Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 30 by Todd O'Connor

Year built	1986
Location of boat	East Greenwich, Rhode Island
The boat is sailed on	Press here and select one
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	1999
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes I would buy this boat again. It is a great cruising boat and is also forgiving. The 30' has a tremendous amount of room and is great for weekend trips and daysailing.
Gear that's been added	GPS, Cd player, Cambridge soundworks speakers.
Structural or complex improvements
The boat's best features	The spacious cabin is one of the best features.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The Universal 25 diesel inboard heated up regularly. I could only run the diesel at 1900 rpm. I fixed the situation by replacing the heat exchanger with the 3 inch, not the conventional 2.5 inch. the 3 inch heat exchanger was for the 32' and fits onto the 30'. The propeller shaft is also a common leaking point and has to be replaced every couple years.
Sailing characterisitcs	The baot sails great. Even under stormy conditions. Also the boat points into the wind great and is easy to sail single handed.
Motoring characterisitcs	My motor overheated in the begining, but after the problem was solved the 23 horse deisel pushes it along.
Liveability	Very liveable, i found that 3 people could live for a weekend in confort.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	It is an overall great boat that holds its value if taken care of. It is also easy to gain insight if you have to fix a problem. It is good to own a popular boat, Catalina owners are always willing to help out.

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