"Rob" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I am interested in purchasing a boat for sailing on the Chesapeake. It
will
primarily be used for weekend sailing / gunkholing. I would like
something
at least 30' with wheel steering, and comfortable for a family of four. I
have been looking at various brokerages and web sites as well as reading
boat reviews. There are a couple that I think would be good, but would
like
to get others opinions.

I am considering the following:

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.

The First will be a great boat to own. They are an immensly practical boat
that also have great performance.

I've sailed on a F37.5, a 42s5 and I own a 33.7. They all share two things
in common -
1) They are great fun to sail
2) They seem to have been designed by sailors - and not by marketing
people.


I looked at a Hunter when I was deciding what to buy. The cooker wasn't
gimballed, and so it wouldn't be possible to have hot food at sea!! Other
boats tried to make the accomodation look huge and therefore they didn't
have enough stowage. Some boats didn't have grab rails that run the full
length of the cabin. The First won't suffer from any of these problems.

I've never sailed on a Catalina, so I cannot offer a comparison.

If the resale value of Firsts is is low in your area, then you should be
able to get a lot of boat for your money.


IMHO you would enjoy a tiller more than a wheel. You get much more "feel"
from a tiller.



Regards


Donal
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