Opinions on Catalina 22 vs Hunter 23

[Antharian]

I am looking to buy our first sailboat. We want something that we can use in the local lakes, but also pull out to the Corpus Christi bay.

I really like both of these boats, and have a line on a really nice Hunter 23 at the price I want. However, I'm a little worried about the 1987 Hunter 23's small draft. Is this going to be enough draft to keep her from heeling over too hard out in the Corpus Christi Bay?

What other opinions do you guys have of these two boats.

Regards,

-A

 

[Ed Schenck]

I sold my Catalina 22. A fellow club member's 1981 Hunter 22 was a much faster boat with more room. I think that it is the same hull as the H23. I mention the H22 because it has a drop keel for a five foot draft.

 

[morgan23752]

I also have a 1987 Hunter 23.5 with a raked mast and it's very fast! We've had a lot of fun on it but now we're doing a little more overnighting and are looking to get more into cruising on our Catalina 250.

The 2 1/2 foot shaol draft is really nice in the Florida Panhandle where you'll find shallow spots throughout the intercoastal. We've heeled ours at 10-20 degrees just for the sake of doing it with no problems. If my wife felt uncomfortable we would just pop the mainsheet. No matter what weather we've been in or what we were trying doing to her she always righted herself. I don't know Corpus Christi Bay but I know we've found the shoal draft to be an advantage here near Pensacola.

 

[Mark Major]

When a novice I put my gun'l's in the water plenty of times, which is about a 30 degree heel. That puts an awful lot of stress on the rudder (and wife) and while doing this in the Florida straights in 4' seas my housing broke (and my wife threw up). The boat has a weather helm, so will turn upwind and right itself under these conditions if you let it (and will anyway when the housing breaks). The boat is forgiving but I now single-hand best at 15 to 20 degrees.

 

[Stormsailor]

I have a hunter23, I love it, The winged keel will get you into a mess if you not careful.
I set my depth finder to 8' so this won't happen. Like "Morgan 23752" said, it is a very fast boat. a real light wind boat too! I found that the 5.5 hp nissan is a little under-powered at times, but for the most part it works well. I found that it isn't great for 4 people, it gets a little crowded, but it will sail just fine. I have be in out in some SEVERE wind and bad weather, and with the main reefed or just a jib it performed well. 20 degrees is about all I would let her heel, after that it isn't really helping the boats performance. I sail the Delaware river and Bay, the Shoal keel is really nice for this.
I have never felt that she was gonna go -over . good luck!!- J

 

[George H260]

I think you may be confusing draft with righting moment.

Both are great boats designed for coastal and inland water if prudently handled. I'd compare price, condition and resale value.

One important aspect I'd consider: The C-22 is still in production with over 15,000 made. That alone would lead me in that direction.

 

[Jimboyyy]

I have a Catalina 22, 1980 swing keel with 5' draft. She's tougher than I am. We have had her out in 18 knots with the 150 up and a full main for an exhilirating wild ride. We reef at 20. Both of these boats are excellent boats. I do feel that with Catalinadirect.com and http://catalina22.org/ that there is greater aftermarket information. Check out the book "Sailing Big On A Small Sailboat" It discusses the diffrences between the Catalina, Hunter and Mcgregor. http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=278

 

[Jim Kolstoe]

Having owned a h23 for over 20 years, and sailed on an h22, I don't think they used the same hull. The h23 is light fast boat, with more than acceptable stability in a light displacement boat. My understanding is that the h22 was designed as a medium displacement boat. Does the h23 heel over in a good wind. Yeah, but so do all sailboats to some degree or another- part of it's understanding sail trim. I have not sailed a C22, so I can't compare their feel or handling directly, but I can note that I have literally sailed circles around one. I would not worry about the shallow draft as a safety issue - its not. In fact, there's something to be said for being able to safely go where other boats can't. As for the shallow keel, its 800 lbs on a 2450 lbs displacement boat.
The important question is not our opinions, but how the boat feel to you. Go sailing on the h23 and the C22 and decide which is more suited to your tastes and needs.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

 

[RobertG-NJ]

As a novice who just got his H23 in Sept 08 and spent this year on the driveway doing repairs, I can say with the last poster that the wing keel with 2.5 ft draft is definitely reassuring in shallow bays like Barnegat, though I have also heard you don't want to run aground and get it stuck like an anchor. It sails well in light wind (a plus) but does heel in strong wind but then again have heard advice you just have to reef it early in strong wind

It has a great cabin space for that size boat (its never going to be a cruiser) while still having a decent cockpit size too. It does lack headroom, but I am short.

It is a really smart sporty looking boat in my opinion. Seems to hold up well (mine is an 88). Check the forums for complaints about leaks from rainwater though, we seem to all have them, though I think it means all deck hardware should be inspected and rebedded.

The downside is the keel is iron and has to be really well prep'ed, epoxy sealed & painted if it has not been maintained. Spent a few weeks chisling off and grinding down rusted metal.

As to the O/B needed, anything over 6HP is overkill as you will never have the throttle past 1/3, but then again I have not had it in the open ocean currents (or the Delaware) either.

Robert G

 

[Randy McMeekin]

H23 Keel

I have owned a H23 for several years now and generallly really like the boat. It is roomy, and has a large cockpit, and is fast in light air as others have mentioned in this post.

The biggest drawback with the winged keel is not only tenderness (heels quickly) as others have mentioned but also significant leeway when beating to weather. I get outpointed by most boats of similar size.

I find as well with the high freeboard and shoal keel it can be a challenge to dock in a cross wind of any kind.

It is great for singlehanding (I sail singlehanded most of the time). It is ok for weekending, but it gets cramped for sleeping more than two.

 

[C Jones]

I purchased my 86 h23 last July. My marina had 3 Catalina 22's for sale and I sailed all 3 of them. Then I drove 50+ miles, sailed the h23 and purchased it. The Catalina is a good boat but I preferred the h23. After sailing and racing a Mutt for over 20 years the h23 rate of heal is very slow to me and certainly nothing to worry about. Both are good boats. Get the best boat for the best price. Good luck.

 

[Sumner]

First this is a pretty old thread, so hopefully by now Antharian has bought a boat, but I looked up both of these boats on this site......

http://www.image-ination.com/sailcalc.html

....where you can compare two boats side by side. Nice site. When I did this for the two just using the generic Cat 22 (there are different models) I got the following....

If that info is correct the two boats are almost identical in most aspects. I guess it would maybe boil down to which one had a better price, the look you wanted, the interior you wanted, condition, etc..

Anyway the main reason I posted was to let anyone who didn't know about that site that it is out there where you can compare one boat to another.

c ya,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

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[RECESS]

I did not want to respond to this thread because of it's age, but just for the discussion, is Hunter parts as easy to get as Catalina 22 parts? I know because of the very long production run of the boat there are many aftermarket suppliers that provide items for the boat. Does the Hunter line have that many suppliers also?

I always tell people they cannot go wrong with a C22 because of the availability of just about everything.

 

[druid]

I did not want to respond to this thread because of it's age, but just for the discussion, is Hunter parts as easy to get as Catalina 22 parts? I know because of the very long production run of the boat there are many aftermarket suppliers that provide items for the boat. Does the Hunter line have that many suppliers also?

I always tell people they cannot go wrong with a C22 because of the availability of just about everything.

This is a topic I've never really understood - the availability of spare parts for a boat. The stove isn't a "Catalina" or "Hunter", it's an Orion (probably...). The headsail furling isn't Catalina or Hunter, it's CDI. Engine is Honda (or Yamaha, or Merc...). I suppose you could buy stuff like cushions from Catalina, but I've found it cheaper and better to get a local marine upholstery shop to do it. Same with a dodger, or sailcover, or... well you get the idea.

I've had no problem getting "parts" for my Crown 28, and Calgan went out of business 30 years ago!

druid
"Coatue" Crown 28

 

[RECESS]

Some boats have dimensions and parts that make it much harder to find parts for. I just waited 6 months to get a quality used mainsail that would be what I needed for an O'Day 25. I could have found a quality used mainsail for an C22 in a day. When you have a boat that has a huge production run, you will have more suppliers that make parts for that boat. You will also have much more used parts on the market. I bet I can find multiple sources to buy a rudder for a Catalina 22. There is one place that I know of that has the mold to create an O'Day 25 rudder. Having a huge production run has it's benefits.

 

[Sumner]

......... I just waited 6 months to get a quality used mainsail that would be what I needed for an O'Day 25. .............

Hey buy a new one . Just kidding and what you said is important to a lot of people out there. You can still get most items for the MacGregor/Venture line, but like Druid said you don't necessarily need them. They do make some people more comfortable though.

One thing I would like to know is can I get a rudder and a keel (if the boat has a swing centerboard and/or swing keel). Seems like people break the former and have the latter fall off to never be seen again. It would be nice to get a boat that Ida Sailor or someone made a replacement rudder for. You can make them, but not in a day.

c ya,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

 

[Barnacle Bill]

The Hunter 22 is much different than a Hunter 23 or a Hunter 23.5. The first one is a cored hull and I once saw an impression in the hull skin from the slings used to pick the boat to do a bottom job. So, the outer skin is pretty thin, I would say. Of the 3 the H-22 has the most interior space. The Hunter 23 is not what I would call a "fast" boat in comparison to "fast" boats (like a J/22, Lindenberg 22, Merit 22, Santana 21, San Juan 21, Pocket Rocket 22, yadayada), but probably the average Hunter 23 sailer never sailed a really fast boat. Winged keels are not fast to weather - period. Anything that gets deeper into the water helps windward performance, so, from that perspective the Catalina 22 might be able to point higher with the swing keel model, but that keel (cast iron) is not what I would call a NASA shape either, so it is not as efficient as it could be. The Catalina 22 has been built since the 60's and the latter models had the same hull shape and sail plan as the earlier models so that they would comply with one design rules. But, later they changed the keel shapes (winged) and so that destroyed any continuity in the one design rules anyway. Earlier Catalinas had Nicro Pressed rigging while Hunter always went with swaging, but Catalinas of the same vintage of the Hunter 23 also had swaged fittings. The backstay on the Hunter had a bolt the size of no more than a 1/4" to support the backstay chainplates and I thought that was a bit light, but at least it had a backstay unlike many modern Hunters.
But, the endorsements of the various Hunter owners and Catalina owners show their pleasure as boat owners and they are happy with their boats and that is the main thing.
The argument about parts.....I know Catalina is great for supporting their older boat customers and parts are available way back into the years. Not sure about Hunter - not as much experience with them. And, as mentioned, a lot of parts are not provided by the boat manufacturer, such as winches, stoves, lights, etc. But, Catalina does make their own masts, own turnbuckles, unlike Hunter and that way they can keep the price down instead of sourcing from mast manufacturers, hardware manufacturers, etc.