Draft:Gerry Douglas (yacht designer)

Gerry Douglas (August 1, 1951) a principal in the company, became Chief Engineer and Vice President of Catalina Yachts in the early 1980s. The company was founded in California by Frank Butler in the late 1960s, and Douglas joined the firm in 1976. He has designed and supervised production of every boat in the Catalina Yachts line since that time, from sailing dinghies to the Catalina 545. He developed construction techniques that have become widely adapted by the production sailboat industry. His technical competence and creative design vision were key in moving Catalina Yachts to its long-time position as one of the top sailboat manufacturers in the world to this day. Gerry Douglas has been a partner in this privately owned company for two decades.

As chief engineer of Catalina Yachts, Douglas required all Catalina models be built to the sailboat industry's most rigorous standards: CE standards. Catalina was the first American production sailboat builder to adopt CE certification, and Catalina models (30’ or more) are all built to CE “Category A” standards. CE design categories help quantify “''a boat’s degree of seaworthiness, based on factors such as wave height and the wind speed the boat is likely to encounter and handle. The further offshore the vessel is expected to venture, the higher the expectations for construction strength, stability, freeboard, reserve buoyancy, resistance to down flooding, deck drainage and other engineering criteria.”''

As chairman of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), he was instrumental in the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) adoption of ABYC construction and safety standards for the yacht certification program. Over the course of his four-decade long career with Catalina Yachts, Gerry Douglas is responsible for putting thousands of sailors and their families in sailboats that are reliable, comfortable, and safe. More than 30,000 boats have been built to his designs.

Douglas' work for Catalina Yachts has won 15 marine industry "Boat of the Year" awards. The Catalina 275 Sport won the 2014 Cruising World Boat of the Year Award for "Best Pocket Cruiser" and Sailing World 2014 Boat of the Year Award for "Best Recreational Racer." It was the third boat in the 27-year history of Boat of the Year awards to win both prizes.

His final boat, before his 2021 retirement, was the Catalina 545, awarded Boat of the Year from both Cruising World and SAIL magazine.

He has served on the board of Sail America, and as board chairman of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC). He is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and is a nominee for the National Sailing Hall of Fame award. Douglas received the “Crimson Blazer” jacket for his support and work on behalf of the world’s premier match racing event, The Congressional Cup. The matched Catalina 37s, owned by the Long Beach (CA) Sailing Foundation, were designed by Gerry Douglas, built and donated by Catalina Yachts.

Although retired, Douglas continues to consult with yacht designers, sailboat builders, and boat yards. He actively cruises and races his own boats; volunteer activities include his work as a presenter at Safety at Sea seminars, regatta and club race organizer, and public arts commission board member. He actively supports junior sailing programs on both coasts.

Gerry Douglas is a graduate of Parsons School of Design, where he studied industrial design; he is also an alumnus of the Westlawn School of Yacht Design.

Cruising World "Boat of the Year" winners


 * 2019 - Catalina 545
 * 2017 - Catalina 425
 * 2014 – Catalina 275 Sport
 * 2013 – Catalina 315
 * 2012 – Catalina 385
 * 2011 – Catalina 355
 * 2010 – Catalina 445
 * 2009 – Catalina 375
 * 2007 – Catalina 309
 * 2004 – Catalina 440
 * 2001 – Catalina 390
 * 1999 – Catalina 310
 * 1997 – Catalina 380
 * 1996 – Catalina 28 Mark II
 * 1995 – Catalina 36 Mark II
 * 1992 – Catalina 270

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/catalina-320-mini-review/

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/catalina-320-mkii-its-older-sibling-better/

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/catalina-445-best-full-size-cruiser-40-50-feet/

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/catalina-275-sport-0/

https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/sailboats/catalina-545-named-2020-overall-boat-of-the-year/

https://www.sailmagazine.com/boats/boat-review-catalina-545

https://www.sailmagazine.com/boats/catalina-385

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/catalina-445-boat-thats-ready-romp/

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/boat-review-catalina-315/

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/catalina-309-collaborative-compact-cruiser/

https://www.cruisingworld.com/boat-year-2017-overall-winners/

https://www.sailmagazine.com/boats/catalina-375

https://www.sailmagazine.com/boats/boat-review-catalina-425

https://www.cruisingworld.com/domestic-boat-year-2017/

https://www.sailmagazine.com/boats/catalina-445

https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/people/five-questions-gerry-douglas/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ni1B7l6GzA History of Catalina Yachts

https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/people/end-of-an-era-at-catalina-yachts/

Models designed by Gerry Douglas

https://www.practical-sailor.com/sailboat-reviews/used_sailboats/catalina-470