[tommyt]

Enough of the pissing contest. I think that Jeff and Jack have given a fair assesment of the ratings. Probably better as a marketing tool then as a recommendation to sail off into the open ocean.

I did not see where either of them suggested that they would be taking a Hunter or Catalina across the pond so do not know where that came from. As to the Hunter 306 not being a 30''6" boat I don;t find that strange at all. Just a quick look at literature shows the 350 in this discussion being 36''5", the Catalina 34 being 35''8", the Ben 331 33''11", and the Ben 373 36''11". As a Catalina and Beneteau fan I don''t find this an issue. However, I would not buy anything in these price ranges without a good understanding of it''s true spec''s so they can call it whatever they want. The ratings would be a nice to have for insurance purposes, but the boat still has to be designed for your purposes. When and if I ever decided to do off shore I would be looking for the HR for the comfort and safety.