Which 30 footer?
- Thread starter AADIVER
- Start date
- Status
which 30 footer
Check out the Catalina 30's as well as the newer Catalina 28's. You should be able to find a lot of them in the Alamitos Bay Marina. The older ones (pre 1984)can be bought for $20,000 or less and some newer ones (1984-1990) for $25,000 and nicely set-up 1990-95's for $30,000. My 84 did verywell, even in santa anna conditions, for the 6 years I owned it. In fact I sold it in 1992 for less than $25,000. It's a buyers market for 30 footers at this time. Novelman
Check out the Catalina 30's as well as the newer Catalina 28's. You should be able to find a lot of them in the Alamitos Bay Marina. The older ones (pre 1984)can be bought for $20,000 or less and some newer ones (1984-1990) for $25,000 and nicely set-up 1990-95's for $30,000. My 84 did verywell, even in santa anna conditions, for the 6 years I owned it. In fact I sold it in 1992 for less than $25,000. It's a buyers market for 30 footers at this time. Novelman
Which 30 footer
Read John Vigor's book Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere. There is a good discussion of inpeovements made to a Catalina 27 to turn it into a world cruiser.
Read John Vigor's book Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere. There is a good discussion of inpeovements made to a Catalina 27 to turn it into a world cruiser.
Catalina 30
Catalina 30's are probably the most boat for the money. Lots of interior room and sails very well. I think Catalina produced about 7,000 hulls so lots out there and plenty of parts available. Friend has an '82 and loves it. Haven't seen one with a tiller but I'm sure they're out there.
Catalina 30's are probably the most boat for the money. Lots of interior room and sails very well. I think Catalina produced about 7,000 hulls so lots out there and plenty of parts available. Friend has an '82 and loves it. Haven't seen one with a tiller but I'm sure they're out there.
Catalina 30
For the price that you are talking about you should be able to find a Catalina 30 around the vintage of 1988 that will fit the bill. The Catalina 30 has a ton of advantages over other 30 foot boats (ease of finding parts, good owners association, lots of them around, more size, and a lot of other things). The Catalina 30 has a 10'9" beam and it can either have a 5' draft of a 3'10" draft (wing keel). The tall rig and the bow sprit are good for an area that has predominantly light winds. There is 6'2" of headroom in the cabin, the ability to sleep 7 people, hot and cold water, and a fixed marine head with a shower. I can also say, from experience, that the boat can take some punishment. I got caught out in 40 mile per hour winds, sustained, and 8 foot seas on Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Potomac River (very bad area) and I made it through without sustaining any damage. The other part to this is that the Catalina 30 is a popular boat so there are hundreds out there for you to look at. When you go to look at a boat take notes and some digital pictures of each boat so you can make decision time a lot easier. FYI...a Catalina 30, 1990, tall rig, bow sprit, in good condition sells for around $35000. Oh, be sure to get a good survey when you buy the boat.
For the price that you are talking about you should be able to find a Catalina 30 around the vintage of 1988 that will fit the bill. The Catalina 30 has a ton of advantages over other 30 foot boats (ease of finding parts, good owners association, lots of them around, more size, and a lot of other things). The Catalina 30 has a 10'9" beam and it can either have a 5' draft of a 3'10" draft (wing keel). The tall rig and the bow sprit are good for an area that has predominantly light winds. There is 6'2" of headroom in the cabin, the ability to sleep 7 people, hot and cold water, and a fixed marine head with a shower. I can also say, from experience, that the boat can take some punishment. I got caught out in 40 mile per hour winds, sustained, and 8 foot seas on Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Potomac River (very bad area) and I made it through without sustaining any damage. The other part to this is that the Catalina 30 is a popular boat so there are hundreds out there for you to look at. When you go to look at a boat take notes and some digital pictures of each boat so you can make decision time a lot easier. FYI...a Catalina 30, 1990, tall rig, bow sprit, in good condition sells for around $35000. Oh, be sure to get a good survey when you buy the boat.
30 ftr
The first boat that came to mind before reading thru the responses to your post is of course the catalina 30, I have sailed on 2 of these 30's and enjoyed the experience on both.I agree with all the prior posts concerning owners assoc and availability of parts. Before deciding on which boat there are some back issues of Boat Works and This Old Boat that address this issue nicely and point out a number of boats in this class. Get a survey no matter what you do. Good Luck
The first boat that came to mind before reading thru the responses to your post is of course the catalina 30, I have sailed on 2 of these 30's and enjoyed the experience on both.I agree with all the prior posts concerning owners assoc and availability of parts. Before deciding on which boat there are some back issues of Boat Works and This Old Boat that address this issue nicely and point out a number of boats in this class. Get a survey no matter what you do. Good Luck
Need more info
You can do better than a Cat 30 with 30k. I would consider the Cat 30 a bargain. Why the tiller? Are you racing? Be carefull of impartiality on this board. There are many Hunter and Catalina owners. Not that they are bad boats but there are lots of boats that fit your criteria. Here are a couple of guidelines. Walk the docks and talk to owners. Get a ride if you can. Buy the very best boat you can for your budget. Many people buy "bargain" boats and spend lots of time and money working and not sailing. I bought a bargain boat that was in very good condition but I still I factored in an improvement budget and timeline that would not interfere with my sailing. And I love working on boats anyway. Some good quality popular boats in the 30 ft. range with good owner support(some factory) Pearson Ericson S2 Jboats C&C I linked a YW search of your area to show you what is available. Tim R.
You can do better than a Cat 30 with 30k. I would consider the Cat 30 a bargain. Why the tiller? Are you racing? Be carefull of impartiality on this board. There are many Hunter and Catalina owners. Not that they are bad boats but there are lots of boats that fit your criteria. Here are a couple of guidelines. Walk the docks and talk to owners. Get a ride if you can. Buy the very best boat you can for your budget. Many people buy "bargain" boats and spend lots of time and money working and not sailing. I bought a bargain boat that was in very good condition but I still I factored in an improvement budget and timeline that would not interfere with my sailing. And I love working on boats anyway. Some good quality popular boats in the 30 ft. range with good owner support(some factory) Pearson Ericson S2 Jboats C&C I linked a YW search of your area to show you what is available. Tim R.
performance
30ft. with tiller............J30 hands down. Sails better than a Catalina 30, great for cruising and you can win a race with her if you want. I agree with the last post, you can do better than Catalina. C&C 30 (mk III) S2 9.1 Beneteau First 305 (my least favorite of this list)
30ft. with tiller............J30 hands down. Sails better than a Catalina 30, great for cruising and you can win a race with her if you want. I agree with the last post, you can do better than Catalina. C&C 30 (mk III) S2 9.1 Beneteau First 305 (my least favorite of this list)
I like the early 1990s Hunter models
they are very nice and you should be able to get one close to your price range.
they are very nice and you should be able to get one close to your price range.
Look long and hard at Catalina 30
Over 7000 boats out there? Must be a lot of good reasons! I am very happy with mine.
Over 7000 boats out there? Must be a lot of good reasons! I am very happy with mine.
Cal 2-30
Great fast boat....It is an older boat, but if you can get a good foundation boat for $10,000 you could put another $20,000 into her and have a fabulous clasic. I bet there are a few out in your neck of the woods. Very desirable boats out in California
Great fast boat....It is an older boat, but if you can get a good foundation boat for $10,000 you could put another $20,000 into her and have a fabulous clasic. I bet there are a few out in your neck of the woods. Very desirable boats out in California
Better than Catalina?????
Alright, I understand that every owner loves their boat. I just have to interject my thoughts on doing better than a Catalina. Catalinas are production boats, but they have a lot of good features. EVERY boat maker has areas where their boats are weak. All I can say is to look at the build years for the Catalina 30, the amount of boats built, and the owner's opinions of the boat that they own. The vast majority of people who own or have owned a Catalina 30 love them, hands down! Yes, that Catalina 30 isn't a superfast lead sled. It will get you there in comfort. Look at the beams on the boats and the space inside of the cabin. There are other nice 30 footers out there....O'day, Lippencot, J-30, Pearson, Hunter, and C & C to name a few but when it comes to interior volume and comfort the Catalina wins.
Alright, I understand that every owner loves their boat. I just have to interject my thoughts on doing better than a Catalina. Catalinas are production boats, but they have a lot of good features. EVERY boat maker has areas where their boats are weak. All I can say is to look at the build years for the Catalina 30, the amount of boats built, and the owner's opinions of the boat that they own. The vast majority of people who own or have owned a Catalina 30 love them, hands down! Yes, that Catalina 30 isn't a superfast lead sled. It will get you there in comfort. Look at the beams on the boats and the space inside of the cabin. There are other nice 30 footers out there....O'day, Lippencot, J-30, Pearson, Hunter, and C & C to name a few but when it comes to interior volume and comfort the Catalina wins.
Catalina, PRICE speak louder than words
Most C-30 sell for more than what the cost new. That speaks for itself. The Catalina is one of the best boat in it's class! It may not be as fast a a J-30 but is a heck of a lot nicer inside! FARMHAND price range is what lead me to recommend the Hunter 30 and not a Catalina 30 in the early 1990s model range.
Most C-30 sell for more than what the cost new. That speaks for itself. The Catalina is one of the best boat in it's class! It may not be as fast a a J-30 but is a heck of a lot nicer inside! FARMHAND price range is what lead me to recommend the Hunter 30 and not a Catalina 30 in the early 1990s model range.
- Status