Considering Hunter 49 Purchase !

sail sfbay · May 24, 2021

Welcome to the forum!!

The 49 is a great boat!! For comparison my 46 does not have weather helm and I would not expect a 49 to have it either and points high. You asked about the costs......... new canvas 2 years ago (dodger with makrolon windows, full bimini, binnacle cover, hatch covers) for about $15,000 so expect to pay $18,000 - 20,000, new tri-radial cruising laminate sails with a blue water finish 6 months ago for $10,000 so budget $12,000. Budget price for a single AC on a 49 is about $12,000 - 15,000 plus haul-out and raw water thru hull installation cost. At the end of the day, whatever boat you decide to buy make sure it puts a smile on your face every time you walk up to her.

Georgedoyle · May 24, 2021

Most 49's have original sails, and they do not function well. Lots of weather helm in moderate conditions. Buying new sails solves this problem. Still, the boat is a bit tender so you will need to be ready to reef at around 15 knots. Luckily, with a new laminate main the reefing and furling is simple and predictable. It does not take a lot of wind to move this boat. I was surprised at how much power the rig has. We bought a set of North sails for about $12,000. We replaced our canvas recently as well. About $7000 for a nice dodger, bimini, and spanner On existing frames. This included covers for everything. We're running the wiring for solar right now. There are pre-drilled holes on both sides of the arch that can be used to run the cables though nicely. You will need to tilt the arch forward to get larger cables through, though because they come through at an odd angle.

kappykaplan · May 25, 2021

Do a search on this site for postings by "Sequitur". He and his wife sailed from Vancouver to FL, rounding Cape Horn, in a Hunter 49. Their blogs are still at Leaving Sequitur

SEMPERAVANTI41 · May 25, 2021

My Hunter 50 is a tall rig, non furling main. I have owned the boat for over 5 years. It is a wonderful boat and I would buy it again.
Trimmed correctly the 49/50 does not have any more weather helm than other boats I have sailed. In fact it is the best sailing boat I have ever sailed. This fact was confirmed by a professional skipper who has moved the boat from New York to Florida.
I can understand that it does not have a generator, but no A/C? Where was the boat originally delivered to, Antarctica? Installing A/C is going to be difficult to install as there are 3 units, really, really, really difficult if the factory vents and duct work are not present.
Hunter installed for the generator a Fischer Panda Mini 12. I would not be surprised if a completely fresh install would be upwards of 20 grand.

Justin_NSA · May 25, 2021

I hope the price is adjusted for everything it is lacking and the boat bucks it will take to install. Like @SEMPERAVANTI41 says "no A/C?" :huh:

SEMPERAVANTI41 · May 25, 2021

There are 3 A/C units. A 9,000 BTU under the forward V berth, a 16,000 BTU unit under the settee on the starboard side and a 9,000 BTU unit under the berth in the starboard aft cabin.

tkwhalen · May 25, 2021

My 49 is a cutter rig. I recently replaced all my sails with North 3Di Nordac sails. I spent around 17k to 18k for all three (Main, Jib, Staysail) As mentioned by others it sails much better with the new sails vs the factory sails. (of course my factory sails were 12 years old). I also have an
"A" sail on a top down furler. Absolutely the best "A" sail set up on the planet. I will never own another boat with out a top down furler. I still have my original factory canvas but I added full enclosure screens for a little over 3k and replaced the glass in the dodger for around 2k. Mine came from the factory with A/C (which by the way is three separate units aft, salon, v-berth) and a generator. I have sailed my on the east coast but primarily the great lakes. I feel confident aboard in rough / stormy weather. I have been aboard in 7 to 10 foot seas a few times and find the boat handles them well. I do reef around 15 to 17 as some else mentioned but I am also a fairly conservative sailor (cruiser not a racer). Around 20 with a reefed main I switch from my jib to the staysail and the boat balances out very nice and sails comfortably that way up to 25 where I will reef a little more to keep the boat feeling comfortably and in control. You can let the boat have weather helm if you want but you can also balance it out easily if you choose to manage the amount of sail you have out. Mine points easily at 45 off and holds on to most speed at 40 off; much more then that and you start pinching off speed pretty quickly. I should also mention mine has a bridge mast and a shoal keel so it's sailing characteristics will be different form the one you are looking at. Finally, I sail mine single handed a lot and find it easy to handle. I have been reading up on solar and a water maker as I plan on taking my south when covid is over but I haven't priced anything yet. All that said I don't think you could wrong with any of the boats you are looking at. I have sailed aboard a Catalina 47 in several Mackinac Races as crew and found it to be a comfortable boat as well. I can't say it sails any better or worse then mine as they seem similar to me.

Georgedoyle · May 25, 2021

We have owned our 49 for three years now in Southern California and have never felt like we needed AC in the summer. It usually cools off at night to very a comfortable temperature. In the Winter, on the other hand, it gets really cold onboard at night. We could definitely use a heater. We have the Mastervolt generator. It works great. It's nice to have 110 available When you need it.

BrianH · May 26, 2021

I'm just going to throw a bit of caution out there about buying a 12 year old boat...

Even though it is in pristine condition, it's still 12 years old. If you ever go to sell it, it will be a 2 owner boat. Make sure that you aren't over paying for it, especially with all the upgrades you want to do to it.

Daze · May 27, 2021

I purchased a 2007 H49 in 2019. Added 800 watts of solar (4 - 200 watt solid panels) and mounted them off the davits. I didn't keep an actual accounting of it but it was around $2,000 or slightly more. I completed the install myself, so this was material cost only. Wiring the system was clean and straight forward due to the amount of open space and access below cabin sole.

I am planning to install a water-maker and again due to the amount of room below the floor boards and open access through out the boat it seems like it should be a relatively easy install, as well.

A generator was installed by the previous owner after the factory build. It is a Next Generation Power 5.5 and that handles the boat loads well when it is needed, which will be a lot less now with the solar.

I have no regrets buying the H49. Good Luck!

artboas · Jun 2, 2021

The 49 had a Fp 12 kw, which was a great choice. I would not go smaller if you are putting in AC. The install will cost between 18-20k. I would not look to save money by going with a smaller unit. With AC , charger,?etc, the loads aren’t small.
The ac system is all in ceiling vents with up stacks. If you are positive that all the venting is in, then you are looking at least $15k to do the system. If the venting isn’t in, you have a large undertaking.

Make sure it has the magnum energy charger.
All your instruments, pilot, etc are due for upgrade.
Check if your boat was the upgraded Mariner package. Sounds like it wasn’t.
If not, then the engine is only 75 hp.and other things are not included.
The Mariner pack had 4 fridges. A must have on this boat.

Check the prop. If it’s fixed 3 blade, you’ll need to upgrade. $5k

You need to find out what else the boat didn’t have besides airco & genset

flightlead404 · Jun 7, 2021

Bluesmoods said:
Asking like 279K. Base boat, tall rig. Bristol condition. Looking to add Generator, A/C. new Canvas.. Maybe Solar. . . What . . .about $40 -50K?

Get a bucvalu professional subscription for a month. Helped me narrow down potential boats and useful as a negotiating tool to a certain degree as well.

Laid-back · Jun 10, 2021

When looking at boats I found the build quality of the Hunter 50 far superior to the Beneteau, Jeanneau, or Catalina. Not even close. Having the best cabin layout was cream on the cake. We only lived on ours for 6 months before we had to haul because of COVID, but the comfort level during that time was excellent.

Zencra · Jun 23, 2021

Bluesmoods said:
Hi Folks and thank you in advance for your attention.

I am very seriously considering the purchase of a 2009 bristol condition H-49 with about 300 hours. The boat shows the showroom condition. I have been on a whole lot of sailboats in my life and owned several mostly bought new. This could be a 2021 model year if such existed. It does not have a generator,... need to add.. Does not have A/C... Need to add.. No solar panels... Need to add. Does not have water maker/.. Add down the road.
Has anyone made these additions after purchasing your 49? At about what cost? The canvas needs to be replaced as well. I would like to do a full enclosure option there. I might look at replacing the sails and wondering what that might cost. Because the boat does not have any of the features mentioned whereas many pre-owned boats already do, the boat is a tall rig base boat and probably overpriced. A 2009 is 2009,

I am also considering a Beneteau 49 but there is very little inventory or perhaps a Catalina 470 that owners rave about. There are so many YouTube videos depicting the sailing of these other boats and stories of folks returning from long ocean passages having covered thousands of miles. Even the Catalina 470. The Brokers that I have talked to have no or very little sailing experience on the H-49 but can talk all day long about a Jeanneau or Beneteau. It is a sailboat, not a condominium but love the "condo-like" aspects of the boat. The reviews mostly speak to the interior design...

The only thing that I can find on the Hunter 49 is how great the interior is and loads of yacht broker tours on boats that have been or that are offered for sale. I come from a performance background, but not a true racing skipper. I'll probably do Trans - Pac. I like a boat that can hold its own and make good time off-shore from point A to B. I love the interior design of the H49 and the cockpit is just great. Well, at the dock it seems perfect. Can somebody help me in describing how the boat performs? Is it responsive? Is it somewhat quick to pick up speed on the tack? I never really sailed a B&R rig and always liked the larger Genoa. Somebody told me that the boat has weather helm issues when the breeze kicks up.

I love the potential part-time liveaboard creature comforts, but I am also very interested in the boat being a true sailing machine. Is this the boat or should I be looking and waiting for a Catalina / Beneteau / Jeanneau as far as sailing performance?

I should mention that if anyone knows of an H49/50 tall rig well equipped for sale, let me know!

Thanks much!!!

Considering Hunter 49 Purchase !

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Attachments

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.