Hunter, Catalina, Benneteau Debate

[Jamme]

Originally Posted by Phyrcooler

Welcome, and nice first post. I really felt like this was a troll thread when started, and ignored it. Just popped up again and saw your post. I’ve sailed many boats from all three brands. I have my favorite features in each. I’ve yet to find a perfect boat. My current boat however is good for our needs and uses.



And like most boat owners, we are unfaithful lovers… always eyeing a pretty bow or a shapely stern of our “next last boat”!

Exactly. Thank you. Same approach here. Owned a Catalina and currently own a Beneteau. I loved and love both equally, each with her own limitations and compromises. But then again, what would be my dream boat may not be my spouse’s…

As long as we are out there enjoying some sun, water and breeze, the rest are details!

Fair winds to all.

[wasi1961]

I just purchased a 1980 33ft hunter cherubini. What's the general consensus on this boat?

[wasi1961]

I just purchased a 1980 33ft hunter cherubini. What's the general consensus on this craft?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by wasi1961

I just purchased a 1980 33ft hunter cherubini. What's the general consensus on this craft?

It's perfect !

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Yea, they do as I said, they are “essentially” the same overall in build and outfitted quality. Minor differences are just that - minor. What we have here is nothing more than ‘within the margins’ differences of no real significance.

Some people think the differences between Chevy, Ford and Chrysler are important.

I think neither is true. There’s been significant insights on CBH from owners and surveyors. I’d not call the Hunter swept rig immaterial at all, from a use perspective.

As far as Chevy, Ford, Chrysler: not at all the same. Nobody would buy a Chrysler if they cared about longevity. Says a dedicated 4Runner owner. Case in point on the point I made earlier that year and model matter: I’d not buy a new Acura, but the 2009 TL SH-AWD I can’t let go even though it’s quite redundant to us; it’s the best car ever made.

[Rumrace]

Ford Chrysler GM Would not buy any of them. Hehehe.
It was a troll thread from the get yup. Strange they exist in a mutual interest group. The 3D printing world is public domain with the electronic folks who make my eyes glaze over. Doesn’t appear to be any facades or competition for Smartest Person in the Room Syndrome.
International trade has been evolving. The previous US administration did economic damage to most of the G20 countries with innuendo threats and lies.
It’s actually stunning how much this has effected the sailboat market in US and Canada. From Canada prospective it’s a total win. We now have Free Trade with Europe and Japan. Our trade agreement with the US we all know isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
General Motors borrowed 650 million from the province of Ontario in 2008. They have never repaid 450m while giving themselves bonuses. We are not blaming a political party. There will never be a GM vehilcle Sold into a government fleet in Canada.
Chrysler paid us back. Ford got told build or we will put Audi on the property.
The last Beneteau and Jeanneau cruisers built in US 2019-20 cost on average $40,000.000 more than a better equipped boat than France. Exclusive rights to North American market is in full reverse.
A US boat arriving in Europe gets a 25% tax whack.
Any product less than 75% US content the free world adds a 25% enablers tax.
Beneteau didnt just close one factory. They moved 4 old US brands of power boat production to Poland. They made the move to avoid Europe protecting tariffs from US interference. Any broker in Canada of a European brand whom just a sales office of the US has to rethink their future. To this point I can buy a Beneteau here but have to go to another Province to buy a Jeanneau to avoid a 9% tax and whatever the banks want to take on exchange. Frankly it’s a nice Sail back from Quebec.
Brand loyalty has a lot to do with access.
Then there are folks like Buck Knives, or HE Williams who are real US loved companies not some facade of product and service.
Catalina is a survivor of the turmoil and carnage in the US market and because they are honest quality and real US they are tarrif free in Canada under NAFTA but have a 25% tariff in Europe.
Personally I’d be surprised if Catalina survives without merging with a power boat company. I’d pick Sea Ray as mates. Sea Ray demise was a sad thing. The offering today I don’t recognize. Sea Rays service was always great. I hope Cigarette doesn’t get messed up building yachts and PWC. I’m happy Cruiser Inc finally has Walk-arounds but quit telling people it’s a feature.
No one misses OMC. 12 really good names in boating are gone in Canada. A few made some real garbage. Doral Grew by flipping Bayliner So was a karma bankruptcy.
I told scuba students for years it’s hard to find bad scuba gear cause the client base are all dead.
It’s been 6 years of global trade adjustment. New brand fixations are expected or rejected for reasons which have nothing to do with the product or service.
I own a Tesla and love it. I will never buy any product made from Steal from the US again. I’ll never buy anything aluminum from the US, again. Has nothing to do with the product it’s about the casual 500billion dollar loss to my province from an idiot without a clue. It’s about the 500B loss to Quebec.
I don’t care if I pay double from Norway with fewer features.

[sailorboy1]

Why do forum posters even care what boat others have?

Is it to feel superior in their minds because they have something “else”?

[Rumrace]

Good Question Sailorboy
I don’t think they really do. This thread was started with a rant. Some of its pretty funny.
Can you imagine them at club functions. But they are not that bold in public.

As to superiority yes. It’s a syndrome called SPRITS Smartest Person in the Room Syndrome and the Internet didn’t invent it.
Been around in business as long as I can recall. They never get the second meeting having demeaned everyone in the First with a false impression of themselves. They are searching for arguments or apposing statements without fully understanding them. They google paste at speed to find contradictory data without confirming its true on topics they have no real world experience on.
I rationalize its their therapy time and they are suckers to be banking on anyone on the internet with the skills sets to help or care.
You can’t fix stupid just medicate it.

[argosail]

Originally Posted by wasi1961

I just purchased a 1980 33ft hunter cherubini. What's the general consensus on this craft?

From when I was in Florida with a sailing buddy and his buddies, the cherubini era (it ends around '82 or '82 I believe) involved higher-quality builds before Hunter went south for a while (some say it's gone back up?). This is just a bit of scuttlebutt and I'm no expert, just saying I would feel better in a cherubini hunter than something like a hunter water ballast, so if your cherubini was maintained nicely I would feel great knowing I have a classic.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Why do forum posters even care what boat others have?

Is it to feel superior in their minds because they have something “else”?

Well for one, it gives me insights into the next boat. There are boats I loved until aboard them or sailed them. I think that’s what started this thread.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

I think neither is true. There’s been significant insights on CBH from owners and surveyors. I’d not call the Hunter swept rig immaterial at all, from a use perspective.

I guess some people sail dead down wind on a main.

As far as Chevy, Ford, Chrysler: not at all the same. Nobody would buy a Chrysler if they cared about longevity. Says a dedicated 4Runner owner. C.

Your individual experience is indicative of only one thing - your individual experience. Cars like boats often have problems when poorly maintained.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

I guess some people sail dead down wind on a main.

....

Most don't, but when I lived in San Francisco, we had a somewhat unique situation, where the wind in the Oakland Estuary, for the six nm from its western entrance east to my slip, had the wind literally dead astern for most of its length.


I was very appreciative of my regular spreaders on my Catalinas: 22, 25 & 34, from 1983 to 2016.

[Jim Cate]

Thoughts on sailing near DDW with swept back spreaders:

We've done tens of thousands of miles downwind sailing in this boat, often near DDW. Usual rig is main to the leeward side, vanged and prevented hard with the sail just touching the spreader tips. Genoa poled out to windward, and in light airs we unroll the Solent jib to leeward and sail a few degrees higher. This rig is stable and if not quite as fast as would be with the main out further, it isn't far off from optimum... and we've not noted any wear from chafe from the spreaders or stays (Hydranet sailcloth). We carry the same rig up to around 120 deg AW, trimming appropriately, pole going forward as necessary. Again, stable and well balanced. Having straight spreaders would not provide much advantage to us.

The swept back spreaders do have some practical advantages, especially in supporting the mast in the absence of any forestay(s), like when one must strike those stays to accommodate smaller travel lifts. And a more extreme example: the previous owner (and builder) of our boat experienced a full knockdown in the Arctic ocean that resulted in breaking the forestay at the rigging screw. He was able to recover from this potential disaster without loosing the sail or the mast. With in line spreaders the outcome would likely have been far worse. (I'm glad this did not happen on our watch!).

FWIW, our spreaders are not as extreme as in B&R rigs, and I think we can get the main out significantly further than those folks can.

There is much to be said for simple mast head rigs with in line spreaders, but other options have some good features too. I'm not unhappy with ours!

Jim

[Calif.Ted]

Just bad manners and boorish behavior to denigrate another's boat, isn't it? Like telling a new mother her baby is ugly, and I've seen some UGLY babies.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

Just bad manners and boorish behavior to denigrate another's boat, isn't it? Like telling a new mother her baby is ugly, and I've seen some UGLY babies.

To continue the metaphor, people don’t choose to have ugly babies. When it comes to boats however, ….