Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 30 by James Grintz

Year built	1985
Location of boat	Westbrook, CT
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	16-22 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1988
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, although I now would like a larger boat. It has gotten me through some severe weather however without mishap. It is incrediblysea worthy.
Gear that's been added	Roller furling for genoa, GPS, auto pilot, Apparent wind
Structural or complex improvements	no
The boat's best features	Interior headroom, stiffness of hull
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	rudder post has too much slop and is not adjustable or use a sleave or bushing that might have been replaceable. I have had a significant problem with osmosis blistering on the hull.
Sailing characterisitcs	heavy weather up to 35 knots in open sea
Motoring characterisitcs	fair performance with two blade prop. very poor in sizeable seas
Liveability	roomy and comfortable
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	mostly favorable, however the dealer applied barrier coat over old bottom paint which was discovered years later. It was a disaster removing it after it cracked.
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