Beneteau and Catalina and Hunter are all in the same league basically.
ompare the 28 foot Bene and you won't see much difference or the 35
foot
Catalina and Hunter. They are all mid price production boats with
little to tell them apart. Even the dealers work hard to find real
differences as selling points.


It's really amazing that folks like Gary have the guts to yap about
boats they never sailed and probably never even stepped aboard. Even
sadder is the comment about dealers. What dealer has a hard time
telling the differences between Catalina and Beneteau First series?
The first clue that they are not the same is that the First series are
substantially faster. Catalina makes nothing like them. They don't look
alike, and they certainly don't sail alike. Gary suggests that the
Philip Stark interior with it's curved surfaces, deco coach liner and
honeycomb bulkheads is in the same league. I would hope that a dealer
would know that the Beneteau's are better sailing boats, even today.
But in the case of my 35s5, did you know that it cost 40K more than a
Catalina 36 new? Did you know that it was priced slightly higher than
Tartans and Sabres in 1990? Not only has Catalina and Hunter never
built a boat like the 35s5, but the new First series boats will also
outsail any Catalina or Hunter by a wide margin.
What dealer doesn't know this? What dealer doesn't know about the
chainplate arrangement on a Beneteau? Rod rigging? Fractional rigs? The
unique hunter rigs? The Beneteau solid hulls? Gary must meet some
ignorant dealers...and they appear to be teaching him well.

RB
35s5...former owner of a Catalina..when I didn't know any better.
NY