Rank the different boat brands

[tarian]

Originally Posted by JC Reefer

Salt to Sea, don’t let these old people give you such a hard time. There is a defined hierarchy within boat builders.

Beneteau, Catalina, Macgregor, hunter [emoji6]

+1
Come on people it was not a silly Question and for a novice it is easy to define boat marquess into solid reptuable and sea worthy.

AGE, MODEL, CONDiTION are what you look at after you have decided on a boat builder.
Stop being so predantic and condeming the Question

It is not hard to say that a Hunter is less built and kitted out than A Hallberg
there can be no arguments if looking at this logically , keep your opinions objectively and it works . I Have a Moody gooy reputable builder from the UK
Built to go sailing in UK waters which are very challging , no frills , but some great Designers from their ranks
Some models better than others in people opinion buth the Modle is a good bet

See not to Hard was it , now I would love an Amel , Island Packet, Hallberg but do not have the money and not afraid to admit that they a better build than my boat.

But the caveat hear is and I always say this you all sail the same sea and see the same beatiful places , be it in a Moody or Amel .

Find your budget , your sailing style , your future plans and start narrowing down your search , ask questions on here and after slogging through the Doom mongers , the nae sayers , and those that think their boat is the Ferrari of the sea , although its full of holes then ,, you will get some good answers
good luck and P.S
I got your houmor

[gulfcoastsailor]

Originally Posted by CarlF

This summary of monohulls by John Neal is very good. See the list of boats at the end.

https://www.mahina.com/cruise.html

This is the best answer I’ve seen to the original post question. Don’t try to go any further as it becomes boat brand political.

[Salt to Sea]

Originally Posted by gulfcoastsailor

This is the best answer I’ve seen to the original post question. Don’t try to go any further as it becomes boat brand political.

I bookmarked this to read during football practice today. Someone else linked a Top 40 list. I will work on defining my needs and try to come back with a better question. Thanks for all the replies, advice, and mockery.

[rmlarson1098]

[QUOTE=Salt to Sea;2955464]I’m hoping this doesn’t come across as too dumb of a question, but I’m looking for some help in understanding boat brands/manufacturers.

I understand there are too many to cover them all. I understand it will be very subjective. I understand everyone has different sailing goals and experience. Ok - with the disclaimer out of the way - who wants to sort the different boat manufacturers into categories?

Maybe relating to cars would be helpful.

The Kia/Hyundai tier: boats that are super cheap, good for beginners, and you won’t lose too much sleep if it sinks due to the cost (no offense to Kia owners, I’m sure they’re great cars).

Honda Accord/Toyota Camry tier: solid boats, no bells or whistles, won’t turn any heads in the marina, but will get the job done and probably hold their resale value - based on my 3 months of hanging out around this forum, I’d guess Catalina’s would go here.

Lexus tier: higher end of boats that average people can afford

Feel free to add higher tiers if you’re bored, but they’re out of my range. I want to start looking at boats and would love a cheat sheet to help me quickly sort the brands.

Edit: looking at monohulls, but not opposed to multis[/QUOTE
Depends what you're gonna do with the boat. If you're coastal/seasonal cruising you have more options when it comes to 'brands' I would think, but I refuse to get into the Hunter/Catalina/Beneteau debate. Just do a little research and see which brand of sailboats are most likely to have their rudders or keels fall off! Our criteria is simple: we want an ocean-capable boat that will take care of us even when we can't take care of it. Speed and cutting-edge performance be damned. For us that means Westsail, Hallberg-Rassy, Pacific Seacraft, Vancouver, Baba, Rustler, Allied, and Southern Cross. Some Bristols. This is just to name a few. No keel bolts for us. Longish keel, attached or skeg protected rudder. If you can afford to buy 'new', your list will offer more options - maybe. Our dream monohull would be a Boreal 44, but we couldn't afford the upkeep much less the purchase price. Good luck with your search!

[Pizzazz]

You can search the web for various boating industry reports like the one below. It is a complex issue but the safest bet is to look at market share.

https://www.boatsgroup.com/wp-conten...ndex-Final.pdf

US Sailboat Sales (2nd quarter 2017)

157 Catalina
141 Beneteau
105 Hunter

28 Island Packet
20 Pearson
18 C&C
19 Jeanneau
16 J Boats
14 Sabre
13 Tartan

EU Sailboat Sales (2nd quarter 2017)

102 Beneteau
71 Bavaria
64 Jeanneau

34 Halberg Rassy
33 Hanse
24 Westerly
37 Dufour
21 Moody

[Juho]

My quick classification without brand names:
- boats that are well built vs made cheap
- heavy cruising boats vs light racing boats
- cheap old boats vs expensive new boats
- well maintained boats vs "project boats"

With right choices and with some patience (waiting for the right boat to appear on the market) you can get a good one with a reasonable price tag.

[KadeyKrogen38]

Catalina is the Chevrolet of boats, good quality construction and rigging easy to find and to sell. Stay away from the bottom of the boat quality rank-Hunter.

Lots of mid range quality boats like Jene’s & Bene’s. There are some quality production boats out there, Tartan, Island Packer, Passport.

But like stated, all depends on past quality of maintenance, equipment list, and most important the findings of surveyor.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by gulfcoastsailor

This is the best answer I’ve seen to the original post question. Don’t try to go any further as it becomes boat brand political.

Yep, the Mahina Offshore Boat list is great when looking for a boat capable of offshore sailing but the OP is preparing to sail on an inland lake it appears from his original post...….

And most any sailboat in decent condition can handle that.

This San Juan is an example of a perfect lake boat and in the Op's size range

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/d...950949248.html

[john61ct]

Not mentioning a $10,000 budget, hoping for half that or less, should certainly have been mentioned in the OP

Originally Posted by Salt to Sea

I knew it was a dumb question as I typed it, but I was hoping someone could simplify it for a total dummy like myself. I plan to get a boat next year and will be doing some research between now and then.

Originally Posted by Salt to Sea

I was really hoping there was some sort of hierarchy of brands - but it looks like I need to get more involved around here and keep doing more research outside of here.

[Rogue Brit]

There's more to it than that. Are you married? Guys want a good sailing boat with easy access to the various mechanical items. Wives want closet space and a reasonable kitchen. Every boat ever built is a compromise. It's just a matter of which features are important to you.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Salt to Sea

Follow up question: how do I delete an entire thread and/or create a new account on this site?

The former - ask a mod, but policy is usually against that.

For the latter, Just Do It

[dadster3]

Boats are like women or, I suppose, like men if you are a woman. Buy the one you fall in love with. Nothing else matters, not brand, not style and not cost because if you don't love it you won't care for it. None of these other factors can stand against the one that speaks to you.

[Rigger Bruce]

Originally Posted by Salt to Sea

Not looking for the best boat. I spoke with a Lyft driver who told me to checkout Hunters. He said they’re great boats. I was hoping it might be possible to say brands x,y,z are really good, and brands a,b,c have terrible reputations.

I knew it was a dumb question as I typed it, but I was hoping someone could simplify it for a total dummy like myself. I plan to get a boat next year and will be doing some research between now and then. There are so many brands that it’s overwhelming. I need to work on my list of what I’m looking for, and tbh, I don’t know enough to even do that yet. I’m hanging out at the marina when I can and talking to everyone (even my Lyft drivers) about sailing. Really wanted to be able to cross off some of the 200+ brands that I see on the boat classifieds, but looks like all I’m going to accomplish is a well deserved reputation around here as completely incompetent.

I would put a hunter just above a push bike.

[robyn-bob]

Buy yourself an old boat - 23' o 33' - sail it for 2 - 3 years. Figure out what you like and don't like about it. Then come ask people here about those same qualities.

My first boat was a 1972 23' Alberg Sea Sprite. She pointed well and was very forgiving for a novice. My second boat was a 1976 33' Pearson. It was built like a tank, hit the concrete at the pier, took a chunk out of the pier and it only had a slight blemish on the bow. I learned how to single hand her.

To me there are no Kia's, Toyota's or Lexus's, just sailboats and each one has a story.

[iyamwhatiyam]

Salt to Sea,
It sounds like the perfect boat for you is a Catalina ‘30. I just happen to have one right here! A real cream puff, only sailed to church on Sundays.
Seriously, and this has been said in many ways, define and prioritize your requirements and find the boat that fulfills as many as your budget allows.
Edit: And don’t be in a hurry.