BoatsCatalina Yachts 16.5

Catalina Yachts 16.5

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1994

A 195-kilogram centerboard dinghy with a high 42.18 sail area-to-displacement ratio for responsive, active sailing

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.13 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 195 kg of hull, so roughly 800 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 195 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.13 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 3 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 3
CoastalBluewater

At 3.71 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.71
LightHeavy

50 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 50
EasygoingPowered-up

42.2 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 42.2

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Draws more than ~90% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~93% of boats her size on file

Compared with 323 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
42.2
Displacement / length
49.9
Comfort ratio
3.1
Capsize screening
3.71
Hull speed
5.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
392
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1994
Builder
Catalina Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed centreboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fibreglass
The Easiest Sailboat You’ll Ever Own – The Wayfarer0:47from Practical Sailor
Hunter Marine 154.42 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA lightweight fractional centerboard dinghy designed for easy handling and high performance
What Happened to Hunter Sailboats? The History Most People Don't Know.from All About Sailing
Lido 144.27 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA fractional sloop dinghy designed by Barney Lehman, updated in 1995 with a modern mold for improved longevity and safety
Restoring covid-quarantine project boats - a Lido 14 sailboat and Seaflite 179SS ski boat0:03from Ravenswing
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance Olympic skiff featuring the 49er hull paired with a specialised rig tailored for lighter crews
Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland showed strength in the first World Cup of the year.2:03from SEILmagasinet
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
From Olympic drama to flying motorboats: Petter Mørland Pedersen in "Peiling på Seiling"11:34from SEILmagasinet
Finn (Monotype)4.50 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA Richard Sarby-designed Olympic single-handed dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and a long history of competition
SEILmagasinet TV Episode 3 - 202551:39from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Catalina Yachts Capri 16.5A versatile centreboard dinghy that later introduced a fin-keel variant and was eventually rebranded as the Catalina 16.5Catalina Yachts 18A lightweight trailer-sailer with a 0.71-metre wing keel, optimised for stability and access to shallow cruising groundsCatalina Yachts Capri 18Renamed the Catalina 18 in 2000, this fractional sloop features a shallow 0.71-metre wing keel for easy shoal access

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Catalina Yachts 16.5

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