Small by Choice, Able by Design, Page 3 |
CAPRI 18
Designed by Frank Butler and Gerry Douglas and introduced in 1986, the Capri 18 shows its Catalina heritage. According to the builder, this attractive fixed-keel, shoal draft weekender is intended as “a safe, comfortable daysailer/overnighter; a family boat or first cabin boat that is
simple, well-mannered and fairly stiff; a boat with the same construction and feel as the larger Catalinas.”
The Capri is sturdily-built with a fully-cored deck and a shoe box hull-to-deck joint. The deck and hull are bonded with a polyester-base adhesive and secured every 4 inches with stainless steel screws anchored in an internal plywood beam.
We were impressed by the Capri’s respect for safety in such items as full foam flotation; excellent diamond-pattern non-skid; high bridgedeck; two 1 3/4-inch straight-through transom scuppers; substantial toerails; sturdy 18-inch stanchions, how pulpit, and lifelines with pelican hooks; a set of “big boat” running lights; and a sliding hatch that will not accidentally open.
The mast goes up easily, pivoting on a removable bolt that must be slid through the mast and tabernacle each time the spar is stepped. (Our sample needed a washer between the mast
and nut). Our one-person rigging time was 18 minutes, which included some fumbling with the new trailering package that features a vinyl-covered collar securing the mast to the bow pulpit. With practice the rigging time should be cut in half.
This was the most difficult of the three boats to launch; the driver had to back up twice and hit the brakes hard to jog the boat off the trailer. (Ramp selection for the Capri maybe as important as launch technique).
Though the Capri’s 6-foot-9-inch-long cockpit contributes to the boat’s role as a daysailer, the nearly vertical seat backs made it impossible for us to get comfortable for more than a few minutes unless we sat on the coaming, which, by the way, is a great perch when going to weather. Cockpit storage is excellent with a large locker to starboard and a 27-inch-long vented gas tank locker to port for both a 6-gallon gas tank and a six-pack cooler.
The cabin’s full liner is finished nicely with all through-deck fasteners capped by acorn nuts. Large Lexan windows and a big forward hatch create a light and airy cabin.
The cabin should sleep two comfortably in a converted ‘playpen’ area with gear stowed forward on the V-berth, but there’s no place to sit with decent back support. If you lean against the hull, you hit your head on the inside of the cabin trunk created by the wide side decks. Also, the traditional compression post has been replaced by two stainless steel posts mounted 19 inches inboard, making leaning back awkward. Adding small semi-bulkheads instead of posts, and seat backs to the hull sides, would make the cabin a real standout.
Cabin lights, switch panel, portable head, and a 90-amp/hour battery are standard.
Big-Boat Feel
Topside, we were pleased with most of the deck and sailhandling gear. Standard equipment includes internal halyards, single reef point lines at both tack and clew, cunningham, Harken mainsheet and yang hardware, Lewmar #6 sheet winches, and stand-up blocks and clam cleats for the jib sheets.
Everything worked well except the running rigging. Winches are superfluous on an 18-footer, and the clam cleats were awkward, especially in heavy air. Also, while the jib flogged
in heavy air, the stand-up blocks beat against the teak cabin hatch rail, scarring it badly.
After sailing the lively Precision and Hunter, the Capri felt not only like a much larger boat but also heavy and, well, complacent. It hesitated to let go. Not until we matched up, boat-for-boat, did we realize that the Capri is faster than the Precision and at times rivaled or beat the Hunter. The Capri is just slow to accelerate and hides its performance in a big-boat feel. It also has a weather helm, evident in the first day’s light winds.
Reefed and under trimmed in the second day’s heavy winds, the Capri would round up so unpredictably that at times the jib was back winded before we could respond with the helm. The problem was complicated by the awkward clam cleats.
For a “well-mannered” family boat, the Capri 18 needs more work to realize what we think can be a great future. In nearly every other respect, Catalina comes very close to its design concept and earns high marks for its attention to safety.
