Catalina or Hunter

[Peter Clancy]

Forget ReSale Value and Surveyor's Opinions?

Steve: Here is a simple challenge for you 1) Find a bona fide marine surveyor who will say a Hunter is superior to Catalina 2) get a BUC book and compare the original cost of a 6 or 7 year old Hunter with the same size Catalina, then look at current resale. Tell me which holds the highest percentage of original value.

 

[Bryan C.]

The issue isn't Cataline better than Hunter ...

The issueis whether one particular boat that is available for purchase is better than another for what you want to use it for and your budget. If someone think Chevys are made a little better than Fords (lots of folks do and vice-versa) fine, but when you are buying a 5 year old car, if you buy a Chevy instead of a Ford without considering the condition of the car you're crazy. Even if I thought Chevies were built a little better, I'd buy the 5 year old Ford with 10k miles in perfect condition over the same model type Chevy with 150k miles for the same price. Not to mention that the quality of a given manufacturer can vary widely depending upon the year and model. People develop biases for or against one manufacturer, but to generally say that Catalinas are better than Hunters misses the point. Are they saying that every Catalina ever built is better than every Hunter ever built? That every 5 year old Catalina is better than every 5 year Hunter? That you should buy a Catalina you're not crazy about even though you find a Hunter you love that is in great shape for a great price?If you are talking about a boat in the 10-15 year old age category, far more important than whether its a Cat Hunter Bene Pearson O'Day or whatever is the shape its in, price, and how it has been maintained and whether it fits your needs for your intended use.When I bought an Hunter '88 35 two years ago I had no brand loyalty, and really still don't. But for what I wanted -- a good boat to sail Biscayne Bay and the Key and Bahamas, with good headroom (I'm 6'3"), a walk thru transom (kids and I are always jumping in the ocean) for about $40k, nothing else even came close. After having her for two years, I am more impressed with the general quality of construction and materials used in the boat given the price. She sails well and has taken care of me (and I try to take care of her) and has (so far at least) been a great boat. Had I limited my search to exclude Hunters I would have really missed out.If you want to limit your purchase options by completely cutting out a manufacturer based on someone's general opinions that's up to you. But I think it would be silly.

 

[Phil Herring]

Good Hinkley question

Aside from solving this litle dilemma, HAS anyone ever seen a Hinkley on the west coast? I never have!

 

[Been there]

Why restrict yourself to either? Bryan C is right!

Look for a boat in good condition that suits your purpose (which is?), being sold by someone who wants to make bail for their impatient brother. If you are looking at boats 10 to 15 years old, why focus on Hunters and Catalinas? There are dozens of other makes: J, Pearson, Cal, Freedom, and the list goes on and on. In this age range, the only support you'll get from the company is answer to questions, and that you'll get as well from bulletin boards, owner's associations, and knowledgeable yards, so there's no advantage to a builder who is still in business. If you're concerned about build quality, neither Hunter nor Catalina have a great reputation, so why are you restricting your search to these two builders?