C & T Composites revives Catalina Yachts, plans new American-built models

C & T Composites said it would restart manufacturing for Catalina Yachts and True North Yachts, keeping production in Largo, Florida, and adding a new American-built adventure-boat line called Xplor Yachts. The company named Patrick Turner as CEO and John Chen as a member, signaling that this was meant to be a working manufacturing restart, not just a brand handoff.

For Catalina owners, that distinction matters. A living factory brand can mean better parts supply, more factory knowledge, and a clearer path for repairs on older boats that are already being maintained one project at a time in backyards, yards, and marina slips. Catalina Direct’s clubhouse forum, with more than 550 active sailors trading repair and ownership advice, shows how much this class depends on an ecosystem that reaches far beyond the original build sheet.

Catalina’s roots run deep in that ecosystem. Frank Butler founded Catalina Yachts in 1970 with a focus on building good boats at good value, and SailboatData says the first Catalina model, the Catalina 22, was built in July 1969 in North Hollywood, California. Catalina’s own history says the company has built more than 80,000 boats and has been America’s largest sailboat builder for more than 50 years, which is why even a modest factory revival carries outsized weight in the used-boat market.

The timing also makes the rebound feel hard-earned. Catalina had been seeking to sell its assets at auction on June 9, and that Largo sale included nine boats in various stages of completion, including one nearly finished. The company had already been through ownership churn after Michael Reardon’s May 2025 acquisition, and its recent shutdown followed a period when a prior owner could no longer make payroll. In that context, bringing Catalina back into production looks less like a nostalgia play and more like an effort to keep the brand’s repairable, owner-friendly boats in circulation.

C & T’s plan also reaches beyond cruising sailboats. Catalina acquired True North Powerboats in January 2019, and the revived portfolio now includes both Catalina and True North alongside Xplor Yachts. For DIY sailors, that mix suggests a manufacturer trying to stay relevant to the same hands-on customer base that keeps older production boats sailing: owners who want access to parts, drawings, and people who still know how these boats were put together in the first place.