I am in the market for a larger more comfortable experienced sail boat. I currently own a C-22 (my first sail boat)and have really enjoyed it. I initially only considered a larger Catalina (1984-87 C-30) as my preferred upgrade (brand loyalty), but have been approached by the prospect of a 1984 Hunter 31. I am looking for the good and not so good comments from both boat owners to educate me so I may make an informed decision with confidence. Any comments are welcome. Thanks, Mark
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Maybe you came to the right place.
Mark: I'm sure that you are aware that there is no comparision between a C-22 and the H'31 or the C-30 for that matter. You will have arrived into the world of the "real" sailboat. Heavy keel, inboard engines, water systems, electrical systems, waste systems, shaft logs, cutlass bearings etc. There are a lot more things to go wrong and to maintain. You costs for everything you do on a boat this size goes up exponentially too. You can start with the cost of sails $1200-1800 for a jib and $1500-2400 for a main sail. They are more difficult to deal with when it comes to having work done on them. You can no longer back you trailer down the ramp and take it home or to your local boat shop. Now that we have that part of larger boat ownership out of the way. The H'31 is probably one of the largest boats around for a 31'. Good sailing boat in light air. They need to be reefed in about 12-15 knots of wind to sail properly. The deep keel version points well. The only real major problem to look for is the compression post and deck delamination around the mast. If the boat has been in fresh water there are not too many things that really go bad. If it has been in saltwater then you have a few other concerns like the rudder and a few engine issues. Sail handling is substantial. On your C-22 you can raise sails without a winch. You have a lot of sail and they weight a lot more too. This was probably the biggest factor that we had to deal with when we moved from our H'25 to the H'31. Docking is the next thing but personally I never found that difficult (except when you have heavy cross winds). The Yanmar is bullet proof if taken care of. There are hoses, belts, filters and heat exchangers that need to be examined. Be sure that you get a new impeller on the waterpump. One of the most neglected and one of the most important items on the engine. The icebox has OK insulation. If you do not have refrigeration a block of ice will last for several days. The icebox drains into the bilge but the icebox drain hose usually stops somewhere under the floor of the grid. This causes water to accumulate in the grid and will sometimes become foul. If the hose can be routed directly to the bilge you may be able to elimiate some of this problem. I have not heard about any major problems with blisters on these boats. Yes, some owners have had blisters but it is not a major problem like some other mfg. We have owned ours since it was new and have had to replace the compression post (about $3k). If yours is OKAY you can actually do some preventative maintenance and seal the area before the problem occurs. The v-berth may be a little small depending on your size, but it works for us. The aft berth is great if you are tall and one of you does not mind the confined area. Good storage but not too well organized. We have added drawers under our settee on the port side that has helped the storage. We drive 3 hrs. to our boat each week, so the way we use our boat may be different than others that are only using them for day sailing. We have done several upgrades to ours including refrigeration, dodger, electrical
Mark: I'm sure that you are aware that there is no comparision between a C-22 and the H'31 or the C-30 for that matter. You will have arrived into the world of the "real" sailboat. Heavy keel, inboard engines, water systems, electrical systems, waste systems, shaft logs, cutlass bearings etc. There are a lot more things to go wrong and to maintain. You costs for everything you do on a boat this size goes up exponentially too. You can start with the cost of sails $1200-1800 for a jib and $1500-2400 for a main sail. They are more difficult to deal with when it comes to having work done on them. You can no longer back you trailer down the ramp and take it home or to your local boat shop. Now that we have that part of larger boat ownership out of the way. The H'31 is probably one of the largest boats around for a 31'. Good sailing boat in light air. They need to be reefed in about 12-15 knots of wind to sail properly. The deep keel version points well. The only real major problem to look for is the compression post and deck delamination around the mast. If the boat has been in fresh water there are not too many things that really go bad. If it has been in saltwater then you have a few other concerns like the rudder and a few engine issues. Sail handling is substantial. On your C-22 you can raise sails without a winch. You have a lot of sail and they weight a lot more too. This was probably the biggest factor that we had to deal with when we moved from our H'25 to the H'31. Docking is the next thing but personally I never found that difficult (except when you have heavy cross winds). The Yanmar is bullet proof if taken care of. There are hoses, belts, filters and heat exchangers that need to be examined. Be sure that you get a new impeller on the waterpump. One of the most neglected and one of the most important items on the engine. The icebox has OK insulation. If you do not have refrigeration a block of ice will last for several days. The icebox drains into the bilge but the icebox drain hose usually stops somewhere under the floor of the grid. This causes water to accumulate in the grid and will sometimes become foul. If the hose can be routed directly to the bilge you may be able to elimiate some of this problem. I have not heard about any major problems with blisters on these boats. Yes, some owners have had blisters but it is not a major problem like some other mfg. We have owned ours since it was new and have had to replace the compression post (about $3k). If yours is OKAY you can actually do some preventative maintenance and seal the area before the problem occurs. The v-berth may be a little small depending on your size, but it works for us. The aft berth is great if you are tall and one of you does not mind the confined area. Good storage but not too well organized. We have added drawers under our settee on the port side that has helped the storage. We drive 3 hrs. to our boat each week, so the way we use our boat may be different than others that are only using them for day sailing. We have done several upgrades to ours including refrigeration, dodger, electrical
D
Don
Try the owner's reviews for the 31'
and search the archives. A number of us have written extensively about 31's.
and search the archives. A number of us have written extensively about 31's.
J
Jim
some good some bad
I have had my 84 H31 for two years now and like it, However; It has some faults. My main complaint is the bilge draining system for the shower and ice box. I don't use either as the water gets under the liner and does not drin properly and creates a smell. There is no fuel gauge. I'm basically a day sailor with a few exceptions and besides, most of the time a lay over there are shower facilities. I originally was going to buy a Pearson 31, which was nearly twice the money. I sailed both and the Hunter out performed the Pearson, and performance is what I was after. The B
I have had my 84 H31 for two years now and like it, However; It has some faults. My main complaint is the bilge draining system for the shower and ice box. I don't use either as the water gets under the liner and does not drin properly and creates a smell. There is no fuel gauge. I'm basically a day sailor with a few exceptions and besides, most of the time a lay over there are shower facilities. I originally was going to buy a Pearson 31, which was nearly twice the money. I sailed both and the Hunter out performed the Pearson, and performance is what I was after. The B
B
Brett
Similar circumstances
My views after one summer. We owned a cal25 (1983). We first looked for a cal31. With no quarter berth this did not meet our needs. Have always considered the Catalina 30 as the perfect boat for our needs (mainly interior room). I have been on them, raced against them, and am familiar with their common maintenance problems. Always avoided Hunters (dock talk). I don't like the style of the newer ones, and have heard some horror stories on maintenance from some very new ones, noting however that the owners of those boats rarely do any preventive mainenance. Looked for a Catalina 30 and could did not find one locally, so we would have to look in Michigan. The broker suggested I look at a Hunter 31 he had listed. I was quite suprised. It met every requirement I had for our next boat. The construction is par for a value boat (Catalina is also a value boat). My theory is if a major flaw in design or construction existed on a 1984 boat that I would see evidence of such by now, in a thorough survey. We purchased the 1984 Hunter 31. No blisters, no compression post rot. Only minor deck crazing, and a clean hull. Poliglow makes it really shine for it's age. This boat really is perfect for us. It sails well. We have the shoal keel model and I am not unhappy with the performance. We do not race and our lake is not big so it meets our needs well. Primary use is day sailing and a floating cabin. Yes, I would rather have a classic looking ocean going cutter rigged cruiser, but let's be realistic. We sail in a bath tub. The boat is mainly used as a cabin. It needs to sail upwind and downwind acceptably (no trade winds here). All the systems need to work and it needs room for my two kids and their two friends. The Hunter 31 does all that really well. I have found no construction issues that I would consider unusual for a 1984 boat. Maybe a Tartan is built better, but is it really worth double the price. PS. Still getting used to the roller furling. I have always put up a sail that was perfect for the weather. That rolled up sail (even with the luff foam) just makes me feel like I am not doing a good job of sailing. But hey, we don't want to get to the other end of the lake too soon anyway.
My views after one summer. We owned a cal25 (1983). We first looked for a cal31. With no quarter berth this did not meet our needs. Have always considered the Catalina 30 as the perfect boat for our needs (mainly interior room). I have been on them, raced against them, and am familiar with their common maintenance problems. Always avoided Hunters (dock talk). I don't like the style of the newer ones, and have heard some horror stories on maintenance from some very new ones, noting however that the owners of those boats rarely do any preventive mainenance. Looked for a Catalina 30 and could did not find one locally, so we would have to look in Michigan. The broker suggested I look at a Hunter 31 he had listed. I was quite suprised. It met every requirement I had for our next boat. The construction is par for a value boat (Catalina is also a value boat). My theory is if a major flaw in design or construction existed on a 1984 boat that I would see evidence of such by now, in a thorough survey. We purchased the 1984 Hunter 31. No blisters, no compression post rot. Only minor deck crazing, and a clean hull. Poliglow makes it really shine for it's age. This boat really is perfect for us. It sails well. We have the shoal keel model and I am not unhappy with the performance. We do not race and our lake is not big so it meets our needs well. Primary use is day sailing and a floating cabin. Yes, I would rather have a classic looking ocean going cutter rigged cruiser, but let's be realistic. We sail in a bath tub. The boat is mainly used as a cabin. It needs to sail upwind and downwind acceptably (no trade winds here). All the systems need to work and it needs room for my two kids and their two friends. The Hunter 31 does all that really well. I have found no construction issues that I would consider unusual for a 1984 boat. Maybe a Tartan is built better, but is it really worth double the price. PS. Still getting used to the roller furling. I have always put up a sail that was perfect for the weather. That rolled up sail (even with the luff foam) just makes me feel like I am not doing a good job of sailing. But hey, we don't want to get to the other end of the lake too soon anyway.
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