cyclone 13 sailboat

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The Cyclone 13…NOT A Capri 14

A couple of weeks ago we wrote a review post about the Capri 14.2. Nothing was wrong with the review or the post, except that when we thought we had owned a Capri 14.2 fifteen years ago, when in fact we really owned a Cyclone 13. The good news is, everything we said about the Capri 14.2 now applies only to the Cyclone 13. One of our readers was good enough to point this out and we appreciate the correction. Below you will see our review for the Cyclone 13. Interestingly enough, both the Cyclone and the Capri are made by Catalina Yachts and were considered almost “sister boats” when both were in production. Although structurally they are different boats, there are similar features between the two. Here is the corrected post.

This is it. Our first family sailboat. It may not look like much and honestly that’s a bold but true statement. When it comes to simple dinghy boats, the Cyclone 13 is just that. A simple, easy to use, easy to manage sailboat.  No complicated rigging, no complicated anything really.

It was a Saturday morning in June, I was driving down to a charity yard sale for community program I was involved with. They had some interesting stuff lining the sidewalk, but as I looked around the corner, my eyes were fixed on the Cyclone 13 just sitting in the backyard. It was partially hidden under a large, shady tree. 20 minutes and a soft negotiation later, I walked away the proud owner of this boat for just $500. The real negotiation was with my wife when I drove home with a boat. Thankfully, she came around to the idea pretty quickly and we were up and sailing in no time.

This is a review of the Cyclone 13, and since you probably want less of the background story and more of the nuts and bolts behind this sailboat, let’s get down to business.

Specifications

Length: 13 ft. Beam: 4 ft. 11 in. Draft: 2 ft. 10 in. scaled Weight: 148 lbs. Sail area: 74 sq. ft. (U.S. Sailing’s handicap listings also indicate another larger sail) Hull: fiberglass reinforced plastic Spars: aluminum Crew: one or two Rating: D-PN 96.3 First built: 1972 Number built: 2,350 Designer: Frank Butler

This boat is exactly what it looks like. A simple dinghy boat. The mast isn’t that heavy, so it’s easy to raise. The rigging on the boat isn’t too complicated. All you need is a mainsheet. It’s a nice boat for kids to learn on. My kids were able to pick it up really quickly and I think this boat is what started their love of sailing. It’s lightweight and easy to trailer.

Honestly, this boat was a little squirrely. Part of that could be due to my inexperience at that point, but it wasn’t the easiest boat to manage in really windy conditions. It was also really small. Our Hobie Holder (also a small dinghy and our current dinghy of choice) is the same length, 14′ but feels, and looks much bigger. The Capri only sat 2 comfortably, and with all four of us in the boat it felt squished. On our Holder, we have fit 7 of us on the boat at once!

We had an older model, and ours had several cracks in the fiber glass on the top of the hulls and in the deck. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but didn’t affect the performance of the boat. I also replaced all the lines and refinished the hatch to the cubby/storage compartment.

We had some fun times and great adventures in this boat. If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive sailboat, that is easy to trailer and learn on, this is a great boat to start. It won’t give you the speed like a laser or a Holder, but the Cyclone 13 is worth taking a look at.

Can you buy this boat new? No, but here is what we do know…

The Capri 13 (or Catalina 13 ) took the place of the Cyclone 13 in the product line, though it is no longer listed on its web site. It appears the closest Catalina boat in size still in production is the Catalina Expo 12.5 , one of the newer and less demanding wider-hulled boats with simplified rigging.

Thanks for reading and happy sailing! Let us know if you have ever sailed a Capri 14.2.

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i live on a man made lake and had a capri cyclone 13 float to my dock. its full of water and all the drain plugs are gone. no sails, or rudder and its been this way a while from what i can tell. even the rope that once held it is rotted away. im going to try to find the owner which shouldnt be hard, and if he dosnt want it im thinking the easy solution is toss an electric trolling motor on the back and call it good. any thoughts or suggestions?

Worth a try. IF you have the sail I am interested, as I have a Capri 13. I found the boat to be very battered and there is a lot of delamination in the deck. On the other hand it is light and fun to sail, so I will hope to make it til September and then plan on repairs over the winter.

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• Sailboat Guide

Capri Cyclone

Capri Cyclone is a 12 ′ 11 ″ / 4 m monohull sailboat designed by Frank V. Butler and built by Catalina Yachts starting in 1970.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

In order to improve performance and handeling, the CAPRI CYCLONE class approved a modification to the rig that reduced the sail area from 78sf to 74sf in 1978. (shortening the mast and recutting the sail.) This was offered as a free modification by the builder.

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Hannah, I have a Cyclone 13 and have enjoyed sailing it. It has all the basic sail trim controls, which makes it a good boat to learn on. I bought it as a trainer for my son when he was young. I don't know your age or size, but I would be less concerned with your ability to keep it upright than with your ability to right it if it capsizes. If you only sail it in light air while you're learning, you'll develop the skill to keep it upright. While you're learning, you should only sail it with supervision, so that, if it capsizes, and you can't right it yourself, someone will be nearby who can help you. In time, you'll develop the skill and self confidence and strength to be able to deal with those situations yourself.  

Capri 13 I have a Capri Cyclone 13 and it's very easy to setup and sail alone. I have never flipped it but the procedure to right it seems simple enough. Stand on the daggerboard and pull.  

I live in central Ca. I am looking for a good lake in my area to learn on. I have limited experance sailing with my father in the ocean in a catalina30.Any help would be appricated  

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1982 Capri (Catalina) Cyclone 13

• Thread starter Capri
• Start date Jul 28, 2012
• Catalina Owner Forums
• Ask A Catalina Owner

I recently bent my mast at the point where the two pieces join. I drove under a low power line. I managed to bend back the piece that inserts into the second piece but there are subtle areas that evidently have bulged and the insert does not go in all the way. If I can manage to gently hammer the insert piece to go in, do I need to be concerned about the stability? I should mention there is a very small hair line crack in the piece that inserts into the other longer piece. Do I need to try to fix this or look for another mast? Are these available?  

I am not that familiar with that Catalina model, but if any part of your mast is or has been bent then scrap it. It has lost its structural rigidity & can no longer be trusted. I would replace it before sailing that boat again. Masts suffer from way too much pressure & significant loads from wind to ever sail with them damaged. I would also say that you are very lucky that the overhead wires that you hit must have been well insulated! I've seen videos of a sailboat that hit an uninsulated high voltage overhead wire, and BANG! once the boat hit it, a fire erupted and the boat literally melted its fiberglass down to the waterline in a matter of seconds. The sailors onboard barely had a chance to jump overboard before their ship literally melted into a blob of plastic & promptly sunk. Consider yourself extremely lucky, but it doesn't pay to test providence more then once. Replace your mast & stay away from powerlines! ps. Other unlucky souls have hit overhead wires by forgetting to drop their masts when exiting a marina parking lot after hauling out onto a trailor, & BAM. It only takes one mistake like that to cost you your boat, or worse. This is probably a good reminder post for other trailor sailors to read.  

ps. Here is just one of the videos on the web of a sailboat hitting a major overhead powerline. This was in Chesapeake, Virginia, not far from my boat. These poor bastards didn't read their charts heading North off the ICW & went into a creek that is not supposed to be navigable to larger sailboats: www.tooshocking.com/ videos /2348/ Sailboat _ Hits _A_ Powerline  

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1981 Capri by Catalina Cyclone 13

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• Cyclone Sailboat

Cyclone Sailboat Boats for sale

Capri Sailboats Cyclone 13' Fiberglass Sailboat C-13

La Grande, Oregon

Make Capri Sailboats (Catalina Yachts)

Model Cyclone 13

Category Dinghies

Length 13.0

Posted Over 1 Month

Used 13' Cyclone by Capri Sailboats. This is number 1802 and the boat and sail are original to each other. Trailer not included or available. I don't know the exact year, so 1980 is reference only. I'm not a boat person and my plans of trying out sailing have been postponed. Boat has been stored in a garage for the three years I've owned it. I've never had it in water, and the pervious person stated there were not any leaks. Fiberglass shows it's age with minor cracks, but the body is still solid. Sail does have some minor staining, but there are no holes or cracks. Please check this link for general information on the model: http://terrenceberres.com/c-13faq.html Local pick-up only. Any questions, please ask.

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