Hunter, Catalina, Benneteau Debate

[loneshark64]

My Beneteau is docked on an end pier tonight. The other boats on the pier fore and aft of me are:

* Cape Dory, owner is a 100 yr old man
* Tartan, owner is a serious sailor on a seriously tight budget
* Gorgeous custom half million dollar teak and brass extravaganza, owned by a guy who clearly has some dough
* O’day, owned by a kid with her first boat

Each person’s needs are different. Who’s is better? Depends on the owner!

PS: I will say, they were all envious of my microwave, sleeping quarters, large fridge and A/C ;-)

PPS: Last fall i was sailing on the bay alongside that half mill beauty for about an hour and my Beneteau more than held it’s own. Much more ;-)

[Rumrace]

Did I tell you about my Jeanneau two layers of vinyl ester coats on solid hull with Kevlar roving in key points

I met family out in Georgian Bay. 3 boats we use to travel and raft together. My youngest and his were same age 18. Mine just won a karate match his son had cancer in the brain stem. We all loved him. His Dad died on us. His dying son loved NASCAR and FORD , I have no use for racing in a circle FORD Chevy or Dodge but I pretended to Adore Chevy and forced myself to watch NASCAR root for Chevy so I could argue with him. I picked him up in a convertible BMW and had a GMC. Round on the front with double sided tape. The argument kept us happy and active together. I made up crap about ford or did shout outs to experts for current slander. Father and son are gone now I still have no use for Ford CHevy and Dodge. In fact I’m special pissed off at Chevy for not paying back a 450 million dollar loan to Canadians. Bite me Chevy unless the kid is listening in some how. Then Chevy is King!

[Rumrace]

In the late 50’s my Dad has an Irving Ice boat He’d bundle one of us up put one of us in his lap and cross Lake Simcoe at blinding speeds in January.
Apparently it beat an Ice Bike Henderson 4
And a Bugatti. I think they only ever built 50 of the model their main business was Canoes for catalogue stores.

I was lucky enough to take a replica of the original style

[merrja]

I've owned 2 Catalinas and would never trade them for any boat in class. Their construction standards are a great comfort in a foul conditions. Easy to sail, though a bit heavy...

[Rumrace]

I hear you I’m sure if I owned two Catalina’s I’d feel the same way. I owned a bunch of Sea Rays. This is my first sailboat a Jeanneau and like your boat was very well built. I just like her looks more. Maybe it’s the long window reminding me of my SeaRays. Seem Jeanneau and catalina took parallel paths in hull construction. Decks they both have convincing theories.
Catalina added vinylester in 1995 I think just a year or two after Jeanneau. Was a huge step on the fight against pox for both brands. Finally a water proof hull. The collection of hardware on most brands is pretty consistent and just a repair list common on any brand.
Catalina has sure set the bar on service and community. I think all brands try this but few with Catalina’s skill. My Jeanneau Service has been great but nothing much has gone wrong. The boat lost her captain got put on the hard with only the engine winterized. I even had to toss the toilet.
Jeanneau sent me instructions how to take apart the floor to get at the shower sump pump. Had to toss the fuel and clean the tank. So now it’s pampered runs perfect.
I’m catching up to a Dufour and Catalina this summer for a raft and run. I was beside a bigger Hunter last year a 45 and it was stunning. Jeanneau suckered me in We are happy

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Rumrace

I hear you I’m sure if I owned two Catalina’s I’d feel the same way. I owned a bunch of Sea Rays. This is my first sailboat a Jeanneau and like your boat was very well built. I just like her looks more. Maybe it’s the long window reminding me of my SeaRays. Seem Jeanneau and catalina took parallel paths in hull construction. Decks they both have convincing theories.
Catalina added vinylester in 1995 I think just a year or two after Jeanneau. Was a huge step on the fight against pox for both brands. Finally a water proof hull. The collection of hardware on most brands is pretty consistent and just a repair list common on any brand.
Catalina has sure set the bar on service and community. I think all brands try this but few with Catalina’s skill. My Jeanneau Service has been great but nothing much has gone wrong. The boat lost her captain got put on the hard with only the engine winterized. I even had to toss the toilet.
Jeanneau sent me instructions how to take apart the floor to get at the shower sump pump. Had to toss the fuel and clean the tank. So now it’s pampered runs perfect.
I’m catching up to a Dufour and Catalina this summer for a raft and run. I was beside a bigger Hunter last year a 45 and it was stunning. Jeanneau suckered me in We are happy

With your comment on liking the looks of the Jeanneau, I've always felt that Beneteau / Jeanneau put more work into the looks of the lower priced boats. Hunter and Catalina seem to take more of a "work on everything else then try to polish up the looks a bit at the end" approach.

[Rumrace]

Well the looks come from renowned naval architects.
I don’t know where low end comes from honestly. A half a million Jeanneau is not low end in my books. Just cost less than my Sea Ray did.
What’s high end! Oyster? XYacht. Some one who cut down more endangered wood? Got me.
The hull construction on Catalina and Jeanneau are near identical. Jeanneau put some Kevlar roving in spots. Hardware is from same suppliers. My Jeanneau is US built the next one will be French. Hunter doesn’t matter they no longer make boats again. Kudos to those with great Hunter models. The whole world loves the 33 but they are gone again.
Frankly I didn’t think the Beneteaus as purdy. The new Firsts the exception.
That blunt coach roof of Hanse Beneteau and huge one on Catalina seems to contradict slipping through the elements even if I’d doesn’t.
I didn’t like the main attached to an arch on the Beneteau. Might be a great idea. I didn’t like the huge dodger either. I might have been a powerboater looking to sail but I sure know hulls. None of them are perfect. The ones with floor racks are sure heading there but 1M + puts most of us in divorce court.
I most hear Benni Bashing from guys in old boats which are no longer made.
I don’t see the point to tell an audience the two largest sailboat manufactures don’t have stellar history cause a boat company whom could not satisfy the whole market say so.
You sure don’t hear the mud slinging from the manufactures.

[coz]

Well, I am not sure if I got anything out of this thread other than lead vs iron keel, grid vs stringers....and "anything other than what I own sucks!". This is exactly the same as the car guy forums, except I think sailors are WAY more inept. I was looking for a LOT more model detail and generosity but it just always comes down to bitching. You can buy a lemon, or you can buy a serious luxury, race or utility vehicle from each of the manufacturers mentioned.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by coz

Well, I am not sure if I got anything out of this thread other than lead vs iron keel, grid vs stringers....and "anything other than what I own sucks!". This is exactly the same as the car guy forums, except I think sailors are WAY more inept. I was looking for a LOT more model detail and generosity but it just always comes down to bitching. You can buy a lemon, or you can buy a serious luxury, race or utility vehicle from each of the manufacturers mentioned.

Spectacular summary. Too many idiots, too much free time.

Not quite like car forums, too low a loss rate. I remember when the guys with the Gen III RX7s and later Mitsu Evos started coming to the race tracks. They were both fast. Two years later both were proven to be unable to survive track use.

“I crossed the Atlantic with my Beneteau!” Is the same as driving Watkins Glen with a Kia. The question is if it can be done in serious conditions.

Maybe it’s marketing with some posters paid by mass manufacturers. Maybe it’s psy Ops for Darwin Award. More likely, particularly here, is a bunch of loons with opinions but limited insights.

[Happ]

I guess you really don’t understand what a forum is. It is opinions by a lot of people. Some are ignorant of facts and others want to justify their own decisions. Others are really knowledgeable and will give you facts. Here is the best way I know to answer your question. Production boats are exactly that. They are built for the largest part of the market. Can they cross oceans? Yes given the right route and weather. If you are making a 30 day crossing you need to either put up with an uncomfortable ride in a production boat (due to the design and construction) or the less luxurious often slower boat that is more sea kindly (nicer ride).

For instance I am currently looking for a boat to cruise from the Mid Atlantic north as far as Newfoundland, east to Bermuda and South to the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. Could I do it in a Beneteau, Jeaneau, etc. Yes. Will I? Probably not. The ride alone would make it uncomfortable for me. I will be within a short ride to shore for 90% of the cruise. So I can make a port and ride out some bad weather. Crossing an ocean you can’t duck in. That’s why I’m not a fan of production boats for my purpose.

I hope this helped.

[Rumrace]

People in old boats will always find something nasty to say about people in new boats. One of my boats is noisy. One guy told me where I was getting gas it was offensive. ( was sailing a 3k boat) which puts out a fog of 2 stroke diesel giving me his best dirty look. Dude parks his boat beside the airport and says I’m loud.
I care

[ThaidUp]

I've sailed a lot of charter Beneteau's and I've owned a number of Catalinas. Catalina is the better build and frankly (pun intended) the better design. Things like backing plates vs. washers. I cannot weigh in about Hunters, but the ones in my local club are just as "plasticky" as anything on the water. Build quality and hull designs may be just fine. As with most of these "debates" it boils down to what kind of sailing you want to do or might want to do in the future. The late and beloved Patrick Childress circumnavigated in a Catalina 27. Enough said.

[ThaidUp]

Since you mentioned you're looking for a boat, I cannot say enough good things about my Passport. Simply rock solid, faster than expected, great Perry design and several models from which to choose.

[ThaidUp]

There's the old saying, ask 3 sailors get 4 opinions. I've learned here you need to be very specific in your questions in order to get specific answers. My best advice is to go physically look at several boats, tug on the rigging, pull up the floor boards, look at what brands of pumps, winches, fittings etc. are installed, then you'll have your own feel for it rather than relying on the biases here.

[Happ]

I sold Catalinas and Beneteaus in the late 80’s. I absolutely agree that a Catalina is a better constructed boat over Beneteaus. Hunters have very thin hulls. I do believe believe Beneteaus are much better sailers then Catalinas. The newer thus larger Catalina’s I have heard are much better hull designs as they came from other designers when they purchased Morgan. Gerry Douglas was a brilliant designer of interior layouts. They used a design process that was very simple. Ask their customers!