Hello! ... and thinking of purchasing Hunter Vision 32'

[Girl in a Billion]

Hi there! I'm mainly writing to introduce myself, and get the ball rolling in meeting other Vision 32' owners. My name is Amanda.

My husband and I used to live aboard a 38' Ohlson in the USVI area, which was our first boat together. If you know the boat, you know it was built as a sturdy, blue water racer, and not a very comfortable live-aboard cruiser.

We sold it back in 2010, and came back to California to regroup and try again later with a better foundation, and better-for-us boat. Something more comfortable to live on, and easier for us to putz around the Caribbean in. Well, later is here and we're ready to buy another boat and try this again.

I like the Vision first off because of the price to space ratio. I like that it has a full-time, sizeable table, full bed in the aft, plenty of comfortable (looking) seating, an inside shower, and flat-floor access to the galley. Also, the smaller the boat, the less the maintenance costs (hopefully), storage/haul-out/etc. I also like that the reviews seem to be pretty favorable. Not too many complaints from actual owners. The only consistent negative I can find, is some people think it's slow-- but having come from the Ohlson which didn't like to go anywhere without at least 20 knots of wind, I think the Vision would be perfectly fine for us. If we wanted to go "super fast" we'd buy a power boat.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more questions as time and research goes on, but I've got a couple I'm wondering about now.

First-- what are the dimensions of the aft bed? Is it full length? 6'6"? We have an RPod Travel trailer and the bed is a short queen at 6', which is annoying to try and sleep in if you want to stretch out and have room for your pillow not crammed from wall to wall. That extra half foot would be nice-- or just somewhere to hang your feet over.

Second-- For anyone with a RIB, how do you like to store or tow your dinghy for those little bit longer passages? We may end up buying on the East coast and island hopping it down to Puerto Rico. I've seen some pictures of V32s with davits, and other people towing up on the sugar scoop. What do you think? A RIB is a must have for us in the Caribbean. I don't like getting drenched, and I like to be able to climb in and out from the water, and also plane with 2 people.

I'm also open to any other comments, advice, etc. if you feel like posting- or links to other articles/threads. I'm pretty good at Google-Fu, but I like all the help I can get. Thanks so much for taking the time to read!

 

[Rick D]

We had one for nine years and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I'll respond to your questions in a day or two. Sailing now.

 

[Girl in a Billion]

Thanks Rick

 

[kloudie1]

Just wanted to welcome yall aboard.. figured you'd found the download stuff for the Vision .. The "general Downloads" section has a lot of original manuals on the older gear and engines.. Again, Welcome, Amanda..
https://hunter.sailboatowners.com/resources/index.php?task=model&mid=27

 

[Girl in a Billion]

Oh awesome, thanks for that Claude.

 

[Rick D]

I don't recall the size of the aft berth, but I can tell you it was large enough for me to easily add some storage baskets at the foot of it, so I think you will find it more than large enough. I assume you have read the Owner Reviews on this site, so I won't waste your time on that. As for speed, it rates about the same as a Catalina 30, and my experience was that was pretty accurate. Good sails are important for pointing, but that's true for any boat. The person who brought mine put a big square-top main on it, maxxed out the jib size and added an ASM spinnaker with a folding prop. Transformed the boat.
In other things, I would advise keeping the Origo stove & oven; worked very well for us and never found a need for anything else. The water and holding tank were aluminum (1990) and both should be replaced if they are still original. I added a three-way valve and overboard flush option. As far as dinghies, I would roll mine up (non-RIB) and stand it on the swim platform and strap it to the pushpits on either sides for longer trips. For short 30 mile trips, we'd tow them. No problems.
The boat has plenty of storage, including the under-seat and cockpit areas. In fact, when we got the 40.5, we had a tough time finding room for everything. We did have the salon backrest modified so it could separate to make it easier to access the V-berth. We also had all the cushions recovered in a leatherette. If I were ordering sails, I would order a deeper first and second reef for extended cruising. I found the lazy jacks and low-friction sail slides worked will although you want articulating batten ends to keep them from twisting and adding friction. In general, we loved the idea of casual sails on the main only, lack of rigging maintenance and worry, quietness in a seaway, large living space and light interior. Of course, at this age, you want a competent survey. Good luck!

 

[Girl in a Billion]

Thank you for all of that- very helpful. Glad to hear the aft bed is plenty comfortable. Yes, I've been reading lots of reviews, and ran across the aluminum tank issue too. We're pretty handy, but I'd like to avoid any major projects, or surprises for that matter. A competent survey for sure!

 

[SqPeg]

We've had our 1990 for 3 seasons and have few complaints. The holding tank had been replaced with a plastic one and A/C had been added. The main is a bitch to raise and the boat could be ordered with a power winch, giving one the idea that it is just the way it was designed. Single line reefing is handy but a drag to maintain. I would have liked bigger house batteries. The cockpit is rather small for a 32' boat. I have heard that the mast cannot be replaced. very comfy saloon.

 

[Girl in a Billion]

Thanks SqPeg. I had heard about the main, and read some suggestions for making that easier, so we'll see. I had not read about the cockpit being small- good to know. Hopefully we get a boat with a sound mast that won't need to be replaced. I've read that you can replace them, possibly with carbon fiber, but it will cost more than the boat itself. Fingers crossed that never comes up!