Catalina/Beneteau/Hunter/Jeanneau good enough for coastal cruising?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

A couple of nicely written articles from Sail Magazine about ocean crossing with Hunters:

https://www.sailmagazine.com/cruisin...-and-the-mouse
https://www.sailmagazine.com/cruisin...enture-hunters

Nothing about Hunters in either really. One is just the standard Hunter blashing that panders to the harters and the other maining only saying a Hunter 31 doesn't really have room for food for 3 people for 3 months.

[gwyn]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

A couple of nicely written articles from Sail Magazine about ocean crossing with Hunters:

https://www.sailmagazine.com/cruisin...-and-the-mouse
https://www.sailmagazine.com/cruisin...enture-hunters

Hi

See a story of my Transat in a Hunter 40, complete with 60ft waves, a knockdown and F12 winds (or at least it felt like it at the time)

http://s3.spanglefish.com/s/7639/doc...20cromarty.pdf

[Tomaz473]

The answer is YES. They are capable of coastal cruising and crossing the oceans.

There are more Beneteaus crossing the oceans every year then .....(insert any of your favourite true blue water boat brands here and the statement would still be correct).
I think this tells it all.
Would I rather have an Amel or HR than my Beneteau 473? Sure, but I would still be only dreaming about sailing as I do not have 1 million EUR to put in a boat.
I rather bought it for less than 150k, invested a bit over 50k in upgrades and went sailing.
I crossed Atlantic twice, I will cross it again this year. I sailed the Mediterranean, Caribbean, . . . I have memories, some have hopes to sail one day in a distant future.
You always have to look at the budget which is available for a boat.
What can you get fo 150k for example? Then compare a 150k production boats Beneteau/Catalina/Bavaria/Hunter/Jeanneau/Elan/Hanse... with the same price HR/Najad/Amel/...
You get a much younger and bigger boat if you choose mass brands.
Bigger boat and a newer one is quicker, safer and more comfortable.
Of course a 1mil. Amel is better than a 100k Bene.
What about 100k Amel and 100k Bene?

[Jeffrey Wolfe]

Hi
I have a 2005 Catalina 310 and I can assure you that it is just fine for the coastal sailing. Several years ago I sailed from New Jersey to Florida and then over to the Abacos in the Bahamas. My boat was one of the smallest boats that I saw crossing over but I had NO problems and the boat always felt very stable and seaworthy even when crossing the stream to the Bahamas - even though the boat is only 31 foot. I think the general opinion is that of the production boats, the Catalina is the most robust. Many people think that it is overbuilt. I cannot speak to the other production boats.
Jeff Wolfe

[QuentinC]

Originally Posted by Tomaz473

The answer is YES. They are capable of coastal cruising and crossing the oceans.

There are more Beneteaus crossing the oceans every year then .....(insert any of your favourite true blue water boat brands here and the statement would still be correct).
I think this tells it all.
Would I rather have an Amel or HR than my Beneteau 473? Sure, but I would still be only dreaming about sailing as I do not have 1 million EUR to put in a boat.
I rather bought it for less than 150k, invested a bit over 50k in upgrades and went sailing.
I crossed Atlantic twice, I will cross it again this year. I sailed the Mediterranean, Caribbean, . . . I have memories, some have hopes to sail one day in a distant future.
You always have to look at the budget which is available for a boat.
What can you get fo 150k for example? Then compare a 150k production boats Beneteau/Catalina/Bavaria/Hunter/Jeanneau/Elan/Hanse... with the same price HR/Najad/Amel/...
You get a much younger and bigger boat if you choose mass brands.
Bigger boat and a newer one is quicker, safer and more comfortable.
Of course a 1mil. Amel is better than a 100k Bene.
What about 100k Amel and 100k Bene?

I looked at the Amel maramu 46 foot. I compared the specs with a Hunter 450. I realize I am not a boat expert but seems to me about the same specs. Personally I would rather have the Hunter. I like its interior layout better. Even if you are passagemaking, you are only 10 percent cruising. Is it the name? Even if I had the money, i would still buy the Hunter. Whats the difference?
If anyone chimes in, please facts not nonsense

[David B]

Originally Posted by Jammer

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.

Check the participant list for the ARC - each year many, many Bavaria, Beneteau, Jeanneau etc cruisers cross the Atlantic with no problem. Then there are the individuals who buy their new high-volume production boats in the Med, and after a season or two, sail them back to New Zealand or Australia - again, usually very successfully. There are hundreds of them out there right now doing just that.

When there are issues, it's often the crew who fail rather than the boat (and we often hear of their abandoned boat turning up somewhere months or even years later).

I hope that settles your concerns.

David

[Uricanejack]

Originally Posted by QuentinC

I looked at the Amel maramu 46 foot. I compared the specs with a Hunter 450. I realize I am not a boat expert but seems to me about the same specs. Personally I would rather have the Hunter. I like its interior layout better. Even if you are passagemaking, you are only 10 percent cruising. Is it the name? Even if I had the money, i would still buy the Hunter. Whats the difference?
If anyone chimes in, please facts not nonsense

It’s horses for courses isn’t it. The right horse for the right job. Although I don’t know anything about horses.
Given a choice of two boats similar price and sise.

Get the right boat for the right job.
This particular thread was about choosing a boat for coastal cruising. Of your two choices. I would choose the Hunter.
Why? It’s better suited for what I want to do. Which doesn’t mean the Amel isn’t any good for coastal cruising. It’s just not as good for my particular purpose.

For offshore cruising. different question and diffrent answer.

[QuentinC]

I had only took one brand that was bashed alot against one that is supposedly a top of the line bluewater. The weights are about the same. So that tells me simalar construction materials. The rudder is better protected on the Amel. Interior? I am sure the Amel has more expensive material for the interior and has more equipment installed from the factory. What I have been able to decipher is, it is not the boat but the crew. Poor maintenance, poor seamanship, running it aground, not having the correct sail plan or knowing what to do in heavy winds, that is the problem. You can take a ford pinto properly maintained and drive from the tip of Florida to Alaska the same as taking a Cadillac Suv. Both can give you trouble, both will get you there. Either one can break down. If you are happy with a brand, with proper maintenance, and knowledge, it should get you there. But, things happen, it is how you can deal with a problem when it arises and how well you are prepared to handle it. Even an Abrams tank needs maintenance and you can beat it so hard that you can warp the frame. A man crossed the Alantic in an 18 foot Hobiecat. How did he do it? He was very well prepared.

[double u]

The points I dislike about our Elan 410 are practically unavoidable in contemporary boats of this size, never mind how much they cost:
sweptback spreaders, saildrives, wheel steering, cockpit too wide, mainsail- heavy sailplan
the creaking & groaning of some furniture in Heavy going would be missing in (Most?) „Quality boats“ (X40 would be comparable) at a noticably higher purchasing price though

[Pizzazz]

I believe a lot of you are missing the point of production boats, which is to bring sailing to the masses.

Most boats can safely handle coastal or blue water just fine. The level of comfort will differ but not safety (as long as the boat is fiberglass and maintained well). Let’s not pretend that the posters here can judge better than the boat designers what is adequate and what is not. It is a personal preference, exactly the way some people prefer Mercedes to Nissan.

A lot more people are crossing oceans in production boats with a reasonable level of safety and they are having a blast. The sailing hobby would be much smaller today if only HR, Swans and Oysters existed.

So, enjoy your boats, buy whatever you can afford and sail it any way you feel like. If you find yourself in the middle of the ocean for more than 1/3 of the year, you would know what to look for in a boat. Otherwise, any boat that you love (love is very important here because otherwise you will be miserable) will do.

[David B]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

I believe a lot of you are missing the point of production boats, which is to bring sailing to the masses.

Most boats can safely handle coastal or blue water just fine. The level of comfort will differ but not safety (as long as the boat is fiberglass and maintained well). Let’s not pretend that the posters here can judge better than the boat designers what is adequate and what is not. It is a personal preference, exactly the way some people prefer Mercedes to Nissan.

A lot more people are crossing oceans in production boats with a reasonable level of safety and they are having a blast. The sailing hobby would be much smaller today if only HR, Swans and Oysters existed.

So, enjoy your boats, buy whatever you can afford and sail it any way you feel like. If you find yourself in the middle of the ocean for more than 1/3 of the year, you would know what to look for in a boat. Otherwise, any boat that you love (love is very important here because otherwise you will be miserable) will do.

I like and agree with your perspective!
There are things to look for such as rigging, and winch sizes, how things are attached etc. Staying in the budget end of town, I often see one size boat stretching the limits on rigging and winches, then the next size goes to the next rigging and winch sizes, which is then stretched up another two models. Good to get that cross-over size boat where the manufacturer was forced to go up in equipment. Makes it a more solid boat .

[Zzmeyer]

I've owned a Beneteau, a Jeanneau and two Catalinas. I've sailed all three offshore. All great boats. If you look at boats that are doing major offshore rallies Beneteau has the most. None come from the factory offshore equipped. None come with a competent skipper and crew.

[FosterJourney]

Originally Posted by ssteakley

We crossed from Corpus Christi TX to Pensacola. Fl on a heavy displacement Passport 42 along with a buddy boat Catalina 400, ... We had a relatively smooth experience compared to the crew of the Catalina. ... Each boat made the crossing in tact but the heavy one was far more comfortable.

Being that the Gulf is my nearest ocean, this is a great example. Thanks for helping me out with my shopping ⛵

[gregorybross]

What issues did the Catalina 400 have? Has anyone on that boat responded to this or do we just take your word for it?

[double u]

Originally Posted by Tomaz473

The answer is YES. They are capable of coastal cruising and crossing the oceans.

There are more Beneteaus crossing the oceans every year then .....(insert any of your favourite true blue water boat brands here and the statement would still be correct).
I think this tells it all.
Would I rather have an Amel or HR than my Beneteau 473? Sure, but I would still be only dreaming about sailing as I do not have 1 million EUR to put in a boat.
I rather bought it for less than 150k, invested a bit over 50k in upgrades and went sailing.
I crossed Atlantic twice, I will cross it again this year. I sailed the Mediterranean, Caribbean, . . . I have memories, some have hopes to sail one day in a distant future.
You always have to look at the budget which is available for a boat.
What can you get fo 150k for example? Then compare a 150k production boats Beneteau/Catalina/Bavaria/Hunter/Jeanneau/Elan/Hanse... with the same price HR/Najad/Amel/...
You get a much younger and bigger boat if you choose mass brands.
Bigger boat and a newer one is quicker, safer and more comfortable.
Of course a 1mil. Amel is better than a 100k Bene.
What about 100k Amel and 100k Bene?

Excellent Tomaz, very well put! Rational AND passionate!
It's not a question if an 80' Swan is better than our 40' Elan (Slownian built btw), it's a question of what we can afford!