 'trailerable boat of the decade' in 1980 and a charter member of the Sailboat Hall of Fame in 1995, lives on in the 22 Sport and 22 Capri; the 6 Series 316, 356, 386 and 426 are today's cruising line.
Strengths
Catalina is known for long production runs and value pricing, a nationwide dealer network and active owners' associations, a fin or shoal-draft bulb keel on every cruising model, hand-laid fiberglass hulls with structural grids and vinylester barrier coats, five-year hull-structure and blister warranties, full standard-equipment lists printed for every model, and in the 6 Series new Selden rigs and Mars Metal keels, with twin-wheel steering on the 426 and 445.
Considerations
The specification lists are imperial only, so every length, weight and tank figure here is converted, with the printed original kept; each cruising model is listed with two keels, and the displacement and ballast entered are the fin-keel figures — at half load on the 6 Series, as 'basic weight' on the 445 and the 22s; water totals include the water heater; the 426's engine is quoted in metric horsepower, and the 316's list gives 21 HP where its equipment list says 20; no designer, CE category or berth count is printed; the 545 page shows photographs only and the 446 is listed as coming soon without a page, so neither is in the catalogue yet; and the 276 Sport and 316 pages illustrate their predecessors, the 275 and 315.
Analysis generated 10/18/2026
Part of
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 8
- Length range
- 7.26–13.54 m
- Hull forms
- Sailing Monohull 8
- Cabins
- 2–3
Models by this brand
8 models
Sport Series3
History
Catalina's first model, the Catalina 22, was built in North Hollywood, California, in July 1969, when owner Frank Butler hoped to build a hundred boats; he founded Catalina Yachts in 1970 with the goal, the company says, of building good boats that are a good value. The Catalina 27 followed in March 1970 and the Catalina 30 in December 1974, and the 22 passed hull number 5,000 in 1975 and 10,000 in 1980, by then built at Catalina's East and West Coast plants and in England, Australia and Canada. In 1984 Catalina acquired Morgan Yachts in Largo, Florida, which became its Morgan Division, building cruising and charter boats and many Catalina models on the East Coast. The first Catalina 42 of 1989 delivered 100 hulls in its first year, and in 1990 the Catalina 30 reached hull 6,000 and the 22 hull 15,000. The 1990s brought the 270, 320, 400, 380 and 470, and in 1995 Frank Butler received SAIL's Industry Award for Leadership. In December 1998 he took Sharon Day, vice-president of sales, and Gerry Douglas, vice-president of engineering, as partners in his privately held company. The company says Sharon Day, who worked alongside Frank for 48 years, now leads a veteran team that carries his vision forward at what it calls America's largest sailboat builder.
History written fromcatalinayachts.com/history/· Frank Butlerread 10/18/2026