I am moving up from sailing sunfish and the like to a small trailerable cruiser, and am looking at Hunter 18.5s, Hunter 19s, and Catalina Capri 18s. I cant go much bigger because of the limited towing capacity of my vehicle. I would be sailing mostly single handed, occasionally spending the night and sailing mostly in the chesapeake bay and the small bays near Ocean City, MD. The H19 seems attractive because of the shallow draft (the water is pretty shallow in those little bays) and because alot of the h19 owners report that its quick and easy to rig. The H18.5 owners seem to compain about difficulty of launching. If anyone can shed more light on the comparative pluses and minuses of these 3 boats, it would be welcome. Thanks in advance!
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18.5
I have a Hunter 18.5 that I'm very pleased with. I don't have any info on the others. This site does have a large number of "reviews by owners" of the 18.5.Have a look at them and you will get a good idea of the pros and cons. I assume the other boats are also reviewed but I haven't looked. I keep my boat moored so I am not an authority on launching and retrieving. If you find a good one I think you'll enjoy any of the boats you've listed. Good luck.
I have a Hunter 18.5 that I'm very pleased with. I don't have any info on the others. This site does have a large number of "reviews by owners" of the 18.5.Have a look at them and you will get a good idea of the pros and cons. I assume the other boats are also reviewed but I haven't looked. I keep my boat moored so I am not an authority on launching and retrieving. If you find a good one I think you'll enjoy any of the boats you've listed. Good luck.
If there's any way go for Catalina 22.
We've always sailed larger boats (26 and 38 foot) and just downsized this year to a Catalina 22 and it's way too much fun. She's fast, rigged nicely from the factory, easy to get parts for and sleeps 2 very comfortably for up to a week. All this and it tows on a single axle trailer with extendable tongue. It's a retractable centerboard keel that requires the same amount of ramp water as most small powerboats. The small increase in size has massive paybacks and these boats can be had anywhere for $3,000 to $6,ooo for a very nice boat. Ray
We've always sailed larger boats (26 and 38 foot) and just downsized this year to a Catalina 22 and it's way too much fun. She's fast, rigged nicely from the factory, easy to get parts for and sleeps 2 very comfortably for up to a week. All this and it tows on a single axle trailer with extendable tongue. It's a retractable centerboard keel that requires the same amount of ramp water as most small powerboats. The small increase in size has massive paybacks and these boats can be had anywhere for $3,000 to $6,ooo for a very nice boat. Ray
SJ21
I've crewed on a San Juan 21 in some local races. Very nice sailing boat. Handles well, reasonably large cabin and cockpit for its size. Plenty around at bargain prices.
I've crewed on a San Juan 21 in some local races. Very nice sailing boat. Handles well, reasonably large cabin and cockpit for its size. Plenty around at bargain prices.
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