Getting another boat 94 Hunter 26 water ballast

[dgreen1991]

Found a great deal on a Hunter 26. Read about the pros and cons and decided to give it a try. Can't believe how big it is. The admiral wants more room. I am keeping my Catalina 22 for 3 day weekend trips and plan to use the Hunter on week long trips. Not sure if the Hunter will be a keeper. I really love my C22. The boat has a furler which I know nothing about. Got to search to see how they work. I like hank on because of sail shape. Is there a spring inside that makes it turn? I know they are line controlled. Gonna tow it home 160 miles tomorrow morning. I got it so cheap that I can sale it for a profit if I do not like it. I have to repair one spreader pulled out at the mast which is the worst thing I saw. Looks like it was riveted on. I also thought it would be a fun boat to do the Great Loop on. I am going to see how well my Tohatsu 6 sailpro pushes it. It may be underpowered, I will see. I like the ladder and stern. It has the external controls for a Tohatsu 8. I hope to get by with the 6 because of the low weight. The boat is so easy to get on and off. It also has a large fuel tank and locker built into the floor. Looks bigger than 6 gallons. I will even get an autopilot with it. I will put at least another grand in it. Needs new lines, bottom paint etc. Man it is a palace inside. Negatives are there: Windage, Not great upwind pointer, not sold on waterballast, not a fast boat. I wonder if it will go faster than my C22. Numbers say yes we will see. I think out of the large water ballast boats It looks great.

 

[CaptDon01]

We belonged to a trailer-sailor club when we lived in San Diego. At the time, we sailed a Capri-18, however we wanted some additional room. Friends in the club had a Hunter-26, Macgregor-26, and a Catalina-250, all water ballasted boats. Both the Hunter and the Macgregor had more headroom than the C-250, but I was impressed with stability of the C-250 under sail. The Hunter was the most spacious I believe, but I never sail on it, just got to look around at raft-ups. I would guess with the high freeboard, that windage could come to be a factor with only 6 HP. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with a water ballasted boat. I know, I know, I had the same phobias, until I actually experienced it.

But at least you're keeping the C-22, so there is still some hope for you.....

Here are some photos of our friends Hunter and C-250.

Don

 

[dgreen1991]

Thanks for the reply. Price was really the motivator for me buying this boat, plus the admiral wanting more space and entertaining more people. The thing has mermaid air conditioner built in. Uses water pumps etc. Have to check everything out. If it all works I did really good on this deal. pretty good sail inventory too. Glanced at them, looked pretty crisp. The rig is a little weird, no traveler and no backstay. Did you sail either of the WB boats? I think I may be disappointed. I look at it this way, my wife will be happy and on the water with me. At least the wind will move the boat, not racing anyway. Don't point high enough, outboard on. Life on board will be nice. 5'7" headroom. I have to stoop a little 5'11", wife can stand. She will like that. Trailer has surge brakes which I will find out tomorrow if they work. I have my doubts.

 

[Kermit]

Cool beans! I'm happy for you. We love our H260. I never tell anyone they will like something because everyone's taste is different. But dang we're happy with ours.

We have no pointing issues. We've never owned a boat without roller furling. They are not spring-loaded. It uses a continuos line on a drum.
We looked at several H26s and found a common issue was water pouring in from windows that had lost their seal. We didn't want any projects so we kept looking.

We're very happy with the water ballast. I've never met a water ballast owner who didn't like it. The only ones who hate it seem to be the ones who've never tried it.

I'd really love to come over and see your a/c install. And as far as no backstay, it's off-looking at first but having it there is pretty cool.

Congratulations!

 

[CaptDon01]

dgreen 1991, Yes, we sailed on the C-250, very stable. As a matter of fact, Catalina uses the same mast and sails on either the water ballasted or wing keeled C-250. Potty-privacy was a big motivation for us. That's where the C-22 MK-II came in. With a little modification we converted the V-berth area to a semi-enclosed head and luggage storage. It's like a handicap stall!

Don

 

[Benny17441]

If your goal is to trailer the 26' is designed with that in mind and it will be a fine choice.

 

[dgreen1991]

If your goal is to trailer the 26' is designed with that in mind and it will be a fine choice.

Thanks for all the info and comments. Got it home today and took everything out. It has a main, Jib and spinaker too all in great shape. 2 burner Origo, Force 10 grill. The AC was mounted in the V. They basically cut around the opening to make it bigger and glassed in a board to mount it on. They reused the cutout as a hatch. They also cut a screen vent in the forward curve of the Dining area foot air input. Two through holes the output above the waterline port side same compartment. Water Intake in the first starboard side storage area, then forward through a screen strainer, then pump, then AC. They ran a duct all the way into the potty area Port side and installed a vent in the top of the counter. I'll post pictures later. Takes up room and I have to test everything. All the electrical I will test before powering anything. There is still some storage forward of the AC. I may remove the AC if I cannot fix it. I will replace all the lights to LED some broke etc. I plan to upgrade the fuse panel and will rewire everything. The wiring in the back where the two batteries are is terrible. I will have to locate and test all wires including the AC. They also had a crappy old car charger which I will replace. The ports all need gasket and screens, rollers at the foot of the mast are cracked and need replacing, Surge brake system will need repair, new tires too. I will have to run all new lines in the mast and repair the mast were the spreaders mount. I may add VHF antenna and will add LED anchor light and nav lights. The cushions are in great shape. I do not like that big table. The P.O. cut the table and installed hinges and it is broke, did not use piano hinge and screws pulled out also needs refinishing. The nice thing about owning 2 boats, I can take my time getting this one fixed while sailing my C22. Oh, it does have a traveler near the companion way. What is the U bolt for in the middle of the cockpit floor? Roller furling question. Can the sail be removed and installed without removing the furler? Also, plan to replace all faucets and install tank with pressurized cold water. Mo Money Mo Money Mo Money!

 

[Gene Neill]

I'm guessing the U bolt is to tether yourself to?

 

[Kermit]

The U-bolt is where you attach the mainsheet if you don't have a traveler.