2005 Hunter 27

Mar 27, 2012
312
Seaward Fox Washougal WA
So my 84 H27 is gone and I am looking at a 2005 Hunter 27. I looked at the new ones and they look exactly the same. In my experience, this is a good thing. My financial planning has us retiring in 13-15 years and work will not allow us to sail offshore. This boat I will move up to the Puget sound for weekends and vacations, so I will be in protected waters. I have decided not to buy my cruising boat at this stage to try and save some money on slip fee's and maintenance (27' vs 36'). I because we will be in protected waters I am looking for comfort! A comfortable place to sleep is the number one thing I am looking for after sleepless nights in the 84 H27! At 6'02" this has become a must! I am hoping some owners of the modern H27's can chime in on what they like. Two things that seem to bother me at first glance are 1) Life lines and stanchions are really low and there seems to be a spot between the cockpit to the shrouds where there are no hand holds 2) No ice chest (does the plug in cooler work well)? carrying a spare ice chest with drinks doesn't seem to big of an issue but on a week long trip I am just not sure???

Wondering how it sails. The boat I am looking at has the furling main and genoa. It is also the cruising version with deep keel. Any issues with these? Not many opening hatches, how is airflow? It seems to be dry, any places to look for leaks. My 84 had the Westerbeke 9 hp and was a bit underpowered for the Columbia river but this has an 18 (that is what the spec sheet says anyway). I would love to hear how you guys think they sail. One thing I did notice was there seemed to be a lot of movement at the dock. We were at an open boat show and I just seemed to feel a lot more movement on this boat vs the other boats while sitting down below.

Anyway, any comments would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
JB
 

Les

.
May 8, 2004
375
Hunter 27 Bellingham, WA
I just wrote you a long answer to your requests and somehow I lost the whole thing. So this version will be shorter.

I have owned ten new sailboats, the last five have been all Hunters--including my present one which is a 2009 model Hunter 27. The only difference between mine and the one you're looking at is mine has a cherry interior. No big deal.

This is a day sailer and an overnighter. It is not a long distance cruiser. It sails well, actually is a delight to sail. Mine has roller furling main and jib (no genoa which I believe would not work on this boat). It has a 5 foot lead keel and its fairly stable (remember it is only 7500 lbs displacement).

We have added the following: 3 blade Max prop, WinchRite (I am eighty and my wife is right behind me--but we still like to sail), Wobasto Furnace, companionway doors, Raritan head, 2 AGM Group 29 batteries, SmartPlug and shoreline cord. We also have a asymmetrical chute but have only used it twice.

I've taken to boat twice to Anacortes to meet friends for an overnight, however our main use is day sailing out of Bellingham and Friday Harbor.

We do use the cooler but only to keep water and tea cool--it does use up battery power.

Should you have questions write me at Trumpeter38@gmail.com and I'll try to answer them.

My best to you,

Les
 

Mikem

.
Dec 20, 2009
820
Hunter 466 Bremerton
My son is 6' 2" and in his socks his head slightly rubbed the hatch standing immediately in front of the steps. Anywhere else he had to stoop. Don't know how the bunk would be but Les is a wealth of information.
 
Mar 27, 2012
312
Seaward Fox Washougal WA
Thank you both for responding. Yeah, the 6'02" isn't accurate. My head rubbed the headliner. It's great to hear it sails well. Les, glad to hear it's a great boat for the sound. Do the low life lines ever bother you, or have you even noticed? I am sure I will have more questions in the near future.

Thanks,
JB
 
Dec 23, 2013
20
Hunter 23.5 and 27, 2006 Redbud Marina
Hunter 27

Thank you both for responding. Yeah, the 6'02" isn't accurate. My head rubbed the headliner. It's great to hear it sails well. Les, glad to hear it's a great boat for the sound. Do the low life lines ever bother you, or have you even noticed? I am sure I will have more questions in the near future.

Thanks,
JB
I just purchased a used Hunter 27, 2006, shallow keel. We moved up from a Hunter 23.5. I'm 6'4" and have to lower my head just a little as I move forward in the saloon. It's not a problem.
There are 2 of these boats at this marina and both have had the in mast furling mechanism serviced for bearing replacement. The Yanmar 14 is excellent, however the fuel gauge and the motor hours LED counter window are not working. We had to replace the original microwave.
Sails wonderfully! I'm comfortable sleeping in the front berth, the port side seating with the table leaf out of the way, and the aft berth is roomy as well. The lifelines have not been an issue. Ice chest with electric cooler hasn't been put to the test yet. We will put in an air conditioner soon. I've noticed the older ones have port windows about even with the mast, below the toe rail, newer models don't. I love these extra windows. Overall we're very happy with this boat!
Martin in Tulsa
 

Les

.
May 8, 2004
375
Hunter 27 Bellingham, WA
It is interesting that you asked the question about the heigth of the lifelines. When we order our boat in 2008, I asked if they could change all the winches to two-speeds, raise the lifelines, and go all with LED lights. I got the two-speeds and that was all they could do for me. But in retrospect the life-lines have not been a problem as I hardly ever go forward. And because the bow pulpit and stern pulpit are lower having the higher life-lines might be a problem. Interesting that you and I thought of the same thing--but no, it has not been a problem.
 
May 19, 2012
5
Hunter 27 Sydney
Seeing we have a bunch of H27 owners on board......I have a 2006 H27 purchased in San Diego and then exported to Sydney Australia about 2 years ago. Happy with the boat and amount of room for a 27' boat. Furling jib but std main. My only concern is excessive weather helm and rounding up when closed hauled. Maybe the sail plan was designed for lighter winds as I have to put the first reef in at 12to 15 knts and second at 20 to 25. Any suggestions.
 

Les

.
May 8, 2004
375
Hunter 27 Bellingham, WA
I'm afraid I'm not much help here. With a roller furling main I tend to just furl part of the main if the wind picks up. Glen Henderson's (designer of the hull) hulls like to be sailed upright or so I'm told. Since it is more comfortable for me I just "reef" earlier.

The Hunter 27 is somewhat lightweight so reefing sooner then later makes sense to me.