# Hunter 31' vs. Catalina 30'



## Bowedtoothdoc (Mar 10, 2010)

Just hoping to get some input as to the main differences between these two boats. I would assume the Catalina to have more interior space even though the Hunter is a foot longer?


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Not sure about the interior room. Depending upon the year, Cats are usually a better sailing boat than a Hunter. BUT, with that in mind, "EVERYONE" I know with either brand of boat, likes there boats. SO, if the design of either fits you needs, buy which ever is the nicer better price, I am sure you will be happy.

Marty


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## Bowedtoothdoc (Mar 10, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. I have also read that the Catalina's are more quality built. Everyone I talk to seems to recommend the Cat 30 as a great all around boat.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

The Catalina 30 is one of the highest-volume 30 footers around.. pretty hard to beat on that score, esp in the main salon. Where she starts to fall down a bit is in the quarterberth 'double". While dimensionally it may qualify, the portion under the cockpit sole is no place for a claustrophobic. The clearance is very tight.

The Hunter, with it's beam carried further aft and wider transom may have a more usable aft berth. However the Hunter will likely also have a cast iron keel vs the Catalina's lead keel. Both work but the iron keels can be a bit of an on-going maintenance issue vs lead. When properly sealed it's not so bad but any damage to the epoxy sealcoat will lead to rusting between haulouts.

The Catalina 30s are also one of the stiffest boats around so that may be another relative factor between the two - it will affect the feel of the boat and how she carries her sail in a breeze.

As Marty says, there are plenty of happy owners of either type. Catalina does have a stellar rep for how they support the boats and their owners, both new and old.


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## eMKay (Aug 18, 2007)

Depends on the year I guess, current Hunter 31 is a great boat, older ones not so much. Cat 30's have been good since about 1987, before that check the keel to hull joint carefully


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## k1vsk (Jul 16, 2001)

Both are decent boats of similar build quality and price. This is largely a matter of personal preference with the scales tipped toward which boat has been better maintained. 
The ubiquitous Catalina smile in which the keel separates from the boat is enough of a problem issue requiring constant attention in itself to far outweigh the added maintenance of an iron keel which, I believe Hunter does not have anyway. 
The conventional wisdom is that you are basically choosing between a Ford and a Chevy - not enough difference to make a decision solely based on the nameplate.


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## OasisII (Dec 25, 2007)

When I was looking to move up from from my C-30 (which I enjoyed), the yard manager at my marina told me this: "Do yourself a favor - stay away from Hunters. The Admiral loves them because they have all of the amenities. However, Hunter doesn't put any thought into ongoing maintenance. They bury everything inside the boat. It's takes a lot of time to get to much of the systems which results in higher labor costs."

I have no idea if he is correct, but thought that I would pass it along. Maybe others will comment.

Mike


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## tomwatt (Dec 11, 2009)

Having just looked over a nice 70's Hunter 30 on Sat. I can say that it was a nice, roomy boat. Beautifully done and well maintained. And if I had to work on the engine, I'd have sooner shot myself, as it would have been comparable to climbing under the kitchen sink to perform brain surgery.
But it was a beauty!


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## Virocharmer (9 mo ago)

OasisII said:


> When I was looking to move up from from my C-30 (which I enjoyed), the yard manager at my marina told me this: "Do yourself a favor - stay away from Hunters. The Admiral loves them because they have all of the amenities. However, Hunter doesn't put any thought into ongoing maintenance. They bury everything inside the boat. It's takes a lot of time to get to much of the systems which results in higher labor costs."
> 
> I have no idea if he is correct, but thought that I would pass it along. Maybe others will comment.
> 
> Mike


My 2007 Hunter 31 has everything easily accessible.


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Thread is 12 years old. Suspect the OP has made his decision long ago.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

OasisII said:


> When I was looking to move up from from my C-30 (which I enjoyed), the yard manager at my marina told me this: "Do yourself a favor - stay away from Hunters. The Admiral loves them because they have all of the amenities. However, Hunter doesn't put any thought into ongoing maintenance. They bury everything inside the boat. It's takes a lot of time to get to much of the systems which results in higher labor costs."
> 
> I have no idea if he is correct, but thought that I would pass it along. Maybe others will comment.
> 
> Mike


I will start by saying that this is a very old thread so I am not sure why it popped up now. But since it did, I would like to comment on this post. On more than one occasion I have had a chance to compare the 1980's era Hunter 31's to the Catalina 30. In looking at the two designs and talking with marine surveyors about the two designs, my conclusion is that the various systems were much better installed on the Hunter than the Catalina. The surveyors confirmed that they were less likely to find serious faults in the Hunters and that they were more likely to meet ABS and ABYC requirements. The surveyors consistently agreed that the Hunters of that era were easier to maintain in terms of being able to find and work on critical components.

The Hunter 31 that I remember most clearly, had excellent access to the engine. The step and end of the galley lifted out and the entire engine was visible. I saw similar access to hoses and wiring, and all appeared to have been done in a careful and professional manner. Regarding the Catalina's, I will note that the Catalina 30's had a long production run, and that improvements were made over time. Some of the models had better access, and some did not.

I thought that the Hunter 31 was a little nicer boat to sail having better ergonomics on the sail handling gear and which seemed to sail better in a range of conditions. The Hunter has a more modern hull form and rig, and benefits from having a longer waterline, lower D/L and a bigger SA/D as well greater form stability and damping, 

Jeff


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## Rmaddy (Feb 8, 2019)

The idea that threads should be stomped out because they are old is odd to me. Content is content and content is good. Plus, resurrecting an older post builds on an available baseline, rather than restarting a conversation from scratch. I can't help but imaging all the "old thread" police as sitting on their front porches behind their "get off my lawn" signs.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Rmaddy said:


> The idea that threads should be stomped out because they are old is odd to me. Content is content and content is good. Plus, resurrecting an older post builds on an available baseline, rather than restarting a conversation from scratch. I can't help but imaging all the "old thread" police as sitting on their front porches behind their "get off my lawn" signs.


Although I am a moderator, I am not a member of "the old thread police". I turned in my badge and revolver decades ago. Personally, I agree with you that old threads are a very useful resource, that should not be quashed. That is why I responded with a serious reply. 

My comment was more about the fact that we suddenly had a lot of people replying to really old threads. That had not been typical until perhaps a year or so ago. 

There was a time that responses to old threads was discouraged. This was a policy because we had people making negative comments about a particular member's post that was many years old, and we didn't think that was fair if that person was no longer on SailNet. 
Jeff


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

I have noticed old threads being dredged up more frequently too. Often it is by new members, an I suspect they found the thread in a Google search. I know I have found some interesting old threads that way.

It is sometimes interesting to revisit old threads and see how they have aged. I have even come across really old threads that I participated in, and realized how much my opinion and knowledge had changed over the years.

I have no problem with old threads being dredged up, but some of them were very long and drifting, and I really don't have the time to catch up on them!

Sent from my SM-G981W using Tapatalk


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