The Catalina 445 Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Catalina 445, a light displacement fractional sloop, was designed by Gerry Douglas and built in the USA by Catalina Yachts.

A Catalina 445

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Catalina 445

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1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 16.8 suggests that the Catalina 445 will, in the right conditions, approach her maximum hull speed readily and satisfy the sailing performance expectations of most cruising sailors.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 30.6 would usually mean that the Catalina 445 would have a tendency to heel uncomfortably in a gust, and need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

However, as she has much of her ballast concentrated in a bulb at the foot of her keel, she's likely to be considerably stiffer than her published Ballast/Displacement Ratio might suggest.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 186, tells us the Catalina 445 is clearly a light displacement sailboat. If she's loaded with too much heavy cruising gear her performance will suffer to a degree.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 28.0 suggests that crew comfort of a Catalina 445 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a coastal cruiser with moderate stability, which is not encouraging news for anyone prone to seasickness. 

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.9 indicates that a Catalina 445 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0. 

The Catalina 445: A Versatile and Comfortable Sailboat

The Catalina 445 is a 44-foot fractional sloop that was launched in 2009 by Catalina Yachts. The boat has a spacious cockpit with twin helm stations and a cockpit table that seats 4-6 people. The deck is finished with a traditional diamond-patterned non-skid surface. The interior is bright and airy, with large windows and hatches that provide natural light and ventilation. The boat has three cabins and two heads, with an innovative flexible cabin on the port side that can be converted to suit your needs. The galley has ample storage and features for extended cruising.

The Catalina 445 is designed to be easy to sail and handle, with a balanced rudder, a fin keel with a lead bulb, and a masthead sloop rig with swept-back spreaders. The boat has a standard sail area of 856 square feet with a 100% foretriangle, which can be increased to 1002 square feet with a standard 135% genoa. The boat also has an optional in-mast furling system for the mainsail. The boat is powered by a Yanmar 57 HP diesel engine with a three-bladed propeller.

The Catalina 445 has won several awards and accolades since its debut, including the Cruising World Boat of the Year in 2010 for the Best Full-Size Cruiser category, and the Sail Magazine Best Boats in 2010 for the Flagship Monohull category.

The Accommodation Layout

Accommodation
The Catalina 445 has a three-cabin layout that can accommodate up to seven people comfortably. The owner's cabin is forward, with a large centerline double berth, a hanging locker, a vanity desk, and private access to the forward head. The forward head has an electric toilet and a separate shower stall.

The guest cabin is aft on the starboard side, with another large double berth that is angled for easy access and greater headroom. The aft head is adjacent to the guest cabin, and can also be accessed from the saloon. The aft head has a manual toilet and a shower.

The third cabin is on the port side, aft of the galley. This cabin is a flexible space that can be configured as a sleeping quarters with upper and lower berths, a storage room with shelves and drawers, or a work room with a bench and tools. This cabin also has a large opening hatch for ventilation.

The saloon is spacious and inviting, with an L-shaped settee on the starboard side that can seat six people around a folding table. The table can also be lowered to create an additional double berth if needed. On the port side of the saloon, there is a navigation station with a chart table and an electrical panel. There is also a flat-screen TV mounted on the bulkhead above the nav station.

The galley is on the port side of the companionway, opposite the aft head. It has a U-shaped design that provides plenty of counter space and storage. The galley is equipped with a three-burner stove with oven, a microwave, a double stainless steel sink, a top-loading refrigerator, a front-loading freezer, and a trash bin.

The interior of the Catalina 445 is finished with teak veneer and solid teak trim, with a satin varnish. The upholstery is available in several colors and fabrics, including leather. The cabin sole is made of teak and holly laminate. The interior lighting is LED, with dimmers and red night lights.

Hull and Deck
The hull of the Catalina 445 is made of fiberglass with end-grain balsa core sandwich construction above the waterline, and a vinylester integral barrier to resist osmosis blistering. The hull has a white gelcoat finish with a blue boot stripe and a blue sheer stripe. The hull also has a rub rail with a stainless steel striker.

The deck of the Catalina 445 is also made of fiberglass with end-grain balsa core sandwich construction, and has a molded-in diamond pattern non-skid surface in two-tone white and grey. The deck has a low-profile cabin structure that blends with the hull shape and enhances the visibility from the cockpit. The deck also has stainless steel handrails, lifelines, stanchions, cleats, and chocks.

The cockpit of the Catalina 445 is large and comfortable, with twin helm stations that provide good visibility and access to the sail controls. Each helm station has a 32-inch stainless steel wheel, a single-lever engine control, an instrument pod, and a compass. The cockpit also has a folding cockpit table that seats 4-6 people, with two leaves and a storage compartment. The cockpit seats and coamings are covered with closed-cell foam cushions. The cockpit also has a stern rail with observation seats, a walk-through transom with a swim platform and a boarding ladder, a hot and cold shower, and a storage locker for the propane tanks.

The deck hardware of the Catalina 445 is high-quality and well-placed for easy handling. The boat has two primary winches on the coaming near the helm stations, two secondary winches on the cabin top near the companionway, and two more winches on the mast for halyards. All winches are self-tailing and two-speed. The boat also has two genoa tracks with cars and stoppers, two mainsheet traveler tracks with cars and stoppers, two boom vangs with blocks and tackle, two reefing lines with blocks and clutches, two topping lifts with blocks and clutches, two spinnaker halyards with blocks and clutches, two flag halyards with cleats, and one outhaul line with block and clutch.

The anchor locker of the Catalina 445 is located at the bow, and has an electric windlass with a chain wheel. The boat comes with a stainless steel plow anchor and high-test chain. The boat also has a bow roller that can accommodate a second anchor if needed.

Mast and Rigging
The mast of the Catalina 445 is made of aluminum alloy, and is deck-stepped on a compression post that transfers the load to the keel structure. The mast also has an internal conduit for wiring, an anchor light, a steaming light, a deck light, and an optional masthead wind indicator.

Keel and Rudder
The keel of the Catalina 445 is a fin keel with a lead bulb that provides stability and performance. The keel is attached to the hull with 316 stainless steel bolts. The boat has two keel options:

• a wing keel with a draft of 5 feet, and
• a fin keel with a draft of 6 feet 8 inches.

The wing keel has large winglets that reduce the draft and increase the lift. The fin keel has a deeper draft and a lower center of gravity for better upwind performance.

The rudder of the Catalina 445 is a balanced spade rudder that provides good steering control and maneuverability. The rudder is made of fiberglass with a stainless steel rudder post and bearings. The rudder is connected to the twin wheels by a mechanical steering system with cables and pulleys. The steering system also has an emergency tiller that can be fitted to the rudder post in case of failure.

Alternative Versions
The Catalina 445 is available in different versions to suit different sailing preferences and needs:

The standard version is designed for recreational sailing, with a comfortable and spacious interior, a well-equipped galley, and a versatile rig. The standard version also has an optional in-mast furling system for the mainsail, which makes it easier to reef or stow the sail without leaving the cockpit.

The owner's version is designed for long-term cruising or liveaboard, with some modifications to the interior layout. The owner's version has a larger forward cabin with more storage space, a larger forward head with a separate shower stall, and a smaller flexible cabin on the port side that can be used as an office or a workshop.

The charter version is designed for chartering or sailing with guests, with some modifications to the interior layout. The charter version has three equal cabins with double berths, each with its own head and shower. The charter version also has a smaller galley and saloon, and more water and fuel capacity.

The performance version is designed for racing or fast cruising, with some modifications to the rig and hull. The performance version has a taller mast with more sail area, a deeper fin keel with less drag, and a lighter hull with less weight. The performance version also has an optional carbon fiber mast and boom, an optional in-boom furling system for the mainsail, and an optional bowsprit for flying asymmetric spinnakers.

This article was written with the assistance of Gemini, a large language model developed by Google. Gemini was used to gather information, summarize research findings, and provide suggestions for the content and structure of the article.

Other sailboats in the Catalina range include:

The Catalina 36

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The Catalina 42

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The Catalina 400

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The Catalina Morgan 440

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