Hunter 26 and Catalina 25

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John

I am looking for opinons in which is a better boat, the catalina 25 or the Hunter 26. Also what do you think of water ballast?
 
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tom

water ballast

Water ballast is great if you want to tow your boat. I had a Helsen 22 and a Macgregor 26 that I towed with a Chevy S10 pickup. The Mac was by far easier to tow as it weighed about 1700#s. The Helsen was heavier with a swing keel. It was also easier to launch and retrieve the Mac. We expected to lose performance but the Mac was faster and more comfortable. But given the choice I prefer fixed ballast over water ballast unless you are going to tow a lot. One big advantage of water ballast is that it is easy to make the boat unsinkable. A big disadvantage is that the water ballast takes up a relatively large volume in the hull.
 
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Tom Wootton

FWIW

I own a Hunter 26, and can recommend it highly. The 260 is a newer version of the 26, with several refinements, but they're very similar. I've never sailed a Cat 250, but I've seen one at a boat show. The layout is strikingly similar to the 26/260, but it seemed somewhat smaller inside. This site has owner reviews for both Hunter and Catalina. Use this one for Catalina: http://www.sailboatowners.com/boats/index.tpl?fno=20 Click the link below for Hunter.
 
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Jim Covey

Water Ballast

John, I own a '98 H26 which I think is a fine boat. As stated before, if you plan to trailer much (and want a large roomy boat as well) WB is the way to go. If I'm not mistaken the C-25 was never offered in WB, only the C250. I've sailed on a friends C-25 and found it's not as tender as the WB boats and sails very well. The cockpit of the C-25 seems smaller and the boat is not as beamy. Another thing to keep in mind is the H26/260 and the C250 don't have side decks, you have to step to the cabin top. This is one thing my s-o always complains about. The older C-25 has true side decks so it's much easier to go forward. So, if you want to explore other areas by trailer, get a WB and I don't think you'll go wrong with either Catalina or Hunter. Good luck and fair winds, Jim
 
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