Hunter 340

Don S/V ILLusion · Feb 26, 2015

There are 35 owner reviews under the "Boat Info" tab which should give you all the info you seek

Benny17441 · Feb 26, 2015

The mast supports in conjunction with the shrouds to the swept back spreaders are there to substitute for no backstay. Not having a backstay allows for the fitting of a large roach main to drive the boat. The small working jib is there to provide stability. The B&R rig as it is known has proven to be safe and sound in thousands of boats in all kind of conditions. There is one drawback and it is that when running downwind it does not allow for the main to fully deployed as it will tend to sit on the swept back spreaders. The benefit of the arches is to locate the traveler where it belongs without interfering with the space in the cockpit. Some have radio speakers and also serves as support for the Bimini tops. As far as I'm concerned these design changes are very welcomed improvements. Another drawback of the new designs is that they tend to sail at anchor but that can be solved with the right tackle.

Scott B · Feb 27, 2015

As Don said, lots of good reviews and info from owners here.

http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/in...&Itemid=248&task=3&kb=1&model=32&brand=Hunter

All the newer Hunters have the B&R rig without the additional support, so wouldn't worry if it had or didn't have it.

They changed from fibreglass to stainless for cost? Each has worked well. Both could leak at the deck joint if not maintained and looked after.

Bill19233 · Feb 27, 2015

I believe the "struts" on the mast are only on the boats with the non roller furling mainsail, the boats that have a roller furling mainsail do not have the struts. And I think all the Hunters with arches have fiberglass arches through the 1999 model year and they switched to stainless arches from 2000 on. I have a 2000 340 with a stainless arch and struts on the mast. And I love the boat, it's the perfect size for us and where we sail.

Ed Caldwell · Feb 27, 2015

Walter59 said:
I am looking at buying a Hunter 340 and I need some advise;

Some of the 340s have solid supports from the deck to the mast, why and is this a option I should look for?

Also some have fiberglass arches, which I do like that look and others have stainless steel, what are the pros and cons of each?

The one that I like the most is a low time one owner 1998 model are there any problems with that year I should watch out for ?

Thanks in advance for any advice,
Walt

Walt, the 1998 and 1999 H340s have fiberglass arches. Hunter switched to stainless steel for 2000 and later. Some say for aesthetics, some say cost. I like the fiberglass on our '99 since the arch and the bimini work well together to keep rain out of the cockpit, and the cockpit speakers fit nicely into it. One difference between the 1998 you're looking at and the 1999 is the routing of the traveler lines, they were moved to inside the arch on the newer boat and are easy to access and adjust. Interesting that Beneteau has been using FG arches for the last couple of years on their bigger boats, while Hunter sticks to the SS across all their models.

The struts were used on boats that did not have a roller furling mainsail to brace the lower third of the mast, as the mast has a smaller cross section. The struts also provide an additional handhold moving towards the foredeck.

As others said, read the owner reviews, and search the forum by model and key word, you'll see all this has been covered before.

Ed Caldwell · Feb 28, 2015

Walt, read through this thread:

http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=162886