Hunter 25 or Hunter 23

[lee5267]

I currently find myself facing the decision between a 1981 H25 and a 1986 H23. They are essentially the same price but the H23 comes with a trailer and could be stored that way for half the cost of a slip for the H25, not to mention the other possibilities the trailer opens up. The H25 appears to be in better condition on the surface but all in all they are pretty similar as far as overall condition, sail inventory, ob, etc...

The real issue is which boat is best for how I will use it. I will single hand well over 50% of the time, likely closer to 75%, and both boats are set up equally well to single hand though neither are ideal. The H25 comes in at a displacement of 4400lbs, where the H23 only weighs in at 2300lbs making the H23 significantly easier to manhandle around the docks or on the trailer. I currently own a Compac 16 that displaces a whopping 1100lbs and dont have extensive experience on much bigger boats much less single handing them.

Is the H25 too much boat/too heavy for one person?? I am looking more for responses of which boat you would choose and not necessarily which boat I should choose just to get the opinions from much more experienced folks here at the forum.

Thanks

 

[MrUnix]

I currently find myself facing the decision between a 1981 H25 and a 1986 H23. They are essentially the same price but the H23 comes with a trailer and could be stored that way for half the cost of a slip for the H25, not to mention the other possibilities the trailer opens up. The H25 appears to be in better condition on the surface but all in all they are pretty similar as far as overall condition, sail inventory, ob, etc...
[...]
Is the H25 too much boat/too heavy for one person?? I am looking more for responses of which boat you would choose and not necessarily which boat I should choose just to get the opinions from much more experienced folks here at the forum.

Either one will single hand easily.. you will find lots of stories, tips and discussions about single handing much larger Hunters than the H25 on these forums. One note.. the H25 is a Cherubini design, which has somewhat of a cult following around here

With everything else being equal.. I'd lean towards the H23.. less costs, more freedom. But then again, I might be a little biased.. we got rid of our H27 in favor of the H23 for those very reasons

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Ed Schenck]

Well I am a big Cherubini fan. But unless you plan to sail in some pretty heavy conditions the H23 sounds like a better bet. A trailer is huge. And even if you could find a trailer for the H25 it really is not "trailerable". Stepping the mast would be a serious hassle, especially alone. Either will single-hand nicely. So as long as the additional interior room and heavy keel are not things that you need go with the H23.

 

[Kermit]

We have an '86 H23 and absolutely love it. We didn't consider anything larger because we wanted to trailer it. Don't know if you've seen any of my posts talking about my ability to step the mast (or lack thereof), but we're not trailering it at all. Several members here seem to have stepping and trailering down to a science. I wish I were one of them.

I have no experience on any keelboat other than the H23, but I got what still seems like pretty good advice from a broker. "Buy your 2nd boat first." He was saying buy what will suit your needs in the long run. We are very happy with our boat, but there are times I wish we had more headroom in the cabin. We also feel that more than 4 people total is crowded while under way and even eating while docked or anchored. But if you're gonna be single-handing and headroom, cabin space and cockpit space aren't important, I think you would be very happy with the H23. I know we are.

So, we did end up buying our 2nd boat first but may eventually buy our 3rd boat second. But dang we'd hate to part with our H23. We've put alot of time and love into her and love our time on her whether we're sailing or just puttsing (that's a Yankee word I learned from my First Mate - don't even know if I spelled it correctly) around while docked.

Good luck, Fair Winds and let us know what you decide!

Kermit

 

[Ed Schenck]

"Puttsing" is good. Maybe, like me, she is from Pittsburgh. Another caveat regarding the H23 has to do with draft. The H23 has a very shallow draft. If you were ever going to race you might want a fin keel. The H23.5 is another trailerable that was made in both shoal and fin keel models.

 

[Kermit]

"Puttsing" is good. Maybe, like me, she is from Pittsburgh.

She's from Ouaquaga, NY. Very near Binghamton. Never thought I'd date a Yankee, much less marry one. Her family has shown me a bunch of Upstate New York. Beautiful country up there.

Kermit

 

[RedRex]

H23, h25

What kind of sailing grounds are you talking about? The h25 is easy to singlehand, stable, and a center ballasted two tonner quite capable of bashing upwind if you don't mind getting wet. If you're sailing a pond the lighter boat will do quite well, plus you have the advantage of moving her overland with a little prior proper planning. I don't think singlehanding is an issue at all. Rather the kind of sailing you like will direct you to the boat that most suits you.
Regards.
Red

 

[lee5267]

Well, I went with the H23 after getting it loaded on the trailer. Getting it on the trailer was actually pretty easy considering that the previous owner had never put her on the trailer and there were no guides to help at all. The bow stop was even in the wrong place so we had to move it forward. Most of my sailing will be in Galveston bay with a possible trip off shore in good weather, and the ability to sail in the lake connected to the bay by clear lake channel with no worry of running aground.

In the end it was the shallow draft and flexibility the trailer gives me that won me over. Even though the H25 was in a little better condition and had more room below, it will take little work and money to get the 23 to the same standard and the fact that I can store it in dry storage on the trailer for half the cost of a slip just cant be beat. I can also trailer to Florida if I ever the get the opportunity, to see keys the way I would like

Lee