30 Foot Great Lake boat Suggestions

[Paul Howard]

CS30 will sail better in light Lake Ontario winds, but hard to beat a Catalina 30 for all round boat of that size. The Hunter 30 has more interior space, but my choice would be the Catalina 30.
Earlier ones had Atomic 4 engines, but later were diesels. Try to find a tall rig, also there were several variations over the years of production.

[cdcorl]

Columbia 8.7 and 10.7 we had them both for over a decade on Superior, and they were great for the lakes.

[Mirage35]

I would suggest going to boatdealers.ca and similar sites, put in your size and budget range, and educate yourself from the results.

And of course as a Mirage owner I have to put in a plug for that possibility. Walk the docks at Collins Bay (after COVID restrictions are off) and you'll see a few examples, including mine.

[Mike OReilly]

There are lots of boats in this range. Plenty of good suggestions so far. Another couple I've liked:

• Northern 29
• Bayfield 29 or 32
• Grampian 30 (I know, it's been mentioned).
• Ontario 32
• Niagara 31
• Nonsuch 30, or even the 26 since they're so big for their size.

Lots of options.

[Jfloyd85]

I’d look a little larger than a 30, there won’t be a ton of difference in 2 feet, may as well make it +3-4 if you’re going to do it.

[csonquist]

There are thousands Catalina 30's that can be had in the Great Lakes where the hardware etc will not have the rigors of salt degradation. Lake St. Clair next to Detroit has many many. With the beam they have a lot of live aboard room and as one of the other respondents said there is still the back up of the existing manufacturer.

[Klonergan]

Thanks for the help everyone. I have lots of ideas now, and I'm more open to going beyond 30 feet. Very helpful!

[SV Siren]

Catalina 30's are a great boat, resell faster than many when it comes to sell. A very popular boat, for good reason...I really enjoy going out on my friends C-30 as often as I can, anything from 5 kn winds to gusting to 35(reefed), it sails well, with lots of space below.

[Emoyeni]

I just bought a C&C 30. Love the boat. I would note that there is a lot of variability in prices depending on condition. Like 10k - 40k CAD. Regarding the engine, that can be swapped with a diesel or electric. And usually they say that dissent effect resale value much but in the case of a gas vs diesel or electric I say a buyer would absolutely be willing to pay a premium for a new and intrinsically safer propulsion system.

[Klonergan]

Thanks again everyone for the help. I just purchased a 1981 Cal 31 with a 2020 Beta 16 diesel and 2015 sails. The cockpit is a touch smaller than I'd have liked, but it was impossible to turn down a repowered boat with relatively new sails.

If there are any Cal 31 owners out there it would be great to hear your experiences.