Hunter 25 vs Catalina 250 wing keel - 2000+ models

[jeangeorg]

Hello, in my quest to acquire a small sailboat for the family, weekend sailing in local lakes. I have found that the H25 and the C250 wing keel with outboard motors are very appealing. They both seem trailable, although I do not intend to do so.
Any thoughts about build quality, sailing abilities, stability, ease of operation and resale value.
Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice choices to have.

One of the things I always suggest to new prospective owners is to see if the boats they are considering have active online owners associations in addition to this fine forum.

I don't know about the Hunter model, but the C250 has a remarkably good owners association and forum, that not only can answer general boating questions, but can provide guidance specific to your boat.

http://catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=4

Saves trying to reinvent the wheel.

Good luck.

 

[David in Sandusky]

This is the online Hunter site!

But I don’t see any reviews of the new h25...

 

[JRT]

I'd go with the better condition one.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I talked with our Canadian sailor on both boats. This is his first sailboat and whatever he buys there will be a survey done plus it is required due to age for insurance. We spoke about the pros and cons of each as I use to display both in Annapolis shows and sold/worked on them. His deleimma is that he would sail on a shallow lake. Both boats have trailers but if the trailer for the Catalina 250 is not either Precison or road king, then there is no mast raise system unless they had not switched over to the trailer for mast raising. The earlier version was a take off of that from the Hunter. He will keep me posted.

 

[jeangeorg]

Dave has been very helpful talking to me over the phone. Thanks a lot Dave. After talking to the owner of the Catalina over the phone, he told me that the trailer he has was purchased separately from the boat, but is designed for the C250 and includes the mast raising system (I can distinguish on one of the photos Trail-Rite inc.). We still have snow here but it is starting to melt. We have tentatively scheduled for the weekend after easter for visiting the boat. I will try to schedule a visit for the Hunter 25 the same day if possible. The two boats are two hours driving distance apart. The C250 is a 2001 and the H25 a 2006 model

 

[Bosman]

Also, if your plans include staying the nights on the boat, do compare overnight capabilities of both boats. Standing height, marine head vs porta potty. If marine head, are there any pompout facilities nearby? How is the galley equipped? Cockpit size. Do research on stiffness on both boats vs wind speed vs the most common wind speeds in your area.
The list of items to check and to compare between two boats can be very long.
The most important aspect - have fun!

 

[Sailavie1]

I own the 2008 H25 and will discuss some of its features and sailing characteristics. My previous boat was the Mac 222 swing keel so I wanted to keep the shallow draft but get rid of the underwater moving keel. Easy launching/retrieving and shallow water access are important to me and the H25 filled these nicely. Descent cabin size, large cockpit and an open transom were the other necessities. Other features I enjoy are the modern B&R fractional rig, large high roach main with 110% jib (easy tacking), roomy bright cabin, wheel steering (tiller would be fine too), installed speed and depth instruments, and easily single handed. Items that could be better include larger cockpit lockers, standing head room (poptop is now in place), main sheet and jib travelers (I have added these now) and a lager galley area (also upgraded now). She sails well and when trimmed properly is quite fast. Upwind pointing could be better but that’s the compromise with the shallow draft. An addition of a Code 0 spinnaker really made a big difference to both reaching and downwind performance. Overall, I can say this is just about the perfect boat for me and the area I sail in (Central Alberta). There are always improvements one needs to add to any boat but that makes owning a sailboat more fun. Below is a video of some of the additional items I installed and discussed above (but not all).

 

[Bosman]

@Sailavie1 Great transformation!!!

 

[jeangeorg]

I own the 2008 H25 and will discuss some of its features and sailing characteristics. My previous boat was the Mac 222 swing keel so I wanted to keep the shallow draft but get rid of the underwater moving keel. Easy launching/retrieving and shallow water access are important to me and the H25 filled these nicely. Descent cabin size, large cockpit and an open transom were the other necessities. Other features I enjoy are the modern B&R fractional rig, large high roach main with 110% jib (easy tacking), roomy bright cabin, wheel steering (tiller would be fine too), installed speed and depth instruments, and easily single handed. Items that could be better include larger cockpit lockers, standing head room (poptop is now in place), main sheet and jib travelers (I have added these now) and a lager galley area (also upgraded now). She sails well and when trimmed properly is quite fast. Upwind pointing could be better but that’s the compromise with the shallow draft. An addition of a Code 0 spinnaker really made a big difference to both reaching and downwind performance. Overall, I can say this is just about the perfect boat for me and the area I sail in (Central Alberta). There are always improvements one needs to add to any boat but that makes owning a sailboat more fun. Below is a video of some of the additional items I installed and discussed above (but not all).

I am impressed !
Thanks for sharing

 

[Doug J]

Those are the nicest mods I've ever seen!!! Really like!!!

 

[Sailavie1]

Those are the nicest mods I've ever seen!!! Really like!!!

Thank you Doug J. I may need to update the video in include all the additional mods added since then. When will the madness end??

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

You need to post upgrades under boat info under 25. Not sure if they ever set up a specific post for your boat

 

[caverun]

@Sailavie1 I like those Garhauer combo block/cleats on the stern rail for your asymmetric. How well do they work in use? Easy to cleat/uncleat? I just have single Harken blocks there on my 240, thinking of upgrading so I don't have to cleat the spinnaker forward on the cabin top.

 

[Sailavie1]

The location of these blocks works very well for the Code 0 and the swivel feature allowes for easy line tightening from just about any location in the cockpit. However, un-cleating under higher loads requires two hands at times. One to hold the block from twisting the other to pull and uncleat the line. On bigger boats this could be a potential safety issue, but not on a 25 or smaller.