I own a Catalina 30 and (so far) am happy with it. It sails fairly well and
the interior is nicely laid out and quite spacious for a 30 footer. A major
selling point is the fine support you get with Catalinas, both from the
factory as well as unofficial support from the large user base. There is a
C30 web site (www.catalina30.com) and also a very active listserv where you
can get plenty of advice from current owners. There's also a massive "Tech
Talk" compliation available, which covers the main issues that have arisen
with the boat and how to address them.

I have the standard rig, which works well for the consistently high winds in
San Pedro (in southern California). The boat definitely likes heavy air.
Unless you really need shallow draft I'd avoid the wing keel and go for the
deeper fin; the wings just don't point that well. In any case, the C30 is a
decent, all-around good boat. It is a production boat built to a price but
I've found the quality to be pretty good even if not stellar. It doesn't
seem to have any particuclarly nasty habits under sail (at least that I've
seen thus far)--and while it is not the most nimble boat it is a solid,
stable performer that can give you a reasonable turn of speed.

Take care,
Alan Gomes



"Rob" wrote in message
...
Thanks,

I probably didn't state it clearly, but inputs on other boats are also
welcome. The Beneteau and Catalina, were kind of the ones that were
towards
the top of my list, but given that I'm somewhat of a newbie, I'm looking
for
any suggestions.

Rob

"Bobsprit" wrote in message
...
Catalina 30 - well known, good resale, etc
Beneteau First 305 - This seems to have what I'm looking for, but
Beneteau
does not seem to be so well known in the US. Any thoughts?

Any opinions would be welcome. I'm looking to spend about $30K.


Beneteau is very well known here, but they don't get much respect. They
are one
of the lowest cost boats per foot around.
The Catalina 30 would probably suit you. Few boats have more room and
they
sail
reasonably well. Of course there are other choices....

RB