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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Talking someone out of buying a Hunter 260.......

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Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/05/2004 : 11:08:51

Hi folks,
I have a Catalina 25 wing keel 1989 model. I don't know much about the Catalina 250 water ballast boats. A friend is looking at a Hunter 260 water ballast. I do know that the Hunter is really funky as far as deck layout, rigging, heck, everything about it IMHO.

Can you guys give me some specific things to tell my friend why they should get a Catalina 250 instead of a Hunter, other than this great association.

Thanks

Frank Gloss
Formerly 89WK/TR
85 Ericson 32-3 shoal draft "Molto Bene"

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 17:00:22

The 260 out sells the 250 here in Wichita. We have at least 4 and I think 5 here and only one 250. The same dealer sells both and he is a devout Catalina man. IMHO the 260s are all about entertaining. They feel much larger than a 250. Our 250 hardly ever goes out and three of the 260s are heavily sailed. One of the 260s recently changed hands and the fellow who sold it replaced it with a Catalina 27, he said he did not like the way the 260 sailed, (he also has a Nonsuch 30 in Fl). The fellow who bought it is moving from an ODay 25 and commented that he new the 260 would not sail as well but that it would be so much nicer to "live" with that he was willing to give up the sailing points. One other thing, EVERY friend of my 20 something children are blown away by the 260's looks and while they like the 250 better than our old fashioned 25s they are only interested in the 260s. I would say they should sail them both and talk to owners of both and chose what meets their needs. Hunter is not the evil empire they are just more market driven the most Catalina owners are comfortable with.

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 21:30:20

If he plans on ever trailering it, point out that the beam is more than 8'6", then have him call DOT and ask what he has to do to put that on the road. Then point out he has to repeat that process for every state he goes through. If his retort (likely) is that the salesman said that "everyone just does it and no one has any problems", have him call his lawyer and ask what the consequenses would be of causing an accident (wouldn't be the first one) with an illegal wide load. In addition to that, I have had the pucker factor go way up in construction zones with 8'6", can't imagine what a wider load would feel like....(OR SOUND LIKE

)

Oscar
C42 # 76 "Lady Kay" (Ex. C250 WB #618)
Georgetown MD/Fort Lauderdale FL

"Hindsight is 20/20, if I knew then what I know now, I would now be living on a small wooden sailboat, making a few bucks here and there playing a guitar and singing songs in bars."

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 21:30:22

FWIW, the 260 is legally a wide load on the roads of most states. And as others have said, it's a better dock boat, but it bounces around and is rather tender under sail. But it works...

(Oscar clicked the button 2 seconds before I did...)

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 12/05/2004 21:34:54

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 21:31:30

HAH! BEAT YA.....by mere nano seconds....

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
Navigator

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185 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 22:30:21

Is the 250 street legal in most states (Mainly Az and Ca)?

Specs show it as 8'6" also.

Edited by - Capt. Kurt on 12/05/2004 22:31:44

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2004 : 23:05:22

8'6" is legal on all interstates, and most states....(the info is on Boat Us' site somewhere)
The Hunter 260 is 8'11"....

Oscar
C42 # 76 "Lady Kay" (Ex. C250 WB #618)
Georgetown MD/Fort Lauderdale FL

"Hindsight is 20/20, if I knew then what I know now, I would now be living on a small wooden sailboat, making a few bucks here and there playing a guitar and singing songs in bars."

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
Navigator

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185 Posts

Response Posted - 12/06/2004 : 08:11:52

http://www.boatus.com/trailerclub/laws.asp - I found it on that site, thanks.

Az has an 8'W limit, does anyone have experience getting permits in Az? Is it a pain?

Edited by - on

sailgal
Captain

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USA
400 Posts

Response Posted - 12/06/2004 : 09:29:24

The boat slipped next to me is a Hunter 260, handles terrible around the dock, too much freeboard, as a result it is a dock boat (fearful owner) Other bummer....tight cockpit, should be bigger on a "dock boat".

Edited by - on

sailorman
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 12/06/2004 : 22:44:06

My wife and I looked at a Hunter 260 and a Macgregor 26 prior to buying our 250. Bottom line: if they intend to sail, the 250 is the boat to get. If they want to impress people with a floating play room then they can get the Hunter at 5 grand more dollars (without trailer) and get a more difficult boat to trailer as well as sail. Of course if they know people that aren't impressed with sailing, do they really care?

Edited by - on

kgl
Deckhand

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USA
5 Posts

Response Posted - 12/07/2004 : 21:25:06

Having owned a Capri 25 and C25, I take exception to your comments about the Hunter. The H26 is a great boat as is the C250. I currently own a H26 and I have no trouble getting into my slip and trailering the boat. The last time I checked the PHRF ratings, the H26 is somewhat faster then the C250 as I have proven many times on the race course. My point being, don't knock other boats unless you have owned one, remember, all boats have their merits, there are no bad sailboats. You folks have a great forum but I just had to respond to those comments about the Hunter.

Ken

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5908 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2004 : 09:14:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">My point being, don't knock other boats unless you have owned one, remember, all boats have their merits, there are no bad sailboats. You folks have a great forum but I just had to respond to those comments about the Hunter. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Ken, don't take our knocks on Hunters too seriously. We're all partisans here. This is a Catalina forum, and it's only natural that we like Catalinas better than Hunters. If we didn't, we would have bought Hunters. If you'd listen to a group of Hunter owners comparing their boats with Catalinas, you'd probably hear some unfavorable comments about Catalinas. We're glad you enjoy the forum, but don't be surprised or offended if we have unfavorable opinions about Hunters. You wouldn't expect Democrats and Republicans to say good things about each other, would you?

Edited by - on

tgrass462
Deckhand

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USA
15 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2004 : 14:27:37

I feel, like Ken, a need to respond to the remarks on Hunters. For the record I have a 'foot in both houses' so to speak ... we sold our Catalina 22 last year; had money down on a Catalina 250 and ended up buying a Hunter 26. We then lead a group of Catalina 22's on an official Catalina 22 Heartland of America cruise last July to Kentucky Lake (where our H-26 was recognized by the fleet as an honorary C-22).

Anyway - we didn't purchase the Catalina 250 because of a crack in the mast where the pole used to raise the mast is inserted. Our surveyor said that this - plus a crack where the water ballast tank meets the hull - were true deal killers. I believed him.

I know that the H-26 has a very refined mast raising system; one that you can do on or off the trailer. I believe the Catalina 250 must be on the trailer to utilize its system. This is not a problem when launching ... but, if like me, you forget to install your VHF antenna and must drop your mast with the boat in the slip ... it can make a difference.

Regarding sailing - all I can say is that it sails to my expectations. I had one time last fall running with heavy gusts where my rudder kicked up and I ended up broaching. I attribute this to the rudder, not the boat in general.

Finally regarding the interior - I'll be honest ... the Admiral (my wife) really liked the interior of the 250 over that of the H-26. When compared to our little C-22 - both appear to be 5 STAR suites! Both are open; both have a galley and enclosed head. IMHO - the Catalina is a better looking boat ... the lines are much cleaner; the H-26 has more head room however (when compared to a W/B C-250). The H-26 has no backstay ... after getting used to this - it does make the cockpit a bit less cluttered.

Tom Grass
Grasshopper II

p.s. I'm still in the Catalina 22 NSA AND you folks have one of the BEST forums on the Web. You're very fortunate.

p.p.s. BTW were you aware that Hunter has stopped making W/B boats? The H-260 and the H-240 are being discontinued ... in the future if you want a new W/B sailboat - it's either the Catalina 250 or a MacGregor.

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
Navigator

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185 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2004 : 14:51:09

I wonder why Hunter is discontinuing the H-240 and H-260? Are they not selling well, or are they focusing more on the whole fractional sailing concept? (which is basically a timeshare for a larger sailboat with 8 other people)

Edited by - on

tgrass462
Deckhand

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USA
15 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2004 : 16:56:25

First - my apologies for the double post ... trouble with my internet connection ...

IMHO - Hunter is trying to move upscale ... they're replacing the H-260 with a fixed keel 27' model costing over $60K new! There is supposed to be a new 25' model as well, I haven't seen it but it too is not W/B. From what I've seen - the H-260 was a VERY successful model ... I don't think lack of sales was a factor.

Tom Grass
Grasshopper II

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2004 : 18:46:30

Tom, its no big deal and the triple post hurts nothing...just letting you know that post can be deleted by the maker, as long as its not the beginning post in a thread

Edited by - on

sailorman
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2004 : 23:14:59

Hold on there Hunter groupies. What you may think you know or any special knowledge you think you have; there are those of us that have sailed both the H-26 and the C-250 and have been sailing a long time on full keel boats and centerboards and the C-250 makes more sense as a "sailing vessel". Almost all of the reasons for chossing the C-250 over the H-26 involve the pure act of sailing. In my case--I repeat-- in my case, as a sailor I chose the C-250 for the sailing ability, not for the interior room which I felt was the only issue in the Hunter's favor. The C-250 is also easier to trailer than the Hunter: lighter, narrower, and not as tall (smaller tow vehicle). The statments on the Hunter is fact based on our opinions, on our forum. In short-- get over it!

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3323 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2004 : 23:26:00

Easy now guys! Chacun a son gout!!
(Personally I prefer a "classic" C25 over both!)
Derek

Edited by - on

kgl
Deckhand

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USA
5 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 01:58:07

Ed, I don't think we are Hunter groupies, I think we are just two X Catalina owners who happen to own Hunter sailboats and love to sail. I also happen to like the C250, I also think it looks better then the H26.Does it sail better? No, nor does it sail badly. For example, I don,t like wheel steering on boats less then 30 ft, I guess that comes from my over thirty years of racing sailboats, I just like the feedback of a tiller, but I don't knock wheel steering, it may be better for some folks. Now as far as special knowledge,no, I don't have any special knowledge, unless you count racing and sailing with three different individuals who had won,2 National Thistle Championships,1 N.A J-24 Championship,and 1 7.9 Natl. Regatta over the years. I just like to call it experience. Anyway, I not here to cause any problems, I just like reading the Catalina forum. The Hunter forum is not very active and you folks have a very active one. Although I have never seen anyone knock the C250 on the forum. Oh by the way Ed, if you ever feel you Gotta Regatta, maybe we could have the first national C250/H26 challange. Could be fun.

Have a safe and great Holiday Season,
Ken

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 12:18:29

I just talked to my local dealer and he says the 240 and 260 have been out of production for several months now. The 27 is going to be introduced in the spring and the 25 is over a year off. You would think Hunter would update their web site. They must have inventory in the pipe.

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 16:24:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">maybe we could have the first national C250/H26 challange. Could be fun.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Could be fun? Could be a blast! He, Frank, you hear that you shameless promoter you? The gauntlet is down! See if these boyz will get their Hunners out of the water, clean the beards off the bottoms, get some wide load permits

, and come to Nationals for the first annual CataHunter Obliterative Sail-off!!!! Two teams, equal # of boats....race guru's figure out the gory handicap details......Losers pay for the party that night He, am I on to something? Frank.....FRANK?

Oscar
C42 # 76 "Lady Kay" (Ex. C250 WB #618)
Georgetown MD/Fort Lauderdale FL

"Hindsight is 20/20, if I knew then what I know now, I would now be living on a small wooden sailboat, making a few bucks here and there playing a guitar and singing songs in bars."

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 16:56:50

I believe I could make that happen.

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3323 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 17:03:27

Can I sign up "This Side Up" for the race? We have a H260 on the lake and I have no problem staying well ahead of her!

Derek

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 20:25:02

Thanks for all of your input.

My friend has seen all of your posts and thanks you too. He is now leaning toward a Catalina 250 wing

I like the idea of a water ballast 250 vs 260 race.

Of course we all are very loyal to our own boats, and for each of us it's the best boat out there. Right now, I have three boats going to sail to the Tortugas from Key West next spring, about 70 miles one way,two 1989 Catalina 25 wing keeled boats, and one Hunter 260. Gee, I wonder which one will take the open water better?

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 20:33:31

Gloss, send me a PM on dates, I will be around a few times.....

Oscar
C42 # 76 "Lady Kay" (Ex. C250 WB #618)
Georgetown MD/Fort Lauderdale FL

"Hindsight is 20/20, if I knew then what I know now, I would now be living on a small wooden sailboat, making a few bucks here and there playing a guitar and singing songs in bars."

Edited by - on

sailorman
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2004 : 22:36:14

Hey Gloss; I am planning on pulling "On Eagle's Wing" to Key West this spring, give me some details.

Edited by - on

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