Our review of "entry-level cruising boats" - We chose the Beneteau 311, Catalina 310, and Hunter 326. They seemed to match well in terms of size, sail area, ease of operation, accommodations, and price. Dimensions are comparable, as are working spaces on the deck, the type and arrangement of gear, cockpit size, and space and furnishings below. All are equipped with a suit of sails and headsail furlers.
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Would love to get a estimated pricing for a In-Boom Furling Mainsails for my Hunter 310 if they make such a item, it would make single handed sailing manageable.
In-boom or in-mast furling can jam up and prevent you from reefing. Even Ben Ainsley (multiple times olympic gold medal winner and America’s Cup participant) had that happening to him and had to be rescued. I have seen that happening be it on windy San Francisco Bay Area or in the BVI. Slab reefing is the most reliable way to shorten a sail. It is easy: mark the halyard for the reef, drop it to the reef point, hook in the tack hook, pull in the reef line and you are done. Don’t use single line reefing because you have different power ratios by the reef line on the tack and the clew.
Richard Leute
I’m confused, help me understand. In your article you state that “Depending upon options added, shipping, and commissioning, the range is $70,000-$80,000 for a new boat in this market”, but it looks like the Catalina 310 was last produced in 2012, what am I missing?