Does anyone do much sailing in the (great lakes ) Lake Erie with the 240 water ballast Hunter ? How does the boat do ? I was looking at some 27 ft keel boats today and there is not much more usable room inside that there is in the 24 . They do have standing headroom but other than that I was dissapointed in the interior of several 27 ft boats . Mike
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The 240 or the 23.5 like mine..
Are not open water/deep water cruisers, but on a nice day can certainly sail out into big waters. In June we are taking our 23.5 down to Key West to do some ocean sailing. We have had her out on the Gulf of Mexico also and she does just great. With the canvas cover over the pop up, I have full headroom in the center of the cabin, but the rest is much lower
Are not open water/deep water cruisers, but on a nice day can certainly sail out into big waters. In June we are taking our 23.5 down to Key West to do some ocean sailing. We have had her out on the Gulf of Mexico also and she does just great. With the canvas cover over the pop up, I have full headroom in the center of the cabin, but the rest is much lower
Yes, feels like larger boat down below
That's the beauty of this design. By having the topsides continue directly into the coachroof & dispensing with a side deck, Hunter created remarkable interior room given the OL of this class of boat. As you say, it has the interior room of boats several feet longer. Trailerability was essential for us, which meant cabin room would be sacrificed to some degree. When the admiral stepped onboard the first 23.5 when we were shopping, she knew we had found the right model. We also use the poptop whenever possible & it really makes for a great cabin. We are two adults & 2 preteens. We sail primarily on Lake Champlain and Long Island Sound and find Grasshopper sails well, as long as you reef early. Kevin Fitzpatrick s/v Grasshopper '93 Hunter 23.5 Brownsville, VT
That's the beauty of this design. By having the topsides continue directly into the coachroof & dispensing with a side deck, Hunter created remarkable interior room given the OL of this class of boat. As you say, it has the interior room of boats several feet longer. Trailerability was essential for us, which meant cabin room would be sacrificed to some degree. When the admiral stepped onboard the first 23.5 when we were shopping, she knew we had found the right model. We also use the poptop whenever possible & it really makes for a great cabin. We are two adults & 2 preteens. We sail primarily on Lake Champlain and Long Island Sound and find Grasshopper sails well, as long as you reef early. Kevin Fitzpatrick s/v Grasshopper '93 Hunter 23.5 Brownsville, VT
Jerry , I have looked at the 260 .The commodore of the sailing club at Alum Creek had one when we kept our Hunter there . I think the 240 is right on the edge of what I consider trailerable .( is that a word )? I guess with a big enough tow vehicle the 260 is trailerable but it is approaching the limit from trailable to transportable to me . I either want some thing so large it cant be put on a trailer that I will keep near Catawba or something that is smaller that I can trailer more easily than our 23 was . I know lots of people trailer their h23s but mine stayed at a dock . The 23.5 and 240 seem to me to be a trailer boat . When people say that water ballast boats are intially tender , but then harden up at what degree of heel does the hardening occur .This was another issue with the wife that got me started looking at larger boats > Mike
water ballast
The area around Sanibel/ Captiva and up to Charlottte Harbour look like a great area to sail these boats . I would not take them off shore far .I have very little time on lake erie so not sure what it is like most of the time . I work with a guy who grew up fishing on lake erie with his father in a 12 foot john boat . His dad used to go out and give him a bucket to bail while his father fished .I guess it is what your used to . Another guy I work with took a much larger deep v fishing boat up there one weekend and vowed he would never go back .That same day the man in the little john boat was out there bobbing up and down and fishing .He told his son it was a little rough . To me if I have to work very hard the enjoyment is lessened. My wife would surely jump ship , Mike
The area around Sanibel/ Captiva and up to Charlottte Harbour look like a great area to sail these boats . I would not take them off shore far .I have very little time on lake erie so not sure what it is like most of the time . I work with a guy who grew up fishing on lake erie with his father in a 12 foot john boat . His dad used to go out and give him a bucket to bail while his father fished .I guess it is what your used to . Another guy I work with took a much larger deep v fishing boat up there one weekend and vowed he would never go back .That same day the man in the little john boat was out there bobbing up and down and fishing .He told his son it was a little rough . To me if I have to work very hard the enjoyment is lessened. My wife would surely jump ship , Mike
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