Advice for a potential Hunter owner

[TrapezeArtist]

Hi Guys

I'm fairly new to big boats and just about the break open the piggy bank and make a purchase. I'm thinking seriously about a Hunter 40.5 and one in particular, so I'd like to see if I can pick the brains of all you wise-ones here to make sure I make the right decision.

I want a boat for semi-permanent liveaboard, starting off cruising the Med, maybe going down to the Canaries (especially for winter!) and who knows? Maybe I'll make it across the Atlantic one day. Normally there will only be one or two people on board, four max.

The boat I have seen this weekend is a 1995 40.5, two cabin layout, with a Yanmar diesel. The mast is a Z-Spars, non-standard apparently. The owner described it as a race mast, but the sails are ordinary dacron. The keel has a bulb and winglets and draws only 1.5m, which doesn't seem much.

What should I be looking out for on a boat like this? Is this a sensible choice for the sort of use I am planning? What alternatives should I be considering?

Thanks, in advance.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

If you haven't already done so, check under the BOAT INFO tab under which you will find numerous reviews of the 40.5 by owners. Under good weather conditions, any boat is capable of making the trip(s) you contemplate and certainly the 40.5 is among them. Regarding the mast, it is indeed standard on some of the 40.5s and is arguably far preferable to some of the two-part masts common on other boats and some of the newer Hunters. Neither the mast nor the wing keel is a drawback unless you plan solely deep water sailing. Among the drawbacks of going offshore in such a boat would, in my opinion, be the limited fuel capacity which could easily be overcome by simply using the aft water tank for fuel storage thereby doubling the total capacity.

 

[TrapezeArtist]

Don, Thanks for the quick reply. I'd already noticed you're a prolific contributor here. Why do you think the mast and keel would be a drawback if I am contemplating just deep water sailing?

As for the fuel, the way I see it, the motor is for getting in and out of the marina. I hope I won't often be in such a hurry that I have to motor much. On the other hand, good water capacity makes life so much more civilised. On the subject of water tankage, I understand the 40.5 has 500 litres, but the owner told me it is 600 litres in 4 tanks. Are there different set-ups, or is he just stretching things a bit?

I have looked through the owner's reports already: the main issues seem to be water leaks and electrical gremlins. Is that a fair summary? Oh! and the dreaded holding tank!

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

The holding tank is infamous and if not already replaced, that should be a priority if you purchase. My water capacity is approx 500 liters in four tanks which may be adequate for your needs, however, any time motoring through calms or motorsailing in light winds could easily consume lots of a limited supply of fuel but that's just my perspective.
The mast is not a drawback and a shallow keel could actually be an advantage if you want to anchor in shallow harbors; the obvious compromise would be pointing ability however, it is my experience the 40.5 points with the best of them and certainly better than comparable production boats of similar size and keel design.

Not sure how prevalent water leaks are - we've had only one down the mast step but that is easily corrected and never had any electrical problems but I suspect these are more attributable to faulty installations and modifications than the construction of the boat itself.

If it were me planning your trip, I'd be more concerned with preparation e.g., fastening the cabin sole deck plates and batteries, locks on all lockers, cockpit padeyes, lack of storm sail track and maybe a watermaker as improvements to this boat.

 

[Ed Schenck]

The Hunter 40.5

At the risk of making Don's head swell so that his hats don't fit the H40.5 is my favorite Hunter. Just something about the lines of the Legend series. And they look really good on the longer boats. Every winter one sits on her cradle in the driveway of my old marina where you see it everytime you drive in.

My main complaint with the larger Hunters is having two heads. Just seems like a waste of space not to mention double the trouble. I guess you could use one for storage and a wet locker.

Besides looking so good I understand that they sail really well, as in fast. Being fast means that you sacrifice some seaworthiness with all that canvas and not too much weight under the boat. But as we have discussed many times on this board, would you rather be in the weather or outrun it?

Money not withstanding that boat would be my pick.

 

[Rick D]

Small Mods

I think Don is spot on. You will want to be sure you have overboard discharge for at least one of the heads. There may be enough room under the aft bunk for another 40 gallons of fuel in bladder tanks, which you can use as needed. It would beat converting the aft water tank to fuel, altho with a watermaker, no big deal. Add a couple of hundred watts of solar panel, maybe a cutter rig (as mine has from the factory), a downwind pole, third reef to the main, and you would be good to go and live aboard.

 

[windward54]

I'd echo what Don said and a little more. I bought my H40.5 because of the roomy layout, and I was thinking of heading south when I finally retire. You can't ask for a better layout from my prospective. I have been in 40 knot winds and have felt safe, although I do try to avoid such weather.

The issues I've had were a mast leak, which I have to reseal every so often, the drainage for the refrigerator and the hot water heater, and the sanitation holding tank. All were easy to correct and have not caused much of an issue. The closest thing I've had to a big scare was I somehow lost a cotter pin beneath the roller furling drum and had the forestay come loose. But I was lucky in that I was motoring with all sails lowered and it was a calm day. I made it back and did not lose the mast.

I have the Z-Spar mast and boom, and never had problems. Parts are available through the U.S. distributer here, and that is US Spars. As for the wing keep, I don't race and really didn't notice any difference in handling with the fin keel on my last Hunter, an H34. Does come in handy as the boat has less of a draft.

I lived on my H34 for five years. I wish I had this one at the time now that I have a bigger boat. We have spent a week on the boat with just the two of us, and never felt cramped in, and have had as many as 6 on her without getting too much in everyone's way. Four is very comfortable.

 

[windward54]

Ed, you must not have sailed with many women on board!

 

[Ed Schenck]

Women on the 40.5

I'm almost 67, usually just one woman at a time. Never more than two.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

follow-up to Ed's comments -
I would agree about the second head. It is tiny and rather redundant but serves us as a storage and wet locker. For truly wasted space, I was looking at some boats at the St Pete show last weekend and saw one sailboat with a jacuzzi under the aft bed.

 

[windward54]

The head is small and I never use it. However, it has come in handy when the other half invites some of her friends on board for a weekend. Trust me, even a small head is for a second head is better than no second head when you spend a weekend with three women on board. And don't forget a good set of ear plugs as well!

 

[Bill Roosa]

A great boat

Hi
I own a 40.5 (93) with the three cabin arrangement and love it as a live aboard. She sails fast and points well even with the shoal keel. In addition to all the things already mentioned I'd get/make some sun shades if you are considering low lat sailing. It does make a big difference in temp and saves you the AC install. I use CNG for stove fuel and have 2 approx 30 liter bottles. They are easy to refill but the probability of finding a CNG station in multiple locations around the world is, as I understand it, pretty low. I live on the Chesapeake Bay and have found only one station nearby. Pretty cheep though. At $1.78 a bottle to fill up I spend more money on gas getting there and back than the CNG itself! If you use propane then you are in better shape getting refills.
The only problems I've had are leaky fixed lights/ports, a tendency to eat alternator belts and a horrible habit of sailing on her anchor. The water leaks are, IMHO, just a reseal issue and where pretty easy to fix. The alternator is a non stock 150 amp model and with only one pulley I had to derate the unit with the regulator as it simply takes too much power to drive the thing with only one belt. Even derated it makes belt dust. You can get duel pulleys for the crank and alternator but the water pump shares the belts and I have not been able to find a suitable part. The stock alternator (55 amp) SEVERLY limits your cruising as you will be spending upwards of 3 hours a day re-charging the batteries in hot climes to keep the reefer going. I have air cooled 12 volt reefer and freezer. Solar/wind/water or a combination would be an alternative but for $400 you really can't beat a 150 amp alternator. This would have to be factored into the fuel usage on passages of course. The sailing on anchor solution has eluded me so far.

 

[Franklin]

DON'T BUY IT!!!!

Not because it's a Hunter, but because of the wing keel. I have a wing keel and will never own another again. The only place I've seen anchorages less then 6' are along rivers, so I think that is mis-lead.

As my mentor used to tell me, "you will push your limits reguardless of what you draw". So when you push your limits on the wing keel and get it stuck, good luck in getting yourself off. You will need to heal the boat about 75 degrees to get unstuck and at that angle, your engine will not get you off and your sails will not have any power to get you off. Not to mention the stress you put on your keel and mast.

And I didn't even get into the pointing thing either. It's not the angle you can have your sails to the wind, it's the amount of drift you have because the keel isn't producing as much lift windward as it could.

So look for a 40.5 with a 6' fin keel. Fin keels point better. Fin keels can motor through soft mud. Fin keels can easily be healed over to reduce the draw. Fin keels have less drag. Fin keels are just plain better.

Note: don't quote me that race where the boat with a wing keel won. They were racing under a limit of keel, so a 5' wing keel is not comparable to a 5' fin keel.

 

[Franklin]

As for the fuel...that can be overcomed with wind generator and solor panels and fuel cans. In fact, I would rather have 40 gallon tank and 10 gallons in cans on deck then a 50 gallon tank. If the tank develops a leak, then you are ____. If the fuel guage goes out, you can just motor until it's dry and then you know you have 10 more gallons.

 

[TrapezeArtist]

Thanks to you all. There seems to be a consensus on most things, except Franklin's view on wing keels. While I've got to say the reduced draft seems a pretty negligible benefit (whatever my draft, I would always give it a decent safety margin anyway), everyone else has pretty well convinced me that it's not a significant negative either.

Many of the things mentioned seem to be things that wouldn't stop me buying the boat, and I could make a definitive decision later. Do I want more fuel capacity? Jerry cans or an extra tank are both possibles. Do I need two heads? Well, a need to store a couple of sail bags and wet foulies probably doesn't coinicide with the same trip as needing more facilities for the girlies, so I can have both. Water leaks? Looks like I could get pretty handy with a skeleton gun. Foul water tank? Bite the bullet: there's going to be a fairly unpleasant weekend's work at some point, and then hopefully I can control matters from there on. Numerous suggestions for passage-making extras? If I buy the boat, I'll bear those things in mind and I can work out my priorities as I put on some miles on the shorter trips that we'll inevitably start with.

Keep the opinions coming!

 

[Ed Schenck]

Haven't read all the posts maybe as thoroughly as I should. So maybe this was asked and answered. By why "trapezeartist"?

So far as the H40.5 I have already made my opinion known. Go for it!

 

[TrapezeArtist]

Why "TrapezeArtist"? My current boat is an assymetric skiff and I'm the one dangling on the trapeze.

I've come to the conclusion it is the two extremes of sailing that appeal to me most.
1. Crash-and-burn blasting on a skiff. It doesn't seem like a proper sail if we haven't been upside down at least a couple of times.
2. Big boat cruising. Long gentle passages, loafing around in a marina or on an anchorage. Watching the world go by.

 

[j.g.evans]

I think the shaol draft afforded by the winged keel is a must for the Inter Coastal and the Bahamas. There are many places and passages in both where 6' or more won't do. I have made 7 trips from NJ to the Bahamas and would not own a boat drawing more than 5'. I have run aground many times with the 40.5 and my very determined wife has motored us off every time.
I also own a C+C 36 with a centerboard. It gets stuck and maintenance is difficult. I like the all lead winged keel of the 40.5 a lot better.