If you had it to do over again would you buy the Catalina 309 again?
What have you experienced with yours, pros/cons?
Sigbear
What have you experienced with yours, pros/cons?
Sigbear
309, Would You Buy It Again Or Something Else?
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If I had I could step back in time, I would probably not have bought a new boat. But that's just me.
Sure like the 309, though. It's exactly the size we want. If I found a bag of money by the road, I wouldn't go any bigger. I might want to go with something like an Alerion Express...narrower beam, etc., but reality says this boat has the room and the accommodations we like.
When we go to the boat show, it's fun to look around, but we don't see anything that we'd prefer. Maaaaaaybe a 32 foot catamaran?? I dunno.
We like the large main saloon for the coastal cruising we do. We'd have to go to a 40 footer to really have a bigger saloon, especially since we removed the aft stateroom door and wall.
Bottom line is I would buy again.
Sure like the 309, though. It's exactly the size we want. If I found a bag of money by the road, I wouldn't go any bigger. I might want to go with something like an Alerion Express...narrower beam, etc., but reality says this boat has the room and the accommodations we like.
When we go to the boat show, it's fun to look around, but we don't see anything that we'd prefer. Maaaaaaybe a 32 foot catamaran?? I dunno.
We like the large main saloon for the coastal cruising we do. We'd have to go to a 40 footer to really have a bigger saloon, especially since we removed the aft stateroom door and wall.
Bottom line is I would buy again.
If I could afford it, I might go up to a 350 to get the better cabin amenities (larger head with usable shower, better size/quality bunks, more storage), but for the money the 309 can't be beat. Lots of room for its size, sails well, easy to maintain and upgrade, and easy to singlehand. I'd buy it again.
We own our slip, and the first thing that attracted me to the 309 was that it pretty much filled it, both length and beam. For its size, the 309 has everything we could want. This is our 5th season and we still love it. Would definitely buy it again.
bought six months ago, have 32 ft slip boat fits perfectly. sails great, plenty of space. very happy with quality fit and finish. low maintaince outside, no wood to sand and paint except companion way hatch boards. handles well under power around boat slip foward and reverse. generator would be nice but probalby can't justify cost verse's use. making up the beds is definetly a pain more like a workout. for the mony this is a great boat. would buy the same boat again.
I sail singlehanded nearly half of my outings. This boat has a great balance of ease of sailing and yet roomy enough to handle a full crew in the cockpit and berths to handle six. The only complaint i have is the poor design of the anchor locker that offers no easy coversion to a true automatic windlass system that would make the singlehanded (or crewed) anchorings alot simpler.
A Nice Compromise
Now the positive: You get a lot of boat for the money. It's build strong with good quality parts. It sails remarkably fast despite being hampered by having inefficient roller sails that can't be shaped properly. The boat is both comfortable and spacious to spend time on. The motor is more than adequate and is both smooth running and reliable.
Conclusion: The 309 is a nice compromise of comfort, sailing prowess, and features for this reasonable price point. You get a lot for the money and for the most part we have been happy with our choice.
I have had my boat for nearly 3 years now. I'll lead with the negatives. My biggest complaints are that the v-berth is too small for both my wife and I to sleep there comfortably. I'm too tall (5'10"). To be able to stretch out comfortably I need to be in the middle of the berth. I wish the aft cabin was large enough for both of us to fit as well but it's not. We can fit, but it feels claustrophobic with the low overhead. It also has a sloped side on one side making it uncomfortable to lay against. I beleive the next size Catalina (310) has both real mattresses (That would be hugely more comfortable...I have a bad back) and an aft cabin berth that runs side to side and not lengthwise. It feels significantly more roomy. The 310 is also the first Catalina with a built-in microwave. We have a loose one, but it takes up valuable counter-top space or it sits onto of the NAV table making getting into it more difficult. One last complaint would be that the cockpit is so wide that there's nothing to brace your feet on.
Now the positive: You get a lot of boat for the money. It's build strong with good quality parts. It sails remarkably fast despite being hampered by having inefficient roller sails that can't be shaped properly. The boat is both comfortable and spacious to spend time on. The motor is more than adequate and is both smooth running and reliable.
Conclusion: The 309 is a nice compromise of comfort, sailing prowess, and features for this reasonable price point. You get a lot for the money and for the most part we have been happy with our choice.
310 Viewoint
Don't think about the microwave much, but it is OK to have. Personally I have never used it, wife insists on doing all the cooking. ;-) She loves it, but most of the time uses it for extra storage space.
The 309 and 310, IMHO, share the same exact mold as they are nearly identical underwater. One thing I do like about the 309 is the prop shaft configuration as it looks slipperier in the water. I hear it is harder to work on, but have no experience.
I will say that we have a 309 in our fleet in Quantico and in racing he and I are pretty much a dead heat as the boats are very evenly matched.
On our 310 (#185) the V-berth mattress is a really nice mattress. I sleep on that almost as good as home. It could be a hair longer and the way they shaped it on the aft end is OK - if they had left it a bit more square that would have been better. The aft bunk is a foam mattress, but I have not heard any complaints. When I do lay down on it, it is very comfortable.
Don't think about the microwave much, but it is OK to have. Personally I have never used it, wife insists on doing all the cooking. ;-) She loves it, but most of the time uses it for extra storage space.
The 309 and 310, IMHO, share the same exact mold as they are nearly identical underwater. One thing I do like about the 309 is the prop shaft configuration as it looks slipperier in the water. I hear it is harder to work on, but have no experience.
I will say that we have a 309 in our fleet in Quantico and in racing he and I are pretty much a dead heat as the boats are very evenly matched.
took delivery of our new 309 in dec o9, this was as big as our slip would hold. boat handles great under sail and power. aft cabin is a little low on ceiling clearance so we use forward cabiin. bought 3" memory foam cut to fit both cabins and either sleeps as well as home. have air condition that does a great job as we are in sc hilton head where its hot and humid all summer so it's nice at the dock. have ray marine c 9 chartplotter that does a great job. had choice between microwave or gas oven. got microwave and would like to have had both. just mounted newport rail mount grill that does great job and could sub for oven. plenty of room in main salon, bathroom is a little small but sufficient for us. would be nice to have air duct in there as there is none only a port window. still trying to figure out what dinghy to go with as space is limited unless we get davit's which we may. great storage in cockpit lazzertte a/c used some but not much of it. auto pilot is great and a must for us. a littel noisy though. so 8 months later we would buy the same boat again. also got windless and its worth its weight in gold as have used it many time with no problem. good luck and have fun with the search for the right boat. our boat dealer was dunbar yacht's st simons island ga and they were great to deal with and did everything they said they would. also we got digital antenna top of mast that picks up 20 plus crystal clear channels in our area. pretty sure dunbar goes to annapolis every year, happy hunting
309 Electronics
I was talking to a member in my Yacht Club and he is interested in buying a new 309. I was telling him if he did not have to, to forgo the Raymarine electronics and go Garmin. Am I giving bad advice? I am thinking a Garmin Chartplotter with built in fishfinder, with their wind instrument, and I think Garmin also has autopilots would be better.
My thinking is that I have the Raymarine ST60 stuff with the S1 Autopilot, but opted for a Humminbird Chartplotter as it seemed to be a much better deal. Given Raymarines financial difficulties and the fact that their stuff seems really dated and Garmin stuff just works well it makes sense to me. You could also bond the transducer to the interior of the hull and forgo 2 additional holes in the boat for the ST60 sensors.
I also recommended he forgo the powered windlass as I have one and really don't use it a lot.
Thoughts?
I was talking to a member in my Yacht Club and he is interested in buying a new 309. I was telling him if he did not have to, to forgo the Raymarine electronics and go Garmin. Am I giving bad advice? I am thinking a Garmin Chartplotter with built in fishfinder, with their wind instrument, and I think Garmin also has autopilots would be better.
My thinking is that I have the Raymarine ST60 stuff with the S1 Autopilot, but opted for a Humminbird Chartplotter as it seemed to be a much better deal. Given Raymarines financial difficulties and the fact that their stuff seems really dated and Garmin stuff just works well it makes sense to me. You could also bond the transducer to the interior of the hull and forgo 2 additional holes in the boat for the ST60 sensors.
I also recommended he forgo the powered windlass as I have one and really don't use it a lot.
Thoughts?
Re: 309 Electronics
I think that's a good plan. I've had a lot of problems with my Raymarine instruments (ST60 depth, speed, wind, and AP), and although Raymarine has been pretty good about fixing them, it's been a major hassle. On the other hand, my Garmin plotter and radar have been flawless. The technology is definitely better as well. It would probably be necessary to special order from the factory without the transducers installed, since Catalina installs the Raymarine transducers on nearly all their boats during construction.
I think that's a good plan. I've had a lot of problems with my Raymarine instruments (ST60 depth, speed, wind, and AP), and although Raymarine has been pretty good about fixing them, it's been a major hassle. On the other hand, my Garmin plotter and radar have been flawless. The technology is definitely better as well. It would probably be necessary to special order from the factory without the transducers installed, since Catalina installs the Raymarine transducers on nearly all their boats during construction.
Believe he is looking at a new one built to order
John, Good thought about the thru hulls. I believe this would be built to order with delivery in the spring.
You would think Catalina would be thinking about this as it would probably save them money and give their customers more choice. FWIW, I would be delighted to forgo the holes for the speed and depth and just have a puck that shoots through the hull.
I do understand that with the speed log there are some nifty things to do for info when racing, but they are beyond me, and definitely over the top when you consider how most of us sail day in and day out.
I did do some looking after posting last night and the Garmin APs are pricey. Not sure how big a deal that is as my Humminbird chartplotter does drive my Raymarine S1 though the NMEA 0183 interface.
John, Good thought about the thru hulls. I believe this would be built to order with delivery in the spring.
You would think Catalina would be thinking about this as it would probably save them money and give their customers more choice. FWIW, I would be delighted to forgo the holes for the speed and depth and just have a puck that shoots through the hull.
I do understand that with the speed log there are some nifty things to do for info when racing, but they are beyond me, and definitely over the top when you consider how most of us sail day in and day out.
I did do some looking after posting last night and the Garmin APs are pricey. Not sure how big a deal that is as my Humminbird chartplotter does drive my Raymarine S1 though the NMEA 0183 interface.
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