Rhythm

The Catalina 310 is a popular American masthead sloop designed by Gerry Douglas and built by Catalina Yachts from 1999 to 2011/2012. It won Cruising World's "Boat of the Year" for Best Pocket Cruiser in 2000. It is optimized as a comfortable coastal cruiser built specifically with a cruising couple in mind.

• Award-Winning Heritage: Right out of the gate, the boat was a major critical success. It won Cruising World Magazine's Pocket Cruiser Boat of the Year award in 1999 and was named one of the Top 10 Sailboats for 2000 by SAIL Magazine. [1]

• A Heavyweight in Its Class: The Catalina 310 is surprisingly robust. Displacing 10,300 pounds, it is significantly heavier than its direct production competitors from the same era. This extra mass gives it a much smoother, drier, and more comfortable ride when the water gets choppy. [1, 2]

• A Rig and Mast Shared with a Big Sister: The 310 is equipped with a heavily stayed, double-spreader rig. Its mast is actually the exact same rugged extrusion used on the larger Catalina 320, just cut shorter by 150mm (about 6 inches). [1]

• Premium Features as Standard: Catalina Yachts packed the 310 with hardware that rival brands only offered as expensive upgrades. Every boat left the factory with four Lewmar winches, a dual front-and-top-loading Adler-Barbour refrigerator, and a hidden Maxwell anchor windlass. [1, 2]

The Catalina 310, introduced in 1999 by Catalina Yachts, is a widely popular 31-foot recreational cruiser renowned for its distinct, pocket-luxury design. Developed by chief designer Gerry Douglas, it flipped the script on traditional production boat layouts by focusing entirely on the comfort of a single cruising couple rather than trying to cram in extra berths for a large crowd. [1, 2, 3]

• Inspired by Dinghy Rowing: Gerry Douglas got the idea for the 310 while rowing his dinghy through an anchorage at Catalina Island. He noticed couples in their 40s and 50s struggling to manage massive 40-foot boats alone. He realized they only bought boats that large because they wanted "big boat" luxuries—like a real bed and a separate shower—which were missing from smaller pocket cruisers. [1]

• The "Big Boat" Master Bedroom: Unlike almost all other 30-to-32-foot sailboats that stuff a tight, geometric V-berth into the bow, the 310 features an island queen-sized centerline berth complete with a real, factory-standard inner-spring mattress. [1, 2]

• "Unapologetically" Built for Two: While it features a massive cockpit that can easily seat eight people for sundowners, the interior layout makes no compromises. Instead of cutting up the salon to fit extra bunks, the boat trades raw sleeping capacity for massive storage, tankage, and unparalleled elbow room for two people. [1, 2, 3]

Island Sailing Graduates of our 103 class are good to go with Voyager Membership Access. 103 Graduates from other schools may require a check out and orientation. Inquire with the club for more details.

The maximum motoring fuel range for a Catalina 310 with a Universal M25XP / M25XPB engine is between 240 and 360 nautical miles (NM) in calm conditions, while a safe cruising range (incorporating a 1/3 safety reserve) is between 160 and 240 NM. [1]

Because sailboats depend heavily on weather, RPM, and sea state, this range is calculated from the boat's specific tank dimensions and engine burn rates:

Core Specifications

• Fuel Capacity: 27 U.S. gallons (102 Liters) is the factory standard for the Catalina 310. (Note: A few early or custom hulls report a 20-gallon tank; if yours is 20 gallons, reduce the range calculations below by 25%).

• Engine Output: The Universal M25XP / M25XPB is a 3-cylinder marine diesel rated at 26 HP.

• Cruising Speed: Typically 5.5 to 6.0 knots at a standard cruising RPM. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Fuel Burn Rates & Range Breakdown

How you throttle your Universal engine heavily dictates your range. At normal cruising speeds, these engines are incredibly efficient. [1]

Throttle / Engine RPMAvg. Fuel Burn RateSpeed (Est.)Max Range (27 gal)Safe Range (with 1/3 Reserve)Eco Cruise (1,800–2,000 RPM)0.4 to 0.45 GPH~5.3 knots~335 NM~225 NMStandard Cruise (2,200–2,400 RPM)0.5 to 0.6 GPH~5.8 knots~280 NM~185 NMHigh Cruise / Headwinds (2,600+ RPM)