Cruising Monohull Under 50ft

Catalina 445

One encouraging trend that we have seen in recent years is a marked improvement in the overall design and construction of production fiberglass cruising boats. The best example this year is the new Catalina 445, which astutely balances the often competing dictates of comfort, convenience, performance and functionality.

Our favorite feature was the innovative port-side aft cabin, which can be converted from a guest cabin with either a full double berth or over-and-under single bunk berths to a utility space with a dedicated work bench. Its functionality is greatly enhanced by an overhead cockpit seat hatch, which opens to provide great ventilation and full access to the cabin's interior from above, plus full headroom for anyone standing at the workbench.

Other thoughtful accommodation features include carefully designed storage spaces in the galley with special bins and drawers for canned goods, bottles and cookware, a motorized elevating bed-head on the master double berth forward, under-settee storage spaces that can be accessed without lifting cushions, a laptop-friendly nav desk and a carefully offset double berth that maximizes useable headroom in the starboard-side aft cabin.

The 445 is a winner on deck, too. The standard Seldén furling rig features an in-mast mainsail with vertical battens to maximize convenience and performance, plus there's an optional removable bowsprit for flying asymmetric spinnakers and furling gennakers to keep the boat sailing well in light air. Again, there is a plethora of thoughtful details, including retractable lifelines at the aft pulpit gate and ergonomic twin helm stations that make it easy for a helmsman to trim a headsail while steering.

Systems details have also been treated carefully and include such features as a dedicated filter locker for easing engine maintenance and a well-designed manifold system for controlling the flow of fresh water aboard. Tie it all up in a boat with attractive, crisp lines, a relatively moderate beam and a long waterline, and you have one user-friendly cruiser that should be both fun and easy to sail. catalinayachts.com

Cruising Monohull Under 50ft	Catalina 445
Performance Boat	J/95
Cruising Multihull	Leopard 38/Sunsail 384
Small Boat (under 25 feet)	K650
Dinghy	Topaz
Systems	Passport 615
Green Award	Eko 6.5
Deck and Cockpit Plan	Morris M52
Accommodations	Island Packet Estero