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Hull Gauge
Recomputed 5 Nov 2026, 03:30 UTC

Catalina 30vsPearson 323

Catalina Yachts against Pearson · used asking prices, listed in the US

At the same age, the Pearson 323 asks 85% more than the Catalina 30; on the headline Gauge Values it asks 19% more, which mixes ages: its boats are older (median build year 1980 against 1984). We can't yet say which holds its value better: the Pearson 323 has no published depreciation curve.

same age · 5 shared build years · 17 and 12 boats in them · Indicative · in today’s prices · asking, not sold

02

Year by year

Each build year's Gauge Estimate, for the 5 years both have boats in. Pooled across those years (17 and 12 boats), the Pearson 323 asks 85% more than the Catalina 30.

Catalina 30Year builtPearson 323
£12,500 (43)
1982—
—
£12,500 (39)
1981+52%
£19,000 (10)
£12,000 (30)
1980+33%
£16,000 (12)
£8,500 (20)
1978+88%
£16,000 (10)
1977+100%
£16,000 (8)
Gauge Estimate by year built · comparable boats in brackets, built within three years either side · — below eight comparable boats; a year where neither has eight is left out · the gap is the right-hand model against the left
03

What your budget buys

£3.5k£16k£28.5k
Catalina 30
1987
newest build year whose Gauge Estimate is at or under £15,000 (£15,000, 45 comparable boats)
3
of the 4 boats listed now ask £15,000 or less
Pearson 323
none
no build year’s Gauge Estimate is at or under £15,000
3
of the 12 boats we observed were asking £15,000 or less, in today's prices (none listed now)

At £15,000, only the Catalina 30 has a build year within reach.

04

A year of ownership

Each at its Gauge Value, on a South Coast marina berth, 44 engine hours a year (the median of 103 UK-listed sailing boats that report hours). An estimate in pounds from published rates, not a quote.

Catalina 30MeasurePearson 323
£700
Depreciation (not in total)
withheld
£5,000
Berth
£5,000
£1,000
Maintenance
£1,200
£450
Lift-out and antifoul
£450
£150
Insurance
£150
£250
Fuel
£300
£6,850 (better)
Total a year, before depreciation
£7,100

Each line is the middle of the cited range, to the nearest fifty pounds. Depreciation is a year of age on each model's published curve, at its Gauge Value, and stays out of the totals.

The Pearson 323 has no published depreciation curve, so its depreciation is withheld.

Sources: Lake Yard price list 2026 · BerthFinder · Boatsetter · Velos Insurance; Admiral Yacht Insurance · Boating Magazine, "Calculating Boat Fuel Consumption" · Littlehampton Marina fuel prices

05

Specification

Catalina 30MeasurePearson 323
9.14 mfrom listings
Length overall
9.83 m
Sail
Type
Sail
—
Years built
1977–1983from listings
“from listings” marks figures read from the listings themselves; unmarked figures are from our model register and not yet checked against a builder’s published source.
06

Questions

Which is cheaper, the Catalina 30 or the Pearson 323?

At the same age the Catalina 30 is cheaper: the Pearson 323 asks 85% more than the Catalina 30 across 5 shared build years. Their Gauge Values, the median asking prices of all the boats we observed whatever their age, are £13,500 and £16,000.

Which holds its value better?

We can't say yet. The Catalina 30 loses about 5.1% of its asking price a year of age, but the Pearson 323 has no published depreciation curve: we fit one from at least 20 boats across six build years and publish it only when the fit holds. We have 12 Pearson 323 boats across 5 build years.

Which spends less time on the market?

Boats of the Catalina 30 had been listed a median of 147 days when we last saw them; too few Pearson 323 boats were seen on two dates to say. That is time listed so far, not time to sell, which we don't measure yet. 31% of the Catalina 30 boats we saw 14 or more days apart cut their asking price; too few Pearson 323 boats were seen that far apart to say.

How do you compare them like for like?

We compare boats of the same build year. For each of the 5 years both models have boats in, we take the ratio of their median asking prices in today's prices, then pool the years, giving more weight to years with more boats on both sides. The figure is Indicative because the thinner side has 12 boats in those years. The Gauge Values compare the whole fleets instead, so they mix boats of different ages.

Other comparisons

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