2002 Hunter 356 vs. 1992 Hunter 37.5

[RLMahan]

Hello fellow Hunter owners. I've had an 1992 Hunter 37.5 for a while and now have an opportunity to sell my boat and have been looking at a couple 356 models which have the shoal draft wing keel (my 37.5 has the same). I love the 37.5 as I've done some upgrading over time and she sails like a dream. Things I don't like so much are the tiny cockpit and leaky deck Hunter deck hatches. I do love the layout and the 356 is similar in that regard. I've been looking at PHRF ratings for both and seems the 356 is significantly slower and from what I've read, they don't seem to go to weather as well. I do like the upgraded cabin and galley as well as the larger cockpit. Seems 10 years of design improvements give the 356 similar space given her beaminess to the 37.5. Does anyone know the length of the cockpit benches? Also, noticed that most of the 356's don't have sheet winches aft and near the helm which is handy for single handing. Any input, both positive and negative would be appreciated.

 

[M_Michaels]

I have a 2000 Hunter 380 with 5' draft. Great boat all around. Roomy cockpit with perch seats and a roomy cabin. Points really high compared to the Catalina 34 wing keel that I sold.

 

[RLMahan]

Great, thanks. Plus, they have nice lines.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

I have a 2003 H356 and love it. Bought it new in 2003 and like it better than the new ones due to kitchen layout and refrigerator/freezer that is in 2002 and 2003 models. We cruise and don't race, so don't worry about the last.1 knot. Get an autopilot and you won't mind the winches next to the companionway. Not sure on length of cockpit, but guess is 8 feet or more. Queen size bed plus some below it. Lots of cockpit room and lots of room inside. We just spent our 999th day on-board.

 

[PAC3142]

I had a 1990 hunter 30g that was getting too small for us. We now have a 1994 37.5. I really wanted a 356, but was really worried about how they sailed. We chartered a Hunter 36 (later version of the 356) in Florida as a test. We had mostly light winds, and I was not impressed with the way it sailed, neither speed nor feel. We did have one nice day with a beam reach in 12-15 knots, but any boat sails well then. The arrangements, galley, engine access, and cockpit were great. I espesially liked the roll bar main traveler/Bimini. But the boat did not sail anywhere near as well as the 37.5. And it was difficult to find a 356 with a full batten main.

When we got back from the charter, I took some friends out on my 30g for a day sail in 10kn of wind, and we sailed right by a 2005-ish Hunter 38, the bigger version of the 356. I don't think our old 30 was a fast boat, which was part of the reason for upgrading. That settled it, and we focused on 37.5s.

On the arrangements, the 37.5 aft berth is far easier to get into than the 356. Otherwise the 356 may have an edge.

I still like the 356s, but if you have a 37.5, you will have to recognize that you will be downgrading performance, and possibly motoring more, especially if you sail in a lighter wind area.

You have an interesting decision to make.

Paul

 

[shemandr]

I disagree about the 356's light air performance. Mine was surprisingly nimble starting at 7 knots. Below that not so much but it would move. I had a problem on mine above, say, 15 knots which I've posted about before. In light air we could blow the doors off a friend's Catalina 34. At 12 to 15 the Catalina would beat us but needed an ape to trim the genoa. I think the problems with my 356 were due more to the stock aging sails and the main sail furling with vertical battens, than any fundamental weakness with the 356. I can't stress enough how good it is for the wife to be able to trim the jib - all the way in. Believe me, if the lady of the boat can't trim the jib the guy is going to be doing it, or you won't be tacking much. On another friend's Catalina, with a genoa, the owner had electric winches installed because they couldn't do it manually. It's a really big deal in my opinion that a sailboat is setup so that the weakest member of the crew can handle the boat. Except for the furling main, that was true for my 356. And had I kept the boat, the furling main would have been gone.
The boat has a HUGH amount of storage - most of it we never used.

 

[chuckwayne]

We've owned our 356 since 2002 and I also don't agree with the "slow" comment. performance depends on many things, including sail condition and trim, rig tuning, bottom condition, etc. Our 356 is consistently one of the fastest boats in our Hunter club, including a well maintained and sailed 37.5. Great accommodations, fun to sail, lots of storage.
You can easily add winches by the helm - the pads are there for spinnaker winches but they also work well for the jib. You can also convert the mainsheet to a double ended sheet with a winch aft - like some of the newer Hunters. Finally, PHRF ratings are calculated based on specs for the boat and waterline length is a big factor. so a 37.5 may well have a faster rating to start. the key to PHRF is that the ratings evolve based on actual race performance, but the changes are implemented locally - if you look, you'll find a wide range of ratings across the country; and boats routinely sail faster than their ratings until they adjust to actual on course performance.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

You may want to research Jim Seamons as he contributed a lot on the 356 (JAVA). Jim is up in Heaven now sailing with those before us.

 

[Franklin]

Reseal your hatches with BoatLife Lifeseal (not LifeCaulk) and do NOT bolt them down and then you will not have any leaky hatches for many years to come. I have 5 years of cruising doing 16,000 ocean miles on my 13 hatches and port lights along with my large sky light with no leaks.