Sorry for another 'which boat' thread!
However, I'd appreciate your thoughts, positive or negative, on the boats I am seriously looking at:
Boat 1 Catalina 320www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/1998-Catalina-Yachts-320-MKII/SSE-AD-4956552/?cr=0&psq=%28%28Service%3D%5BBoatsales%5D%26%28Make%3D%5BCatalina%20Yachts%5D%26Model%3D%5B320%20MKII%5D%29%29%26%28%28%28SiloType%3D%5BDealer%20used%20boats%5D%7CSiloType%3D%5BDealer%20new%20boats%5D%29%7CSiloType%3D%5BPrivate%20used%20boats%5D%29%7CSiloType%3D%5BDemo%20and%20near%20new%20boats%5D%29%29&pso=0&pss=Premium
Boat 2 Bene 311
www.dbyboatsales.com.au/listing/beneteau-oceanis-311
I have not started negotiations on either boat yet however I have been on both and both are in fairly good condition with most big jobs completed in the last few years. The Catalina is in need of new sails.
As you can see from the above boats, i am looking for a comfortable cruiser for my family to get into sailing. Pittwater based. We'll stay in Pittwater area for a few years before maybe an adventure north once we are all confident.
Must haves:
-walk thru transom
-traveller out of the cockpit
-lots of shade over cockpit.
-Comfort down below for young family
Cheers!
Of the two I would pick the Catalina. That's serious money for a 32 footer though.
Both pretty good boats. It's interesting to see how rare boats that fit your sensible specifications are. It's a good size, too.
I'd be cautious about the lack of working space in the Hunter's galley. While it has more bench space than the Benny, on the Benny you can use the chart table as well. Personally I wouldn't like the fairly bulky intrusion of the quarter berth and head in the Catalina.
The Hunter is a lot heavier (and tougher?) but according to US ratings, exactly the same speed. The Beneteau's hull shape is an excellent one for what it is - it's been used for a whole bunch of models from singlehanded racers to the Oceanis marque - but the 311's shoal draft must rob it of a fair bit of pace and with the light ballast, may lead to poor upwind performance if not keenly sailed.
There's a few 31.7s which are the same hull and basically the same interior with a deeper keel; good boats but none for sale in Sydney at the moment it seems.
Thanks for the replies. Really helpful.
as Ramona said, it is serious money however when i factor in all the requirements of easy family sailing, i cant find a suitable boat for much less. The idea is to get the family hooked, then in 5 years take off on a real boat for a few years. Gotta have goals!
Thanks for the link Echo, but I feel Hunter have a less than stellar reputation (i have no idea if it is warranted or not!) so may be hard to sell?
I like the internal layout of the Catalina over the Bene 311 so good to hear you all think the Catalina is a better option. A very experience sailer mate said the bene would sail a little better, however for us, usability is more important (never through I'd say that! - but kids change everything!)
Ive just found a bene 361 for sale for $99k which is out of my price range a little however I may inspect. Although I am conscious that bigger boats cost more to maintain too.
Thanks again and let me know if you see a suitable boat for sale !
Cheers
Hi Junek, we owned a 2000 model Catalina 320 and only sold due to ill health. $89000 actually isnt a bad price for these boats, we sold ours for $120000. Great boat for cruising and sailed really well on a reach or downwind. Excellent comfortable cockpit and a bimini, dodger and link gave us heaps of shade so most time was spent there we found. Galley was good, we found that the fridge needed some extra insulation and the head was fine. If you look at the specs they are actually close to 34foot but don't tell the marinas that! We looked at Hunters of the same size but they didn't feel as solid or as well finished. Catalina tend to overbuild things like shrouds, larger winches and also anchor winch compared to Hunter and also Beneteau based on observation of other peoples boats. If it is a wing keel it will not point as well as the fin keel version. Hope it helps, think they are a great choice for your purposes.
You will find with kids a 32 will be too small especially if your cruising for more than a day or two
It depends on the kids and the particular stage they are at in life, in our experience. It's hard to draw any hard and fast rules.
Kids are young. 2yr old and the second is not even born yet! So should be right for a few years. The plan is to trade up to something big if 5 years and so some serious cruising.
I looked at the Ranger 33. Pity about the transom. Otherwise an amazingly well set up boat.
I am submitting offers so fingers crossed.
Select to expand quotejunek said..
Kids are young. 2yr old and the second is not even born yet! So should be right for a few years. The plan is to trade up to something big if 5 years and so some serious cruising.
I looked at the Ranger 33. Pity about the transom. Otherwise an amazingly well set up boat.
I am submitting offers so fingers crossed
Open or walk through transom might be a problem with small kids. I personally like deep and safe cockpits. Small marlin board/ladder set up would solve all the swimming activities. Boarding from the dinghy or wharf is done via the drop down guardrail at the front of the cockpit.
