As the owner of a 32-3 on the Chesapeake who looked at a lot of Cat 30s before buying . . .
The Cat 30 is a nice boat and the tall mast deep keel versions can be pretty fast. The average depth of the Bay is five feet so I avoided anything deeper than that. I also avoided wing keels because of the inevitable grounding in mud. If looking at Cat30 shoal drafts then consider also the Pearsons as those are a bit more solid and have a 4.5 ft draft version. There are also a number of Beneteau First 30s IF you are not tall, because at 6' I found the berths a bit short. There are a lot of Hunters around too, but they were such a step down I ruled them out early. There are always some of each for sale on the Bay. The interiors of all those are not as dark as the Ericson which to me is a positive. However they are more minimal and the systems are too, so they very much feel like a used RV. As you found, Cat30 parts are extremely easy to find.
There is definitely less space inside of a 30 than in the 32 because those 2 feet come out of the salon. The newer Cat30s with the wider quarter berth have more space aft but in all these boats that area is called "the garage." Drop the table and the E32 could theoretically sleep two forward, three in the main salon, and two small people/kids in the quarter. However, none of the 30-32 foot boats would be fun with that many people trying to sleep aboard. Four adults for a weekend or two parents and three kids would be easy on any of them.
The Cat30 and Pearson were high volume production boats and since they were made after Ericson closed shop, you can find newer ones at good prices. However, after 15-20 years old you are looking at either replaced systems or worn out systems for any of your choices. A tired looking early Cat30 is something to avoid like the plague with their keel/step/hull-smile issues but the later ones are functional boats to have fun on with the family. To me they are just extremely "vanilla" or plain and by comparison everything in the Ericson is more solid and rugged.
The Ericson 32-3 shoal draft version is 5 ft, not 6 like the deep keel versions and they are lead keels, not rusting iron. Where the interior of the Cat30 is RV-ish, everything about the Ericson feels like old craftsman woodwork and actual yacht systems. While veneer is used in the Ericson, it is on heavy plywood. The Cats and Hunters have a lot of particle board. Pull a drawer out in each to look at how they are made because the hidden systems are going to follow the theme.
The E32-3 has a keel stepped mast, so no worries about mast supports or deck stepping issues. The Ericson hull is MUCH more solid. Rap on the hull along the waterline of each with some solid piece of plastic (don't let an owner see you pull out a hammer) and you can hear how much more solid the Ericson is. Or simply pull the interior inspection plates behind the settees to look at how much light comes through the hull as that's an indication of hull thickness. The thickness of my hull at the forward transducer and where the head discharges are a solid 3/4" lay-up PLUS it has an additional 1/4" of fiberglass where the interior liner called the TAFG is bonded to it below the head. I'm not worried about putting a hole in the boat.
The downside of the Ericson (and the others if a similar year) is their age. While everything is easily available and there are no surprises they are 30+ year old boats so you either pay more for one which has been updated or you pay in money and time to do things yourself. While there are some beautiful updated boats that need nothing, part of why I bought this boat was to be a retirement project and I only paid the Kingly price of $5,000. Yes everything worked but there's a lot of 35 year old stuff (hoses, wiring, etc) that I'm replacing so I'm currently into it for more than double that as expected. The point is that I started with "good bones" and knew going in that this was the direction I wanted.
If I just wanted a Bay day sailor with growing kids around, do minimal work, and maybe someday go down the ICW to the Bahamas, I may have gone with a Pearson, Catalina, or even a Hunter. I did come very very close to buying a Pearson. My friends with Catalinas (30 and 36) are very happy with their boats and they feel like they are part of a big community, doing regular raft-ups and such. Cool beans.
Even if I never get to do it like originally planned due to COVID restrictions and new grand-baby coming, I want the ability to spend weeks or even months aboard. I want a floating summer get-away to nestle in the reeds on the Eastern Shore. Having worked on the open ocean I knew that I wanted something that could take a pounding coming around Cape Hattaras if it had to. I don't plan to sail to Hawaii like Christian but would not like to trust that trip to the lighter built and equipped boats.
Plus the Ericson has pretty lines and I'd rather spend time in her richer wood interior.
The Cat 30 is a nice boat and the tall mast deep keel versions can be pretty fast. The average depth of the Bay is five feet so I avoided anything deeper than that. I also avoided wing keels because of the inevitable grounding in mud. If looking at Cat30 shoal drafts then consider also the Pearsons as those are a bit more solid and have a 4.5 ft draft version. There are also a number of Beneteau First 30s IF you are not tall, because at 6' I found the berths a bit short. There are a lot of Hunters around too, but they were such a step down I ruled them out early. There are always some of each for sale on the Bay. The interiors of all those are not as dark as the Ericson which to me is a positive. However they are more minimal and the systems are too, so they very much feel like a used RV. As you found, Cat30 parts are extremely easy to find.
There is definitely less space inside of a 30 than in the 32 because those 2 feet come out of the salon. The newer Cat30s with the wider quarter berth have more space aft but in all these boats that area is called "the garage." Drop the table and the E32 could theoretically sleep two forward, three in the main salon, and two small people/kids in the quarter. However, none of the 30-32 foot boats would be fun with that many people trying to sleep aboard. Four adults for a weekend or two parents and three kids would be easy on any of them.
The Cat30 and Pearson were high volume production boats and since they were made after Ericson closed shop, you can find newer ones at good prices. However, after 15-20 years old you are looking at either replaced systems or worn out systems for any of your choices. A tired looking early Cat30 is something to avoid like the plague with their keel/step/hull-smile issues but the later ones are functional boats to have fun on with the family. To me they are just extremely "vanilla" or plain and by comparison everything in the Ericson is more solid and rugged.
The Ericson 32-3 shoal draft version is 5 ft, not 6 like the deep keel versions and they are lead keels, not rusting iron. Where the interior of the Cat30 is RV-ish, everything about the Ericson feels like old craftsman woodwork and actual yacht systems. While veneer is used in the Ericson, it is on heavy plywood. The Cats and Hunters have a lot of particle board. Pull a drawer out in each to look at how they are made because the hidden systems are going to follow the theme.
The E32-3 has a keel stepped mast, so no worries about mast supports or deck stepping issues. The Ericson hull is MUCH more solid. Rap on the hull along the waterline of each with some solid piece of plastic (don't let an owner see you pull out a hammer) and you can hear how much more solid the Ericson is. Or simply pull the interior inspection plates behind the settees to look at how much light comes through the hull as that's an indication of hull thickness. The thickness of my hull at the forward transducer and where the head discharges are a solid 3/4" lay-up PLUS it has an additional 1/4" of fiberglass where the interior liner called the TAFG is bonded to it below the head. I'm not worried about putting a hole in the boat.
The downside of the Ericson (and the others if a similar year) is their age. While everything is easily available and there are no surprises they are 30+ year old boats so you either pay more for one which has been updated or you pay in money and time to do things yourself. While there are some beautiful updated boats that need nothing, part of why I bought this boat was to be a retirement project and I only paid the Kingly price of $5,000. Yes everything worked but there's a lot of 35 year old stuff (hoses, wiring, etc) that I'm replacing so I'm currently into it for more than double that as expected. The point is that I started with "good bones" and knew going in that this was the direction I wanted.
If I just wanted a Bay day sailor with growing kids around, do minimal work, and maybe someday go down the ICW to the Bahamas, I may have gone with a Pearson, Catalina, or even a Hunter. I did come very very close to buying a Pearson. My friends with Catalinas (30 and 36) are very happy with their boats and they feel like they are part of a big community, doing regular raft-ups and such. Cool beans.
Even if I never get to do it like originally planned due to COVID restrictions and new grand-baby coming, I want the ability to spend weeks or even months aboard. I want a floating summer get-away to nestle in the reeds on the Eastern Shore. Having worked on the open ocean I knew that I wanted something that could take a pounding coming around Cape Hattaras if it had to. I don't plan to sail to Hawaii like Christian but would not like to trust that trip to the lighter built and equipped boats.
Plus the Ericson has pretty lines and I'd rather spend time in her richer wood interior.
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Was thinking of going to take a look at some point, when allowed. Without telling the seller I'm not buying yet.. Hopefully there are others locally when I am ready. See quite a few in CA and great lakes, which is not really an option. Since I have a boat I'll be able to still sail while taking my time to find the right specimen.
