[JustinC25]

I looked at an Islander 24 when I was shopping around for my first boat about a year and a half ago. I also found it on craigslist for $1k and it looked nice in the photos, but in person it was a mess and I didn't like the layout/design. It has a nice size cockpit, but in my opinion the interior was very cramped. It had low headroom (I'm 6'), I don't think there was a rear berth beneath the cockpit, and I just didn't like the layout. One reason I think there is less interior space is because the Islander has the well for the outboard. It hides the outboard and gives the boat a clean look, but the outboard is always in the water and then that also pushes the cockpit about 2' forward, taking away from the interior. A couple months later I came across a 1982 Catalina 25 which became mine two weeks later. I really like the design of the C-25. It's only 1' longer, but has so much more usable interior space. My C-25 has a pop top which gives over 6' of headroom and has a nice dinette interior layout. I would highly recommend looking at Catalina 25s. The Catalinas are also very popular, have a great owners association, and you can easily buy replacement parts. There are so many boats out there to choose from. Have fun looking around, checking them out in person to see what you really like.