Catalina Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Catalina 30MKIII by whoward

Year built	1997
Location of boat	Sarasota, Florida
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
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	1996
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, I still feel Catalina makes an excellent boat for the price. It is a much better boat then some costing much more. I shopped for 1 1/2 yrs before buying. Resale value of catalinas 4-5 yrs old was final deciding factor in purchase. Other boats of similar size and price lost value much quicker. Catalina were 3.5 - 5k more then other similar boats.
Gear that's been added	added starting battery, changed grp 27s to group 31s and made the bank 1, added e-meter(awesome,essential battery monitor}, water filter at pump, 3 solor panels, brought topping lift aft to cockpit, shower sump, 1500watt inverter.
Structural or complex improvements
The boat's best features	Size of main salon compared to other 30 footers. Ease of use and sailing. Location of storage and tankage.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	most problems very minor. placement of some items more a matter of taste the in wrong place.(hasps on locker ect.)Batteries in 30 should be larger and include seperate engine battery.
Sailing characterisitcs	Boat is extreemly stable, handles easily, is moderatly fast and looks great under sail.
Motoring characterisitcs	I have the 25mxp diesel and it has ample power. I have a three blade prop and cruise at 5 1/2 kts at about 2500rpm. Have grounded several times and have always been able to power off.
Liveability	The C30 is a very comfortable boat with ample tankage and storage for the weekend and longer crusing we do.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Purchased from Massey Yacht Sales in Palmetto, Fl. Am very pleased with their service. Boat was in excellent condition with I recieved it. Sea trial was almost a full day sail and the Massey rep (Dan) covered every aspect on the boat.
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