Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 30-12-2018, 09:04   #1
Moderator
 
Jammer's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Minnesota
Boat: Tartan 3800
Posts: 4,759
Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

The received wisdom here and elsewhere is that the high-volume production monos are not suitable for bluewater cruising for a variety of reasons well addressed in other threads.


They are popular among daysailors, weekenders, and charter operators, due to a combination of low initial purchase price and hull shapes that provide a good deal of usable cabin and cockpit space per foot of length.


The question I have for you is---
  • Are they good enough for coastal cruising?
Since someone will ask me to define what I mean by "coastal cruising" by the time we get to the 5th reply, I'll start out by saying that I'm talking about months-long to indefinite duration cruising, in warm weather, with occasional passages no longer than a few hundred miles at a time.
Jammer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 09:15   #2
Registered User
 
Stu Jackson's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cowichan Bay, BC (Maple Bay Marina)
Posts: 9,703
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Answer is: YES.


I sailed our 1986 Catalina 34 from SF to BC in 2016. I've owned her for 20 years, second owner.
__________________
Stu Jackson
Catalina 34 #224 (1986) C34IA Secretary
Cowichan Bay, BC, SR/FK, M25, Rocna 10 (22#) (NZ model)
Stu Jackson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 09:22   #3
Senior Cruiser
 
boatman61's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,561
Images: 2
pirate Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Can't speak for Catalinas as I have never sailed one.. did own a Hunter 37 Cherubini cutter that was great.. solo'd her to the UK from NC.
Owned a Bene 321 and a 331.. both of which I solo'd Caribe to the UK..
Jeanneau's, I've sailed 2 under 40ft across/around the Med, nice sailers..
So for those 3 marques I would say Yes..
Perfectly fine for what you want, bearing in mind you maintain them properly.
__________________

It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
boatman61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 09:32   #4
Registered User
 
boom23's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Med.
Boat: Amel 50
Posts: 1,016
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

I own a Beneteau 49 and I have sailed the California coast in some interesting weather. The boat handled everything perfectly. I've also met several cruisers who have crossed oceans in this or similar boats.

Most of the time, the boat can handle more than the captain/occupants.
boom23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 09:35   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Crete , Greece
Boat: Beneteau first 26
Posts: 670
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Speaking for boats after 1996 .
As far as the boat is category A can take your anywhere .

Catalina's are ok but most of them are verry light build ( Catalina smile and other issues )
Janneau are ok ... But like Bavaria's they have some not well thought feutures for.sailing .

Beneteau is one of my favourite brand for multiple reasons .

Hunters are ok haven't seen a lot of them .

In general what you want is not a brand but a well build and designed boat with A certification at minimum.

The problem with production boats is not that they are not.build well, the problem is that the potential buyer cares more about a fancy bathroom than sailing characteristics and thays what he gets a fancy bathroom

PS if you buy new spend some time talking with the shipyard and explaining your needs they can modify their hulls to sustain whatever you point .
gmakhs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 10:07   #6
Registered User
 
ontherocks83's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Warwick RI
Boat: Catalina 30
Posts: 1,873
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

I am not looking to start a fight at all, but out of all the production boats Catalina is my favorite for build quality. Not that any of them would be my "first" choice for a circumnavigation, but if I did have to chose one to do so with, it would be a Catalina. Are they comparable to an Outbound, Swan, or Oyster? Of course not, that's apples and oranges. However the things I like about Catalina are they use Lead keels, they do NOT use sail drives, and they put a lot of thought into structure and load bearing components.

Some of the things I like are:

The rudder has a break away point built in so that in case of a grounding or hitting an obstruction at sea the bottom portion will break away while leaving a useable portion still attached.

The Rudder post terminates at the cockpit floor for maximum strength as opposed to terminating lower inside the hull like a certain other production boat that sank from a broken rudder post a few years ago.

There is a collision bulk head built in just behind the anchor locker, you can legitimately cut off the entire bow just in front of the V-berth and the main hull will maintain its structural integrity.

The mast is on a compression post that transfers very minimal loads to the deck.

The mast shrouds don't use chain plates from the deck for support but transfer the load to a structural grid inside the hull using a ball and socket system. This helps prevent deck leaks and gives a stronger support system.

Now the down sides to any production coastal cruiser is smaller tankage and that the hull above the water line is balsa cored.

I am not saying Catalina's are the best boat ever because they do obviously have flaws, what I am saying is for people like me that can't afford an Outbound, a Catalina is a well built affordable option. Also the features I am advocating for are from their 5 series builds that started within the last 10 years or so. I cannot speak for the models before the 445.


As far as coastal cruising, any of them would be fine but personally I like the style and build of Catalina's. Not to mention that getting in touch with the VP and chief engineer of Catalina Gerry Douglas, is much easier than other brands. I emailed their general email once with a question and I got a response from him directly. To me that speaks volumes!

Edit: As a disclaimer. I grew up sailing a Gen 1 Catalina 30 but I do not work for Catalina, I just really like the quality of their product for the price point that is offered.
__________________
-Si Vis Pacem Parabellum
-Molon Labe
ontherocks83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 10:10   #7
Registered User
 
ontherocks83's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Warwick RI
Boat: Catalina 30
Posts: 1,873
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by gmakhs View Post
Catalina's are ok but most of them are verry light build ( Catalina smile and other issues )
Janneau are ok ... But like Bavaria's they have some not well thought feutures for.sailing .
As an aside the "Catalina smile" was primarily from a plywood cored keel stub that would rot out and cause flex between the keel and keel stub. This was corrected in the late 80's in their Gen 2 Catalina 30's when they started using solid fiberglass for the keel stub.
__________________
-Si Vis Pacem Parabellum
-Molon Labe
ontherocks83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 10:16   #8
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Jersey
Boat: Beneteau 323
Posts: 89
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

I am certainly comfortable using my Beneteau for coastal cruising.
__________________
Ted Weitz
Beneteau 323 "Gossamer Wings"
Three Mile Harbor, East Hampton, NY
tweitz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 10:21   #9
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Pangaea
Posts: 10,856
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

OP,

Any of the production boats you mention will be fine for coastal cruising.
Kenomac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 10:21   #10
Registered User
 
Lost Horizons's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Boat: Island Packet 349
Posts: 671
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ontherocks83 View Post
I am not looking to start a fight at all, but out of all the production boats Catalina is my favorite for build quality.
Catalina 355 was on my list of next boat candidates. I have chartered one for a week in June and it was immidiately removed from the list. Way too many “why would the do it” moments.

As far as original question goes, yes all modern mass production sailboats are good coastal cruisers with few exceptions and limitations.
Lost Horizons is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 14:26   #11
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bellingham
Boat: Outbound 44
Posts: 9,319
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jammer View Post
The received wisdom here and elsewhere is that the high-volume production monos are not suitable for bluewater cruising for a variety of reasons well addressed in other threads.


......
Of course this claim by the online crowd is completely contradicted by the hundreds that cross the Atlantic and Pacific.

Of course the production boats are good for coastal cruising. Sail well in light winds, lots of room below and in the cockpit, generally easy to handle, lots of boat for the money.
Paul L is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 14:47   #12
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 500
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

They are good enough for crossing oceans so therefore the logic is they must be good enough for coastal crossing.
B23iL23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 14:51   #13
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Crete , Greece
Boat: Beneteau first 26
Posts: 670
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ontherocks83 View Post
As an aside the "Catalina smile" was primarily from a plywood cored keel stub that would rot out and cause flex between the keel and keel stub. This was corrected in the late 80's in their Gen 2 Catalina 30's when they started using solid fiberglass for the keel stub.
They still can't quality for A certification so Catalina's are out of the question .

My 26 feet havebbeen qualified with A up to 2 people and ii hardly consider it offshore , so any boat without it doesn't worth the money.

Beneteau and janneau are the best on your list, hunters I don't have a clear opinion , but don't waste money on Catalina or on the hull made only for inshore , the shame stormy conditions can get you offshore as inshore with the seccond ones be more critical (Lee shore )
gmakhs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 15:30   #14
Moderator
 
Jim Cate's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,135
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

One of the admitted issues with many such boats is the mfg's suggestion that the vessel be slipped an d inspected after ANY grounding. Most groundings happen coastally, not in offshore passages., so in that sense, well, you get the picture.

For myself, the form of construction that relies upon a glued in support grid is unacceptable. Thousands of boats are sailed daily with such construction, but it isn't for me, coastally or offshore.

Jim
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
Jim Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-12-2018, 15:46   #15
S/V rubber ducky
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
Re: Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jammer View Post
The received wisdom here and elsewhere is that the high-volume production monos are not suitable for bluewater cruising for a variety of reasons well addressed in other threads.


They are popular among daysailors, weekenders, and charter operators, due to a combination of low initial purchase price and hull shapes that provide a good deal of usable cabin and cockpit space per foot of length.


The question I have for you is---
  • Are they good enough for coastal cruising?
Since someone will ask me to define what I mean by "coastal cruising" by the time we get to the 5th reply, I'll start out by saying that I'm talking about months-long to indefinite duration cruising, in warm weather, with occasional passages no longer than a few hundred miles at a time.
So you read threads I guess trashing the production boats and ignored the posts that say for the most part are just fine. So you start a new thread to just repeat all the others and rehash the 100s of other ones asking the same question as you just posted. Maybe you could just tell everyone the answer you want to read about whatever boat you really wish to know about.

To answer your question

Yes they are good coastal cruisers and if you chose the correct model are just fine “blue water” boats
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
beneteau, catalina, cruising, hunter, jeanneau

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Comments on Hunter 42 passage, Hunter 45, hunter 45 cc, hunter 49 and 50 chucklet321 Monohull Sailboats 6 16-08-2019 11:26
'Enough is Enough!' . . . Yeah ! Right ! JustThinking Meets & Greets 22 21-02-2016 22:18
When is Near Enough Good Enough? genomic Construction, Maintenance & Refit 22 03-04-2011 02:36
Enough's Enough - I Can't Stand No More Charlie Sailor Logs & Cruising Plans 10 16-06-2009 08:44
SLEEP, enough or not enough?? shadow Flotsam & Sailing Miscellany 22 17-04-2008 06:29

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:01.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.