The design was built by Catalina Yachts in the United States starting in 1968. The company built 3,800 examples of the design, but it is now out of production.[1][3][4]
The boat has a draft of 3.67 ft (1.12 m) with the centerboard extended and 4 in (10 cm) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1]
For sailing the design is equipped with hiking straps, a trapeze, an outhaul, boom vang, a high-mounted boom and a mainsheet traveler. It has a storage compartment under the foredeck, equipped with a hatch for access. A binnacle with a compass was a factory option, as was a "kick-up" rudder design and sail windows in the mainsail and jib.[3]
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 91.7 and is normally raced by a crew of two sailors.[3]