Movin' on up
I own a C30, my third boat after a Siren 17 and then a Catalina 22. I love my C30. The thing I like about it is that when I'm sailing alone, I can singlehand (and as everyone on the list undoubtedly knows by now, I singlehand a lot of the time that my family is aboard, because my wife deals with shifting cargo [kids, dogs]). So, I love the C30. Also, I sail a lake, so a C36 is overkill. HOWEVER, I completely agree with Gary Jensen--buy the biggest boat you can possibly afford, because boats shrink as soon as you buy them. I couldn't afford the C36s I fell in love with, and as it turns out the C30 is the perfect size for me. One other point: Do whatever you have to do to get the walk-through transom, unless you're planning on sailing the southern ocean and have to worry about following seas and getting pooped. Our C30 doesn't have it, and it makes getting on and off very difficult for kids, dogs, etc. Oh, one other point: I personally don't like Hunters, and I think Catalinas are better quality. However, two things to consider: they're both lake/coastal cruisers, not blue water boats, so they're in the same class; second, Hunter has really lead the field in stuffing space into small boats. Something to ponder.