My Updated 310 Review

[SceptreSailor]

Updated January 1st 2007What I like Best about my 310:Design: Exterior: looks good. Not too modern, not too old. Graceful lines. Easy to walk around the stays to get forward. Great Cockpit: can accommodate more than a few friends. Easy to get around wheel and nice wide cockpit. You do not feel cramped and first timers don't feel like they are getting in the way. Swim ladder and swim platform are great touches as well as the Propane Locker being stashed back there along with an additional locker-great for swim fins/masks etc.Interior: Spacious, airy and bright. Easy to appreciate the galley area. Oven is Standard. Refer works excellent and holds plenty of stores. Extra dry storage area is fitted with drain so you can use as an ice box to add additional cold storage. Plenty of nooks and crannies to hold a wealth of items. I find the recessed area under the oven perfect for paper towels. Flatware Cabinet is awesome and a built in trash can under the sink! V berth is sooo comfortable. A real inner spring mattress-roomy-light and airy. Cedar lined hanging locker to starboard and storage and shelf unit to port. We installed our heat/ac unit in front of the water tank under the v berth. Only down side is makes the boat just a tad bow heavy and the stern deck area does not drain completely. Some lead pigs stern would fix that problem. Easy access to engine, tankage and other critical areas. 2 4D batteries provide plenty of power.Brand Names: Alder Barbour refer unit, Garhauer ridgid boom vang and traveler, Schafer Roller furling, Dutchman Flaking system (works great if adjusted Properly), Samsung Microwave, Maxwell windlass (standard).What I like least about my 310:Fit and finish. From gelcoat to woodwork. Not terrible, it just could have been better without costing Catalina ANY money. She is not very close winded, rounds easily (Need to reef any anything over 18kts for best performance). Need additional water and holding tankage. Not bad just a few gallons more would be nice. Nav station could have been better-seems like an after thought. She is not the fastest 31 footer around, but sails solidly even in heavy air if reefed down. Been out in 35-40 kts gusts and did not feel over whelmed. My Swim ladder is not square in its opening. I had a fixed port window separate from the bedding after only 2 years. Almost $500 to fix. I believe it has been coming on for some time as ever since the boat was 4 months old I had a very small leak that I could not find on the starboard side. Then one day during a heavy rain the port light separated from the bedding compound-no bedding was remaining on the port light-almost as if it had some grease on it from the factory that caused the bedding not to adhere to it, we'll see what Catalina says.Overall I really do like the 310. Fairwinds!

 

[Maine Sail]

Spot on

I agree with Ken's review 100%. Fit and finish is the worst part but it's easily over looked with all the positives of the 310. This is the first boat I've owned that I don't feel the need to upgrade and go bigger. When I look at other boats I compare them to the 310 and they just don't compare unless you have an extra 300k to spend. My neighbor owns a Sabre 362 and he comments regularly about how we have more fun with our Catalina than they do with their Sabre. I think it's that he spent 150k more than I did and feels guilty about how little time he spends on his boat in relation to the cost....-Maine Sailhttp://www.pbase.com/mainecruising

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice pictures, thanks

Gee, how can you go wrong taking a picture in Maine anywhere near the water...