It's a Great Pity....

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Steve Cronin

That you guys have to put up with owning those rather thin hulled American Hunters. Over here we tend to regard their seaworthiness as rather suspect. Apart from the build quality: too many large unprotected areas of plastic window, not enough ballast, flimsy fittings etc. Now a BRITISH Hunter as built by Hunter Boats of Rochford Essex England is a vastly more seaworthy vessel. With our sea conditions they have to be! No disrespect intended boys but you are only getting half the experience of a REAL Hunter. Look at www.hunterboats.com for the real thing. Mine is a Hunter Horizon 30 with a Yanmar 2GM20F and is rated category A (Ocean) Love your country (Visit it regularly and it is my favourite place on earth!)and intend to retire onto a yacht in the Florida Keys one day but I'll bring my own Hunter (Probably a bigger one than the current) Oh and by the way Mr herb nelson it's a CUTLESS bearing NOT a CUTLASS (that's what pirates use!) Steve Cronin
 
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Greg Stebbins

Well heck!!

England's a seafaring country about the size of a small state. You can probably spit in any direction and hit salt water. I can see why boat construction would interest them. They did make the BEST cars and Motorcycles ever though (pre 1968). As they would say, Hurrah for my old XK120 Jags & double Harrah for my departed G80 CS Matchless!
 
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Tom M.

I say ole chap, You're right, but!

The price of Your Hunter in england, according to the english pub: practcal boat owners, I could buy three hunters, now I would not buy three but buy a Southern Cross or a Luders 33, or an Allied seawind and have enough money left over to buy an island in the Bahamas, There is only one boat You brittish, have built, and that is the Nicholson 31, now greg mentioned the best cars and bikes, well in the fifties I owned a tiger triumph 500 and raced a tr trophy 650, I also owned a 1958 porsche 1600 super speedster, which kicked ass on the circuit, so You didn't build the best bikes or cars.
 
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Greg Stebbins

Yea but....

The Brit Hunters do look good albit pricey. NOW THEN: Tom (trailing throutle oversteer), Your 650 was a Trymph yes? And I'll put my 53' 120 with it's grafted in C type engine/270hp at the rear wheel (I used to be one sick puppy) anytime. We wouldn't be actually going around any corners would we? 6.00X16 Dunlop Roadspeeds weren't the stickest tires ever but they could stand up to the 150+ MPH that old monster could achieve. What was I thinking I should have been killed. I'll admit I was afread of Porshe's in corners but I was terrified of Lotus
 
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Greg Stebbins

Sorry about that, Spell checker went south (again)

It should be..... The Brit Hunters do look good albeit pricey. NOW THEN: Tom (trailing throttle oversteer), Your 650 was a Triumph yes? And I'll put my 53' 120 with it's grafted in C type engine/270hp at the rear wheel (I used to be one sick puppy) anytime. We wouldn't be actually going around any corners would we? 6.00X16 Dunlop Roadspeeds weren't the stickiest tires ever but they could stand up to the 150+ MPH that old monster could achieve. What was I thinking? I should have been killed. I'll admit I was afraid of Porsche’s in corners but I was terrified of Lotus.
 
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Stephen Ostrander

On second thought . . .

Do those brit Hunters have Lucas electric systems? HAH!
 
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Greg Stebbins

or... Puddle of oil around the mast step...

Or brit engineering, You can haul the boat by its cup holders....
 
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Rick Webb

Prince of Darkness

That was the nickname for my Spitfire. The thought of Lucas electrics on a boat is very scarey indeed. Is it any wonder that there are no British namplates on cars now other than Jaguar which is actually a Ford?
 
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Greg Stebbins

Rover, Bentley, Rolls, Morgan, Lotus…..

I never had any serious problems with Lucas electric’s. Carried a lot of spares (including generator). English maintenance requirements did not jib with American conditioning. Brit autos had to be treated more like an aircraft than a lawn mower. Oil changes every 1000 miles (14 qts per) different plugs for city and open driving etc... Those aren’t Jags. Jaguar is dead.
 

Rick D

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Jun 14, 2008
7,132
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
Now, Steve..

..more is not necessarily better. Witness the brake light switch on my 75 and 76 Jags that frys every 20,000 miles despite being a robust piece of apparent engineering. Of course the fact that they are still roadable is testament to your general theory, I guess. Rick D.
 
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Rick Webb

Not Like Any Aircraft I Would Fly

I would not fly any aircraft more than once where all the lights and the gauges just go out for no apparent reason. Rover is the only company mentioned that I cannot think of it having foreign ownership. Do not get me wrong I enjoyed the Triumph and the MGs I have had but when I knew I had to be somewhere I drove one of my Fords.
 
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Steve Cronin

Well I seem to have stirred up a hornet's or ...

...rather a "Bald Eagle's" nest! You miss the point: I was not comparing British and US engineering and certainly not generally denegrating the engineering of the country that gave the world the Jeep Cherokee! I was meerly saying that the US Hunter is particularly down on layup thickness and generally lacks seaworthy equipment and finish. As to Lucas electrics - well I must agree. Some of their products are dreadfull. The ACR series alternators for example get the current to the armature via tiny brushes on the end of the shaft, one of which is central: result:- in drills a hole in the slip-rings. No Sir I am not a defender of that company. No British Hunters are not equipped with Lucas electrics. The motors are generally Yamaha the lighting Aqua-Signal and the electronics Raytheon - all well known in the states. As to Triumph and Matchless motobikes, both are known for their oil leaks as is the Jaguar XK series engine. No just take a look at your Hunter and ask what would happen to those big windows if they took a big green one. Also if these are serious offshore yachts, why do they now come equipped with a portable (non fixed) TV as standard? Could it is be because they are really only LAKE BOATS? British hunters are expensive to you because of the fact that they are built to withstand conditions up to and in excess of severe gale force winds and also the current high value of the £ has a strong effect. Steve Cronin
 
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Steve Cronin

Rover & More on Lucas

To Rick Webb. Rover is not British owned. It belongs to BMW. However that is this week. They are trying to sell it for one dollar! Any takers should apply to The secretary of State for Trade & Industry Stephen Byers (knows b... all about anything) at Whitehall London. A company called Alchemy (Turns stone into gold - get it?)has been given the company and intends to scrap Rover but keep MG going as a low volume producer. Landrover (Rangerover, Freelander, Discovery etc) is going to Ford. As to Lucas again, well I have just handed by beloved 1974 MG (31000 miles) over to my elder son. That too suffered from the dash lights going out unexpectedly. It was traced to a faulty switch and eliminated. The usual cause for roadside failures on MG's is the siting of the SU electric fuel pump right where it gets water thrown up by the back wheels - under the car! Crazy. When I was a regular MG driver in the 70's the generally held principle was that an MG was great for taking the wife out in but a Spitfire was for taking out someone else's! That swing axle rear end would have you in the ditch if you over-cooked it on a tight curve. Steve Cronin
 
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Kevin

I hate to agree.

I would have to some what agree with your observation regarding the general building techniques of US boat buliders. The idea is to build boats that are relatively fast and comfortable. These qualities do not always make them the most "ocean going" boats. But you have to remember that the oppertunities for sailing in US waters are very extensive and are mostly "protected coastal" areas, and some island hopping. So therefore, in my opinion, the boats are designed for this use. You also have to keep in mind that the" VAST" majority of sailers never blue water sail, so as a manufacturer you would not stay in business long making/designing boats for this single use. I have had the experience of the North Atlantic in the winter and I am not sure any sailing vessel under 100 feet would be what I would have in mind for the task, regardless of the builder. And yes the large plastic ports are out of place for ocean duty. But I would strongly disagree that US Hunters are "lake boats". This label, is somewhat harsh and over stated judging for the responses you received. Hey no hard feelings.
 
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Tom M.

Hey guy's, we're getting off track, back to boats

The English Hunter Horrison around a 1990 vintage sells for from 46 to 50K, now what do you get for your money, it's style is like a 1984 to 86 hunter 24 footer, it has a wedge shaped cabin, one large plexi non opening window, and a rig that doesn't look impressive, so this is rated for A ocean crossing, in a 26 footer, get out of town! the boat looks like a cheap version of a San Juan, 24, I say ole chap, You could have selected a more worthy, contender, You, the Britts do fabricate some healthy sailing, but the horrison is not one, Hey guys, a 32 foot english hunter, 1990, sells for $80+ K. this is for greg, How many 120 Jags, were fitted, with the "C" type engine, which I believe came out in 55 and crashed in LaMans, and how many got to the streets ?.
 
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Stephen Ostrander

I know we're off track, but this is fun . . .

remeniscing about old British sports cars. A friend of mine had a 1962 Midget. We were trying to install an 8-track player (that dates me) and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't work until we realized that it was a 6-volt positive ground electrical system!
 
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Greg Stebbins

Teaching the teacher

I get the distinct impression the British have forgotten what they taught. The English transportation industry gave the world some of the most “fun” performance products ever built. They weren’t as reliable as say a Ford or Chevy but dollar for dollar the gift was awesome. Their products were quirky as hell and designed with built-in weaknesses that would drive a structural engineer to drink. But, you got the best deal ever on a fun per mile per dollar basis. We did lament the odd electrics and mechanics of these vehicles and that was part of the fun. If you could accept it as part of the sports car mystique then you one of the chosen. If not, you were just trying to buy the image and you missed some truly great and challenging experiences. It is, I think, the characteristics of great strengths and weaknesses that move an inanimate object to a thing with personality. I can’t tell you what it’s like to rebuild an SU carburetor at 1:00 in the morning on a deserted road. Or describe the sensations of drifting through a curve at 100 mph. And I couldn’t begin to describe what it’s like to hold a girl while lying in the warm well between the fender and hood of a XK120 on a cool spring night. But 40 years later I can call up every sensation as if it were yesterday. Because I had all those times, I consider myself a lucky man indeed. Thank you England. Now we’ve got a English sailor chiding us for our Hunters. But watch this….. American Hunter has given the world some of the most “fun” sailboats ever built. Yes, they aren’t as open ocean ready as say a Southern Cross or a Luders 33 but dollar for dollar the gift is awesome. Their products are quirky as hell and designed with built-in weaknesses that would drive a structural engineer to drink. But, you get the best deal ever on a fun per nautical mile per dollar basis. And we lament the odd rigging and mechanics of these boats and that is part of the fun. If you could accept it as part of the Hunter mystique then you’re of the chosen. Interesting A-what? Steve, Hunter is giving the world great sailing experiences priced for the every-man. We won’t take them into your North Sea very often I promise. But I have a blast working on and sailing my Hunter and holding my wife on the foredeck on cool spring evenings. Apparently, we did learn the lesson the English tought. And just as apparently, it may be time for the English to learn again.
 
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Greg Stebbins

For Tom-

Many C Types made the club circuit during the 60's. During the early fifties you could order one from any Jaguar dealership. I got the engine from a personal add in Road and Track. The Dallas owner had pulled the venerable old six to install a V-8 (Cretin!). I got it a VERY reasonable price, as it needed a ground-up rebuild. It took me 3 months to bring it up to spec and longer than that to adapt to the 120's engine bay but it was worth every skinned knuckle, every long hour and every dollar.
 
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Jay Hill

Bravo matey!

Well said Greg. I think y'all ain't got no idea about them thar cars tho'. Y'all oughtta be drivin' an 8-wheel drive Massey-Ferguson (with cabover and a 200 HP engine big enough to pull the capital off its foundation) pullin' 11 tons of plow disks across an ol' stretcha land where the nearest fence is miles on tha other side of the horizon. Besides: "She thinks my tractor's sexy!"
 
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Jim O'Brien

Haven't heard.....

All these fast British Cars mentioned....but no mention of Austin-Healy or Grifith?
 
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