The New Hunter Experiernce

[sonny21566]

Hi All Sailors,
I am not at all surprised the poor built quality, the dealers should not shoulder all the blame, if Hunter builts quality boats like Toyota or Honda than there are no issue at all. In this competitive business the the strongest will survive that is who built quility boats will normaly do well so as in auto business. Basically the Hunter has a good design, with better trained employees and managers they should have a better products. When I received my 33 last year, I was shocked by the poor workmanship and built quality. It took me a year to have them rectified. Sonny

 

[Franklin]

... I was shocked by the poor workmanship and built quality. It took me a year to have them rectified. Sonny

Examples?

 

[Stitch]

I think Racine Riverside somewhat explained why I chose to purchase from a dealer I worked with in the past even though I live in Florida now. Also, since they posted the letter that they responded to Not the BBB, but the Wisconsin Attorney General's office, I will post the response I sent to the AG as well. This letter was full of lies by Racine's own emails sent to me. I'm not sure why they chose to purger themselves to the AG, but we all have proof of the truth:

Dear Mrs. Vasquez
This letter is in response to the complaint that we received from your department in regards to Tom Lindou. This purchase did started on March 9 at which time Tom and his wife came to our dealership and trade in his pre owned Hunter 290 to save the large cost of transporting this boat to Florida.
I was in the market for a new boat, and I traded in my 290 for a larger boat. I’m not sure why I would spend more than $150,000.00 to “save the large cost of transporting this boat to Florida” Of less than $5,000.00. This can be confirmed by yacht brokers here in Florida that I also talked with. Also, my Hunter 290 had been on brokerage with Racine Riverside for almost half a year when I traded it on a larger vessel. Somehow it sold in less than 2 weeks after I traded it, but no one even looked at the vessel in the previous six months?
We then setup a delivery time for the end of the month to deliver the new boat to Palm Beach were Tom had relocated to. Racine Riverside Marine sent Mark Hetzel co-owner and Dave Knight to Palm Beach were the boat was shipped and the boat was launched and commissioned. After the boat was launch Mr. Hetzel and Mr. & Mrs. Lindou rode from the marina to the Lindou’s slip. On this trip Tom was ask if he would like to drive and he declined because of very high winds.
This is an outright lie. I expressly refused to take the helm as the boat was not fully assembled or ready to be delivered. During this trip I found out how unprepared to sail the vessel really was. The marine VHF radio (one of the most important safety items) was not hooked up, nor was the GPS. Even the life jackets were all shrink wrapped together. Had I known that no safety precautions were going to be taken, I would not have been aboard nor had my wife aboard for this trip.
After getting to the customers slip, the two men finished prep on the vessel. Mr. Knight then went through a long delivery check off sheet that is supplied by Hunter Marine for all deliveries to set all systems. This sheet was gone through with the customer showing him item by item and then both signing after each thing was covered.
If this list was so closely followed, why were so many things on this list not completed? For example why would SPG yacht sales have to fill the propane tank when this is an item on this list? Also the list states that the windows were checked not to leak, and the boat would be delivered clean. Neither of these items had been completed. As for my initials on the line by line, I probably should not have initialized them. However, this occurred in the late afternoon of a day that was very hot and sunny. I had spent all day in the sun, when Mr. Knight stood over me in the cockpit having me sign the paper. When I did ask why I needed to sign items that we both knew were not complete, he told me that my signature only indicated that they had been discussed. At this point, I just wanted to go home, and I did initial some of these lines so that I could leave.
Upon the completion of this check Mr. Lindou was asked if he was happy and he responded yes.
This is another outright lie that Mr. Strand’s own emails actually prove to be a lie. I called my salesman Steve Paulson even prior to Mark and Dave leaving. When Steve finally returned my call later that day, I made very clear that I was extremely unhappy with the delivery. He told me that he would talk to Brad Strand about the many problems. The next day, I talked to Mr. Strand about the problems with delivery, and he asked me to email him the list of issues. He received that email on the 30th just two days after the delivery. You can check this with the attached emails.
I have included this check list along with this letter. One reason Mr. Knight was sent to help commission this boat is that he is known to be very through with the walk through with the Hunter owners.
After owning the vessel for a couple of weeks Mr. Lindou started to encounter some warranty issues with the boat.
I called Racine Riverside the same day of delivery with many problems with the boat. Within a few days, I compiled a list of the multitude of problems with the vessel. This list was emailed both to Racine Riverside and Hunter Marine and has been attached to this email. This was not weeks after delivery, but the same day. One of these items was a propane fuel tank that was not filled. This is a failure to properly deliver, not a warranty issue. This list contained several problems of items that never worked, not a few items that broke in the first couple of weeks. I have included all emails and a timeline that show these problems did not occur weeks later, and Mr. Strand’s own emails showing he was fully aware that these problems were present from day one.
At that time Racine Riverside hired Chris Carl at SGP yacht service and Cliff at marine air to repair the Items that were not working correctly, the air conditioning being the largest problem. (Bills can be supplied) Racine Riverside also at this time sent Tom an extra halyard for his incovenice, valued at 250.00, for SGP yacht service to install.
It was my understanding that the halyard was to be provided because Mark and Dave broke the spinnaker halyard chase line during commissioning of the vessel. It was only due to their breaking this chase line that I requested them to install the halyard. I have emails tracking this along with Brad’s retraction of offering this halyard and asking me to pay for it.
Chris and Carl got through most of the items but were not able to get through them all, so Brad Strand co-owner returned to Florida to help work on the remaining items one be the dingy. Upon get to Florida Mr. Strand and Mr. Lindou discount the dingy and came two the conclusion that Racine riverside would upgrade the dingy to a larger hp motor and higher quality dingy and Mr. Lindou would be happy with that.
I would not agree that I was happy, but I accepted this other dinghy only because it would still be several weeks before the one I ordered could be shipped. Even though I paid for this boat before the middle of March, no one looked into shipping it until the last day of March. The manufacturer (Walker Bay) was moving its shipping facilities during the first couple weeks of April. Had anyone tried to get my dinghy when I paid for it, it could have arrived well before my boat was delivered. Because they held my money and waited to order, it would have been about a month after my boat was delivered before I would have the dinghy unless I agreed to a different one. Also, that $1,000.00 that was quoted by Racine Riverside (as all their quoted prices) included the dinghy and the motor at MSRP prices.
That evening Mr. Strand drove to Warehouse in Fort launder dale two hour away and picked up a dingy and called back to shop to have a larger motor shipped to Mr. Lindou value some were over 1000.00. One of the complains Mr. Lindou had was the lack of time on the boat with us. While Mr. Strand was in Florida he and Mr. Lindou went on a 5 to 6 hour sail on the boat using it’s many option, both had great afternoon and evening.
In addition to several items on the list of problems that have been wrong since delivery, this trip revealed other problems with the boats options. The wind instrument was not working properly during this trip.
At the time Mr. Strand left Florida with all items working adept the Anchor windlass and Mr. Lindou was waiting for the upgraded motor we left a smaller motor for him to use.
There were many other problems still occurring with the boat such as the air conditioner not cooling the boat, and the floorboards were warped. There was also a broken fiddle on the navigation table that Brad promised to send me glue for. I never received that glue until I called Hunter Marine and got it directly from them several weeks later. He had also promised to send me a tool for installing the headliner in the boat. That has not been sent to this day more than 4 months later.
The repair of the windlass was also schooled by the factory for one of their people to come down to do the repair before he left. One thing that needs to be said is that Mr. Lindou’s new Sailboat was operational this whole time.
I constantly hear this from Racine Riverside Marine. They love to tell me that while everything on my boat may not be working, the boat sails just fine. I did not pay the large sum of money I paid to have a boat that sails fine but all of the systems for comfort and convenience are inoperable.
Hunter Marine did come in a timely fashion after Mr. Strand returned home to repair anchor windlass. To help Mr. Lindou’s windlass Work better along with the repair and make him happier Riverside and Hunter Marine upgraded the anchor line and chain to an all chain rode of 200’ Value 400.00 over the stock one at this time all was good.
The anchor windlass is an electrical device that winches the anchor chain up and down. Even with the all chain rode, the windlass still to this day jams every couple of feet of chain that it brings in. Hunter Marine has told me that this is a design issue with the shape and size of the anchor locker. However, even knowing that this will never work properly, they continue to offer it as an option. Not only are they charging for an option that they know will not work properly, but I believe they are not informing their customers because they know that people like myself will purchase a different boat due to the known design flaws of the Hunter H33.
Just before July 4 Mr. Lindou had another problem with the air conditioning, Riverside again Call SGP Yacht care to fix and he did. After 4 of July Mr. Lindou air problem returned. One thing that needs to be said is that Tom tends to like it very cold in his house car and boat.
My problem with the air conditioner was its inability to keep the cabin temperature below 80OF on days when the outside air temperature was only 90OF. I wonder what Mr. Strand considers to be “very cold”. It was 4 months to the day after delivery when my air conditioner was finally fixed. Just today, the outside air temperature was 100 OF and the cabin would only cool to 82 OF, but I think that is very reasonable and I consider the system working properly now. Prior to this final fix it would not cool that well at anytime in the first 4 months that I owned the vessel. I have attached the multiple emails explaining to me that the air conditioner was working properly. Apparently I was asking too much to have an air conditioned cabin below 80OF.
At this time he also started to have problems with his refrigeration.
This was the first trip I had taken in the boat. It was also the first time I ran the engine that is located immediately adjacent to the insufficiently ventilated refrigerator and freezer. This would have created problems the first trip this boat took regardless of when that first trip was taken.
Racine Riverside Marine and Hunter Marine came to the concussion that Hunters standard air conditioning system that is installed in all the 33’s ordered with air would not cool this boat to Mr. Lindou’s liking. Hunter Marine said they would upgrade the air to a larger unit along with a second shore power system at no change to Mr. Lindou. (Valued at 2000.00 plus)
The “larger unit” air conditioner was a 16,000 BTU unit. It replaced a 16,000 BTU unit. The only difference between these two units was the blower attached to the unit. As for the second power line, I was surprised when I ordered the boat that it only came with a single 30 amp power cord considering that with the air conditioner, there are well over 40 amps worth of consumers hooked into this 30 amp system.
At the time the air was looked at the technician looked at the fridge and came to the conclusion on they would have to get someone else to look at this problem. It did take some time to get the fridge taken care of, because the Fridges in our present economy have been hard to get because of low inventories.
I emailed Mr. Strand on Monday, July 6 that the refrigerator and freezer were not working. (The refrigerator would only cool to 67OF) The first time someone came and looked at the units was on July 27, three weeks later. That person took the internal temperatures of both units and the temperature of the countertop over the units. They were on board the boat for less than 3 minutes before leaving. The refrigerator and freezer installation was just completed at the end of August; however I’m not sure how low inventories cause 3 weeks to pass before anyone took a look at the units to see if new ones needed to be ordered.
At this time all warranty items have been repair accept a holding tank gauge that Mr. Lindou was not happy that the accurse spec by the manufacturer was so far off and I told him that I would order a custom tank sender which was ordered and will be installed by SGP when received valued at 175.00 installed.
Again, this is not the only current problems with the boat. Racine Riverside understandably likes to downplay all of the trouble this vessel has caused me. They don’t even mention the multiple failures I’ve had with the AC electrical system, The DC electrical system, the plumbing system, the inverter, the wind instrument, and the cabin floor. He also likes to gloss over the ongoing problem with the air conditioner that took 4 months to fix with 6 visits from the air conditioner repair people. He also likes to say that everything is working properly EXCEPT for: then provides an incomplete list. There is no point in time where he can truthfully say that everything was working properly without the “except”. This shows both his lack of integrity in completing this vessel, as well as his failure to recognize the problems that he is causing his customers.
I think that you can see that the problems that Mr. Lindou has had are mostly Warranty items and have been repaired in a time that meets industry standards with many upgrades to the customer at no charge to him adding value to the boat he bought.
Racine Riverside likes to believe that getting their product to work is an upgrade. The truth is the only problems I had that were not a problem on day one are some electrical issues, and the refrigerator. However, if the boat was working well enough to be comfortable enough for me to spend time on, I would have found the refrigerator problem much earlier. The problem was a design issue placing both cooling units in a small space with too little ventilation. This space was also directly adjacent to the engine compartment. While I did not discover the problem until enough things were fixed to actually use the boat, the problem would have occurred the first time I did use the boat as running the engine for more than one hour allowed sufficient heat to build up preventing these units from cooling.
The whole time Mr. Landou’s new sailboat was safe and secure to operate. Just as up to now Hunter and Racine Riverside marine will continue to service this boat.
I hear over and over from Mr. Strand that my boat works perfectly well even if none of the options and accessories work. This is becoming a very sore subject with both my wife and myself as we spent an awful lot of money for those many options and accessories not to work. As for safe, I don’t consider an electric chain winch that you have to manually pull the chain out from underneath while electrically operating the winch to be safe. This is another problem that I am still waiting to get fixed.
Sincerely
Brad Strand Mark Hetzel and Mark Monroe
Owners

 

[sonny21566]

Hi Franklin,
I have brought up this subject under "Built quility" in Ask All Sailor forum. Kindly refer.

 

[petersea]

Have you ask Hunter or Racine to buy this boat back from you ???? It would appear to fall under the "LEMON LAW" some states have for cars. Not sure if they apply and if they do the fact that two different states are involved complicate the issue. Maybe time to see an attorney as much as I don't like that idea it would appear time. Some how the boat name or at least you sign in name is very appropriate.

 

[seadaddler]

AC & Windless

My 2007 H-36 windless does bunch up just below the windless and doesn't slide down when pulling up you just give the bunch up a little push,when I sailed around the keys I had a friend come with me who new nothing about boats so when anchored 4 nights out a explained one time how to do it so when I was in the cockpit and him at the anchor he had no problem at all and helped with anchoring really well.
My 16.000 Ac unit cools well in 90 plus weather here in Florida but I did add solid blue canvas on the hatches and top windows to keep the sun out,its hot here still 90 plus here every day,not much sailboats here out sailing because it is so hot and humid.
I have owned two Hunters and know a few other Hunter owners and we like them pretty good,lots of sailboat builders have gone out of business for what reasons,we all buy Hunters because you get a lot of boat for the $$$$$.
Why buy a chevy,GMC,Ford,Jeep or a Honda,Toyota,Lexus,Hyundai.
Nick:dance:

 

[seadaddler]

If

I really believe if this 33 was commissioned at the dealers home port we would have not be hearing these complaints.
I really believe Hunter does a good job building a sailboat for the $$$$ they and go out of their way to make the customer happy but shit happens some times and mistakes are made at the factory but they the dealer and Hunter will make it wright and that's why I will keep buying a Hunter because so much boat for the money and why I have seen so many new Hunters and older ones too.
The dealer made some mistakes trying to save the customer I think he said $5000.00 in shipping I know it would have been a lot more for sure,
When I purchased my Hunter both dealers with me went over boat top to bottom to check every thing was OK,they both gave me excellent service.
It's all about the $$$$$ they try to keep the price down and build a good safe sailboat and happy customers that keep buying their boats and stay in business.
Lets go sailing and have a great day
Nick :dance::dance::dance:

 

[petersea]

"I really believe if this 33 was commissioned at the dealers home port we would have not be hearing these complaints."

Respectfully I disagree, How does the floor delimitation, a/c problems, refrigeration and windless problems or the fact that the dink was not ordered timely have anything to do with were the boat was prepared ??? It would appear that the windless/anchor locker is a design flaw and if the refrigeration does not work correctly due to ventilation it is a design flaw as well. If the a/c won't cool correctly it is a design flaw. All of these "options" are factory installed on a new boat.
These items are factory spec-ed and should work. If they are not design flaws then they are all defective. Unless an item is "spec-ed" by the purchaser the factory has a responsibility it make sure these items will work.
The apparently poor commissioning is in part to blame because the dealer was not "local" I agree with that but so why then are they even selling this boat when they are clearly not capable of providing the service ?? Asking the owner to pay for the time and air fair to have the commissioning team to return to finish the job is absurd. (read original post) Racine clearly tried unsuccessfully to do something they were not capable of. Remember that they sold the owners other boat and got a commission on that and they made a profit on the new boat as well. The only incentive Racine had was to make money. I also question why the purchaser just did not buy the boat from a boat from local dealer. I got to believe that the price would have been very very close,close enough not to justify buying the boat hundreds of miles away. I would bet that Racine might have even gotten a percentage had they co-brokered the sale to the local dealer instead of trying to do it them-self. Then they tried to justify all this because the purchaser saving money in transportation cost??? Also read the post that somehow after having his other boat in brokerage with Racine it got sold when he ordered his new boat,want to bet the order was somehow contingent of the sale of his other boat ?? So more money not service was their only incentive.

Seadaddler, you clearly had an excellent dealer In SS. That is one reason why they were so successful until selling the dealership to someone who run it out of business. (another conversation) I wonder if SS would have done such a deal like this to sell a boat in Michigan or another geographic area hundreds of miles away. One of the things that really irks me about this whole thing is how the dealer is trying to blame the customer. Read the letter.. I don't get the comments about the gauge not being accurate to his standards. It is either accurate or not...then they cry about how they upgraded him with a different sensor that they paid for supposedly. Do you really believe that ?? do you think they did not return the original sensor under warranty ? did they give him a new halyard ($250 value) out of the goodness of their heart ?? They did it because the commissioning crew broke the original chase line. Attempted to fix the windless issue with an all chain rode ($400 value) want to bet that is retail not wholesale cost ? want to bet they have the other original rode ?? Fact is the windless does not work correctly with either rode ! ! The a/c is not cooling correctly because he likes it cold in his house,car and boat ??? The dealer keeps saying the boat was "sail able" and usable. Yes usable in that it would sail but he purchased more then a boat that would sail only. Maybe this customer is hard to please but had the boat been delivered as purchased in working order he would not have anything to complain about. Remember that he purchased two boats prior from Racine, begs the question if he was unreasonable why did they deal with him and apparently they were able to satisfy him on the other purchases. Would you accept this if it was anything else other then a boat ? Maybe a TV ?? A little like buying a TV that works on every other channel . LAME EXCUSES ! LAME DEALER !

 

[seadaddler]

Yes

I agree the owner should have purchased the boat in Florida from a local dealer who would have done a better job all around and if some thing was wrong not need to get on a plane to service the boat,Dink and motor no clue their either,should have purchased in Florida again for warranty and or service ??????
Some bad mistakes were made all around on this purchase,my 16000 btu Ac in my 36 bigger boat works fine maybe bad unit?????,windless does need a push its OK for me I have seen worse.
Hey I am just saying I did my home work before I purchased my H-36 from a lot of Hunter owners wright here who I would even e-mail with questions about Hunter boats and we went to a lot of boat shows and looked at other sailboats that were not Hunter and some bad stories about other brand of boats,I new when my boat was being commissioned I would be real close to watch what was being done sure I had a good dealer but I went around checking and even had them do more than they though was needed to make me happy,every one was very happy and very proud of a finish quality product.
They all made mistakes for sure and some are doing what needs to be done.
I enjoy my boat every day and spent a large amount of $$$$$ and no way did I settle for any thing less than a good product.
Nick:dance:

 

[Stitch]

Before this boat, I would have defended Hunter too.

Hey I am just saying I did my home work before I purchased my H-36 from a lot of Hunter owners wright here who I would even e-mail with questions about Hunter boats and we went to a lot of boat shows and looked at other sailboats that were not Hunter and some bad stories about other brand of boats,I new when my boat was being commissioned I would be real close to watch what was being done sure I had a good dealer but I went around checking and even had them do more than they though was needed to make me happy,every one was very happy and very proud of a finish quality product.

Wow, that is one very long sentence. Do you believe I didn't do any research before purchasing this boat? This was my 11th boat purchase, and my 3rd Hunter purchase. What research should I have done to know that the air conditioner would not have a required temperature sender installed by the factory? What research would have revealed that the boat was going to have problems with the AC and DC electrical systems? What research could have told forewarned me of the multiple continuing problems I keep having with this vessel?

I was present for the commissioning of my vessel. I even had to prevent them from stepping the mast without installing the TV antenna (on the sales contract) that I ordered with the boat. They knew nothing about, just as they knew nothing about my dinghy. Also, It wasn't until the day before they launched the boat that they told me they needed to finish commissioning my boat in MY SLIP.

You also said, "I went around checking and even had them do more than they though was needed to make me happy". What if they just wouldn't do what you wanted to make you happy? If they didn't feel it was needed but did it to make sure you were happy, that shows you had a good dealer. Even though mine did that in the past, they did not this time.

Basically, by finishing commissioning in my slip they changed some factors. With 20/20 hindsight, I would not have allowed this. It would be no different than a car dealer dropping off a new car at your house and parking it in your driveway. When you told the dealer, "wait, the air conditioner, radio, and power locks don't work," the dealer tells you, "no problem, they will be fixed under warranty." Six months later when you still have problems with the car, you can rely on the comfort of the dealer telling you that it was still drivable during those six months.

 

[seadaddler]

Mad

I would be mad also for sure,what have they Hunter or the dealer done so far to make every happy and not so mad.
When I purchased my first Hunter in Virginia while living in NY the salesman really screwed up,I made a low bid just with photo and list of equipment with email and on the phone,i drove some 10 plus hours to see boat and a deposit to find out the salesman had the wrong boat and info but after I stopped cussing and ready to go home the dealer owner invited me for lunch and promised to make good on all the equipment at the same bid price,we agreed on changing equipment that I preferred to be added and a week of sailing lessons on her that my wife wanted,I was going to sail her up to NY but plans changed and had a friend do it for me,when it got to NY a week or three I found a leak and called the dealer who called Hunter,they paid to haul and repair her up in NY some $2000.00.
The dealer in CT. really did not make me offer much trade for my 290 because he already had two other that wwere not selling.
I saw the salesman months later in Newport and he saw me and wife talking to a catalina and Benn salesman and after telling him I really wanted the hunter 36 loaded he made me a much much better offer for trade and we signed,Jan went to see my new 36 delivery and my 290 was sold but the other two not,any way there was some minor problems with my boat and did not take her home until we were very happy,3 months later back to dealer for free check up and a new list of things that needed repair,all was done and been happy ever since.
So how could I not like Hunter,sailing down to Florida from NY my autopiolet and folding wheel needed needed replacing they had ray and lewmar send me all new equipment again how can I not love Hunter,I have called the factory for minor parts and help with things and always have called me back and helped me out.
I think Hunter does a very good job helping their customers with money out of their pockets when the dealers don't,I have heard of bad dealers for Hunter,Catalina,and many others.
I really hate to hear the problems you are having with your boat,I really am sorry if I afended you but Florida is a very hot place and see many sailboats trying all kinds of things to keep them cool,I did added canvas where ever needed to help to keep the sun out ,Good Luck and hope you enjoy your new boat.
Nick

 

[Stitch]

Re: Mad

I wasn't offended, and I am glad that you have had a positive experience. I have had two previous positive experiences with Hunter as well.

However, I have seen many changes with both the boat's quality, and the company's commitment as well. The simple fact that they have failed to make good on their advertised incentive to make your boat payments until September 2009, shows this change. It took me 4 months and a call to the attorney general's office to receive the first 3 payments they owed me, and I still haven't seen the other 3 payments they owe me.

Like I have said, I am happy you've had a good experience with them. I have too, but that was in the past. There have certainly been some changes recently.

I also was hoping you could explain what additional research I could have done to find out that Hunter doesn't feel an obligation any more to actually do what they advertise and promise to do?

 

[fnuttersny]

Is it posible that that the "golden age" of glass "good old boats" ended in the late 70s or early 80s? We are looking to move up from our 79 H27 to 35/40 coastal cruiser. The notion of spending 100+ grand for a new boat and getting little in return other than NEW does not intrest us. I would prefer to buy a good older boat from the "golden age" of which there are many for a much smaller investment. It seams that there are a lot of risks with new boat purchase....cheers frank

 

[Ed Schenck]

Nick, this is a really bad story and indefensible. It makes my 1979 H37C look like a Hinckley. It is also almost unbelievable that any company could treat a customer so shabbily. I say 'almost' because I am presently having a similar issue with a laptop manufacturer, they trying to skirt the warranty and blame me for the problems. The damage to Hunter's reputation is enormous from stories like this. We will never know but heads might be rolling in high places. For sure they have lost any profits made from making such a poor product. And they wonder why their bottom-lines are poor.

 

[seadaddler]

Dealers and Hunter

At the time before buying my 2007 Hunter I did a lot of research here on the owners list of 356 and 36 and just other owners who purchased new and check their experience about what they were saying about buying their new Hunter 356/36.
I also was checking the catalina model I was thinking of buying and same with the Benn. models what their owners were saying about the dealers and builders of these boats.
I went on the list here where the owners list of the 33 were commenting about the boat model and how well the dealer did his job and if any complaints they had,I thinking I remember one or two 33 owner complained about the anchor rode bunching up just like yours.
It took me some two years before deciding to buy a new Hunter 356/36 and not some other brand,I went to a lot of boat shows and took things apart and opened a lot of compartments before spending $150,000 on my 36.
I was going to retire and move to Florida,I also email owners of Hunters in Florida about sailing in the area which I now live in.
I talked to a lot of boaters about sailboats and about boating in Florida before buying and moving to Florida and retiring,it was a long process before buying a new boat and a new house,I just purchased a new Honda Odyssey
which I was researching for the last year.
My new house in Florida was built in 2006 and we ordered every floor in the house with ceramic tile and only just finally got the builder and tile supplier to replace the whole house tile in every room because the tile was defective,so I know the pain when you buy some thing and its not wright,I drove them crazy until they made it wright with out lawyers,just in their face every week.
Nick
Nick

 

[BruceK]

Unfortunately, I have to agree that the lack of prompt and satisfactory service from the dealer is the primary cause of heatache. It is quite a stretch to expect a new boat buyer to hire a surveyor when the dealer is paid to provide a boat properly fitted and serviced. The commissioning checklist is a good start, but many items cannot be checked out unless and until the boat is used for more than a few hours..case in point the tank monitors, hour log on the engine, loose bolts here and there, screens that are misfit..on and on. The 33 is a great boat that needs dealer care and attention..and follow up with the owner. I still have outstanding issues since the purchase months ago...and my dealer has faced up to some of them, but claims he cannot work any faster because he is a small dealer and has many priorities...This is not what we need to hear...Hunters come with "problems"...dealers need to be prepared to fix them in a timely manner.

 

[Stitch]

Update

Update:

I'm sorry I haven't updated before now. I was waiting to hear from Racine Riverside, but I guess their new tactic is to ignore me.

On Thursday the 8th, a crew showed up at my boat from Hunter.

The first project they worked on was to replace my windlass. They removed the Maxwell and replaced it with on from "Quick". Has anyone here ever heard of them? Anyway, they installed the windlass without the chain fall cover (see picture). Without this cover, the windlass will pull 10-15 feet of chain before it binds instead of 1-2 feet. However, now without the chain fall cover there are now sharp edges and points in addition to the moving machinery where I have to "Help" the windlass that is "working properly." Not only is the new setup more dangerous, it is a horrible eye sore. The new windlass sits completely below the deck and the hole in the deck remains. The new windlass doesn't even sit aligned below the hole in the deck. You can see all of this in the pictures below. The first two pictures are old pictures of the Maxwell that came installed on the boat.

OLD MAXWELL WINDLASS VIEWED FROM ABOVE DECK

OLD MAXWELL WINDLASS VIEWED WITH ANCHOR LOCKER OPEN

NEW QUICK WINDLASS VIEWED FROM ABOVE DECK

NEW QUICK WINDLASS ALIGNMENT

NEW QUICK WINDLASS VIEWED WITH ANCHOR LOCKER OPEN (NOTE MISSING CHAIN FALL COVER & SHARP EDGE AND CORNER)

Next, they looked at the refrigeration problem. That is, every time I run the engine, the refrigerator and freezer won't cool. The crew found a gap in the cabinetry construction between the engine compartment and the area behind the refrigerator. Great construction as you can see in the pictures:

Now, I am not a boat builder, or a cabinet maker. I do not poses the expertise of the gentleman that Hunter sent to fix this boat. However, if I were to fix a gap like this due to poor cabinet construction, I would cut a piece of wood and screw or epoxy it in place covering the gap. Then I would cut and install a piece of marine grade engine insulation. But again, I am not the expert.

The experts sent from Hunter Marine fixed this gap in a different way. The experts used Great Stuff brand spray foam and sprayed it into the gap. After fixing the gap with Great Stuff, they covered the "repair" with a piece of foil cut from an automotive sun shade. Yes, the expert repair was Great Stuff spray foam and a windshield sun shade.

NOTE THE SILVER TAPE HOLDING THE AUTOMOTIVE SUNSHADE IN PLACE

HERE IS ANOTHER ANGLE OF THE "REPAIRED" AREA NOTE THE DRIPS OF GREAT STUFF SPRAY FOAM

Another project they worked on was the Inverter/Charger that for some reason just stopped charging my batteries, and let them run flat. The crew believed that there was a problem with a temperature sensor in the inverter/charger. I have since received an email from Hunter explaining that the Inverter/Charger will shut itself down when the temperature gets too high, and will not charge again until the temperature drops. They did not give me any explanation as to why the unit overheated and stopped charging in the first place. The crew working on the boat thought that the boat loss shore power at some point, and the inverter kicked on. However I did tell them that I know the boat never loss shore power as the clock on the microwave was still set. This clock looses time just switching from shore power to the inverter, so I know that shore power was never lost.

Finally, they worked on repairing the stress cracks in the cockpit. They decided to replace the hatch over the port lazarrette. Although I was given a new piece of fiberglass, I was given no explanation how a six month old boat already has stress cracks.

There was also a small floor issue I will post as soon as I take pictures.

On Tuesday the 13th, A mechanic showed up to find out why my engine was not producing power or proper RPM. The mechanic noticed that my macerator was leaking waste into my bilge.

NICE!:

He also discovered that the fuel was contaminated and clogged the filter. He replaced the Raycor filter, and the engine ran fine. He told me that I could either drain and replace the contaminated fuel, or keep replacing the raycor filter until I ran the bad gas out of the boat.

I wrote an email to Racine Riverside Marine, and Hunter explaining this and asking witch way they wanted to take care of the problem. As Racine Riverside told me I would be financially responsible for any fuel issues, I asked them to explain why I have to pay to replace the fuel that they delivered the boat with. I have not added any fuel, and it is only six months old. I probably would have burned the fuel within the first month or two if the rest of the boat worked, but the boat does sit quite often as it is not reliable enough to safely take on any real trips.

It has been a full week, and Racine Riverside has refused to respond to this email. Until they do, I can't use the boat. If I run it and replace the filter every 5 hours, they will say that caused what ever future problems I have. I also can't comprehend how this cost is my responsibility.

Hunter did respond to this email and basically told me that the issue is between me and Racine Riverside. Isn't it nice when a manufacturer helps solve problems with the dealers that represent them? Don't expect this from Hunter. They have also told me that I have to go through the dealership for any warranty repairs. I'm not sure how this will work when the dealership refuses to contact me back.

One more final issue that is starting to work out i guess. At the end of October, I received another payment reimbursement check from Hunter. This one is invoiced for July. Now they only owe me August and September. I have no idea when I will receive either of these payments. I also don't understand how a company simply refrains from paying their obligations for months like this, then pay no interest for the time I have been "covering" their obligations. I just don't understand how such a fraudulent practice is over looked by the state attorney general's office. I will be asking the local media to take a look into this. There is just no excuse for advertising a sales incentive then failing to provide it. :thumbdown:

I'll have more for you shortly, but I'm fed up for now.

 

[wundrbar]

Keep us posted HunterBlows. The pathetic response from Hunter is unfortunately typical. Maybe a bunch of us should get a "Angry Hunter Owners" group started. But others need to be continually warned!!!!

 

[Steve Walsh]

Did the repairs fix the refer and the inverter/charger? Keep us updated, this is being followed thru many other sailing sites. Sounds like Racine is just trying to wear you down. Hang in there!

 

[randall]

Hello im sorry to hear your issue but some of this just dosent make since, im sorry. why would you take deliver of a boat that was not correct. some of the pics show the area a mess and it looks like some one cut that pipe the other post was correct. I wouldnt have taken delivery of any boat if it wasent correct. Also i wouldnt buy a 140000+ boat in one state and hope it get to another and than hope a dealer some where fixes it and it gets dilivered correcty. Oh and the chain locker is that way on all 33's you just have to lift the chain as it goes in not really a big deal. If it is stuck why would you keep pressing the button its going to get jammed. i would have to say your biggest issues is that your dealer is not local. You seemed to like the other boats you bought from them why would they purposely do this on your 3rd. I agree there seem to be some issues but If they are big enough issues why havent you got a lawyer and lemoned the boat? I delt with whitneys marine and hunter went out of there way it seemed for me and had my issues cleaned up and delivered in 2 days. well good luck.