Cat 310 or 320?

[LuzSD]

When we were looking for our boat to cruise on we found that if the boat is in very good shape then the more previous owners equaled more items added to the boat.
By this I mean extra gear. Auto pilots, electronics, davits,etc. Something to keep in mind.
Enjoy your adventure.
Ray

interesting point Ray, we found that to be true..with a twist! Our PO raced the boat alot, with 6+ crew so there were lots of add ons in the race gear and sail inventory, but I don't think people hung out very long afterwards nor spent the nights much so the inside was really preserved. Since we were interested in racing and planned to spend most weekends on her, it was a perfect fit for us too.

 

[Calif. Ted]

I didn't want to offend anyone either Neil, I feel safe saying the older 27's finished ahead of the 270's & 28's and that may carry into the other boats.
Didn't race because we'd planned to be in Avalon for the Flying fish festival but something came up. We did get to fly the new spinnaker, so much fun we went back up and did it again.
Congratulations, that takes some concentration to finish like that consistently.

 

[LuzSD]

very nice spinnaker Ted, beautiful!!
We are not doing spin class with the exception of the occasional Friday night that we have enough crew, rather rare. We are still getting comfortable with the setup and takedown.....we need more practice. BTW, this is all done on a 39 Santana, not our C30... which is in SD.

 

[NC-C320]

I have a 2000 Catalina 320 that I bought new. I love the boat. I don't race so I can't address that. Someone suggested that the 310 rig might be higher rated...I doubt that. I think Catalina built both 310 and 320 to "A" rating. I would suggest that you look to see which interior arrangement you like best and go with that one. Both are good boats. As for more 320's being on the market, they have been being produced since 1993 and there are lots and lots of them out there....about 1200 I believe. The 310 production run started much later and has ended. The 320 in the MK II version is still in production. Wing keels (which I have) sacrifice a bit in performance to get the shoal draft capability. I think that is true on both boats. I have not had problems with my boat. I routinely single hand, and while the primary winches are located a bit more forward...a plus if you have a crew, a negative if you single hand....I don't find it a problem. I just step forward of the wheel, reach behind me to move the wheel in a tack, adjust the lines, and then step back behind the wheel when the maneuver is done.

 

[Big Windy]

I went through this process back in 2004, and opted for a 320. It is bigger than the numbers would indicate (320 vs 310). I especially liked the extra head room forward of the mast that the 320 has. Both are fine boats, and will serve you well.