Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 310 by Timothy McCarty

Year built	2005
Location of boat	LaSalle, MI
The boat is sailed on	The Great Lakes
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2005
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Definitely! Very happy with the boat, dealer support, and Catalina direct.
Gear that's been added	Garmin GPSmap 172C, Raymarine tri-data, wind, ST4000 autopilot (all in Navpods at the pedestal), Sony Stereo w/polyplanar 7500's (two in cabin, two in Navpods under stern rail seats), Accugage tank monitoring system for holding tank and freshwater. Also, added the factory dodger, in-mast furling, and 150 genoa.Added 3 blade fixed prop.Adding a winter cover for layup.
Structural or complex improvements	No
The boat's best features	Deck hardware is hard to beat for the price...very high quality compared to other makes in the same price range. 3 cylinder diesel engine (vs. 2 cylinder in competitively priced boats). Easy access to plumbing, batteries etc. Love the forward stateroom with innerspring mattress!
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Experienced some minor problems with the woodwork, however our dealer jumped right on it,and corrected all our issues. The head door had a lousy finish and was slightly warped, however, my dealer recomended I talk to Frank Butler directly (!!!). I did, and Frank replaced the faulty door promptly.
Sailing characterisitcs	Obviously, given the boat's weight, and wide beam, it can be a bit slow in light winds, however the boat sails very nicely from about 6 knots of wind on, and in strong winds, the boat screams. The trim controls are about what one would expect for a pocket cruiser, however the hardware is excellent (mostly Scheafer, Garhauer, and Lewmar). The furling Main is AWESOME, and keeping the sails trimmed is a snap.
Motoring characterisitcs	No problems here with a 28 hp engine and a 3-blade prop. Cuts through rough seas easily.
Liveability	A great boat to spend weekends on, and maybe the occasional short trip. Things could get tight beyond that. We bought the boat for weekends, and occasional night sails and it fits our lifestyle perfectly.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I had the good fortune to speak directly to the man, Frank Butler, and he came through for me when I needed support. According to my dealer, Frank Butler, personally, goes over every warranty issue on every Catalina yacht.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Purchased the boat through Freeman-Eckley yacht sales in Vermillion, OH. Thus far, we are VERY happy with the support and follow up from Terry Freeman, and would most certainly buy our next boat through them. They offered the right combination of price and support, and this was definitely a nice experience for myself and my wife.
Other comments	Overall,and compared to what else is out there, we are very happy with our 310 (Hull #312). We have now one full season under our belt, and the boat has provided us with a tremendous amount of pleasure and comfort.

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