Built quality

[sonny21566]

Hello All Hunters' owner,

Recently I purchased a new Hunter 33, 2008 model and ordered with most of the options. I found the built quality are below standard. Here are some of the items which are badly installed: !. Aft port window leaking and badly installed. 2. Head port window out of alignment and plastic trim warp. 3. Cockpit table not installed. 4. Rub rail so badly installed that there are gaps every where and out of alignment. 5. Stern rail seats mounting completely miss backing plates on transom. 6. There are no nuts to been seen on the stern rail seats, there are just glued on. 7. Aft cabin side panel plywood underlay totally rotten.The list goes on and on. My question is: Is this the way Hunter builts their boats, missing the backing plate completely and missing nuts for the transom seats. I would appreciate your opions on this and advice what should I do. PenneSoh

 

[Rick D]

Go To The Top

That's awful. Hunter has said they had a major QC improvement over the last decade. I sure can't square that with your description. I would e-mail them and follow up with a phone call. Let us know what the outcome is. Sorry; that is a real disappointment for a new boat and not something they would like to see in an export market.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

That sure sounds atypical of what i've seen and heard of contemporary boats. Not that it is any excuse for defects but the description of wood rot implies the boat has been sitting for quite a while with this leak. Some of the items are also clearly commissioning issues rather than construction. You should start with the Hunter broker who sold you the boat as the company considers them their representative and certainly notify hunter of your problems and what you expect from their rep.

 

[Andy1237]

Sonny, your post is from Malaysia? I don't know, do Hunters sold there get shipped from USA or are they made elsewhere, like Australia, UK?? Where did you buy your boat? Maybe its a Hunter "knockoff" like my Rolex watch!

 

[Build Location]

Not Australia

They aren't built in Australia and I think the UK factory closed a while back (the UK versions were called Legends).

 

[Ed Schenck]

This blog smells very fishy. There is no way that a dealer would ever give someone a boat with those problems. And UK Hunters are not related to USA Hunters if that is what it is. And how could a boat built in 2008 have "rot", no way?!!

 

[seadaddler]

Some thing Smells.
My 2007 Hunter 36 was perfectly built and I was very happy with the way it was built and the dealer took care of any very miner problems.
This all sounds very fishy.
Nick

 

[newly anonymous]

another possibility...

This blog smells very fishy. There is no way that a dealer would ever give someone a boat with those problems.

...is that the boat was shipped to Malaysia aboard a freighter without its rails, et cetera, installed, and then commissioned by someone who didn't know his way around Hunter boats.

Either way, the place to go with this is Hunter Marine Customer Service. They stand by their products.

 

[Phil Herring]

Re: another possibility...

I'm hearing from my sources that there's more to this story than has been posted here. Perhaps Sonny will clue us in on the whole situation...

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I'm hearing from my sources that there's more to this story than has been posted here. Perhaps Sonny will clue us in on the whole situation...

Phil
Lacking that, perhaps you will?
Lots of us have good reason to be interested...

 

[Build Location]

Hunter UK

Ed

Hunter Marine started building Hunters in the UK in early 2001. They closed the factory in 2006.

The boats were called Legends in the UK. I suspect this was because the name Hunter was used by another UK company who had nothing to do with Hunter Marine.

Here is a link with a press release from Hunter about it.

 

[Build Location]

Oops

Here is the link: http://www.legendowners.com/rs05/home/news.html

 

[Phil Herring]

Lacking that, perhaps you will?
Lots of us have good reason to be interested...

:neutral: Well, my sources aren't quite that good... I don't have details or I would share them, I promise. What I've heard is that there's more to it than what we see here. Predictable really, because whenever someone posts this kind of thing there are often details left out.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

:neutral: Well, my sources aren't quite that good... I don't have details or I would share them, I promise. What I've heard is that there's more to it than what we see here. Predictable really, because whenever someone posts this kind of thing there are often details left out.

Sounds like it is safe to assume, based upon the lack of follow-up by the original poster, that the picture he paints may not be totally objective.

 

[Franklin]

BUT....while replacing my deck port hatches (the small 5x12) I didn't like what I saw. I saw that the hole cut for the hatch was WAY off. The hole didn't fit the shape and the hatch just barely (1/16") covered the top right corner. I had to use a lot of silicone to make sure it didn't leak. It was like that on both hatches on the starboard side (above the stove). I will be replacing the rest this spring and if I find the same problems then I'm going to give Hunter an earfull. Of course, not much can be done about it now without reglassing the whole thing and cutting a new hole, which I don't like the idea of.

I like Hunter boats but sometimes I see something that just drives me nuts.

 

[Ken Honeycutt]

2008 Hunter 36 problems

I had a few problems with my 2008 Hunter but nothing like the poster mentioned. Mine were pretty minor and the Hunter dealer took care of them. My only complaint was that the dealer was a little slow on some repairs.

1. Salon main hatch leak
2. Battery cover not secured properly (holes drilled so that screws would not match up)
3. Broken galley sink cabinet latch (these are kind of cheaply made chinese plastic parts).
4. Head pump broken fitting (found this out after boat was delivered but dealer took care of).
5. auto pilot loose clutch handle (self repaired)
6. Arch speaker housing plastic cracked.
7. one defective battery
8. propane hatch cover wouldn't latch closed

- a few things they could improve on but overall the quality is very good. I'm sure boats that cost twice as much would have problems as well.

 

[Ed Schenck]

That was exactly my point about Hunters in the UK. The boats built by "our" Hunter were Legends. But there were/are Hunter boats in Europe and they are not related. Could he be talking about a UK Hunter?

And who is "Guest"? Why the anonymity?

 

[Benny]

There is usually three sides to the story, the buyer's, the manufacturer's and the truth.

 

[sonny21566]

Hello Hunter's owner,
I bought my boat through a Hunter dealer in Malaysia, which they import it from America and not from UK. I commissioned the boat myself, not to save a few dollars but to know more about the boat. I am a trained mechanic and a factory motorcycle road racer for 15 years and doing my motorcycle and car business for the last 45 years, I know what I am doing and I know what is a the difference between good and bad product. I am not trying to run down Hunter's product, but the built quility on my boat is pure rubbish. The things that been installed and built were being done by trained apprentics and not by expert, this is my honest opinion. I went ahead to buy this boat even after reading negative reports from the forum. What can I say, I just make the wrong choice. Warm regards: PS

 

[Ken Honeycutt]

I've got a real hard time believing Hunter would let a boat leave the factory in this condition. Sounds to me like there was some damage done in shipping. Also, are you sure the dealer didn't 'borrow' some of the items that were missing or rotten such as the bolts on the stern seats or the rotten panel to commission another boat until they could get replacement parts. These things happen as my dealer 'borrowed' a couple of items to commission another Hunter, he replaced them as soon as he received the parts from the factory.