Is there any advice or horror stories on changing from a 1995 Hunter 26 to a 1984 Hunter 31?? We definitely have the itch for more size!
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
It will be the best day of the rest of your life.
Joe: The H'31 is a great boat. The layout down below is one of the best of any 30+' boat built during it's era and still is better than many built today. The only problem that we had going from a 25' to the 31' is hauling sails. They are definetly bigger. Check out the owners reviews of the boat and check out the archives. Only a couple of problem areas that are not difficult to spot. Get a GOOD survey done and you should be a happy camper. The price on these boats seem to range from a low in the low $20k's (usually in poor shape) to somewhere in the low $30k's. Seems like $27-29 is about a good price for a nice one.
Joe: The H'31 is a great boat. The layout down below is one of the best of any 30+' boat built during it's era and still is better than many built today. The only problem that we had going from a 25' to the 31' is hauling sails. They are definetly bigger. Check out the owners reviews of the boat and check out the archives. Only a couple of problem areas that are not difficult to spot. Get a GOOD survey done and you should be a happy camper. The price on these boats seem to range from a low in the low $20k's (usually in poor shape) to somewhere in the low $30k's. Seems like $27-29 is about a good price for a nice one.
T
TOMMY MCNAMARA
NEWER TO OLDER
No humor stories,but backing up your idea of going with a larger boat. One year after buying a new 450 and learning how to sail it,I was hot to go for a 55-65 ft boat but second hand.Found two that fit my needs, but no dealer or individual would take a trade in.Being that we were dealing in the area of $300,000-400,00 it became evident that 8.2/5% tax became a part of it and selling a 450 could get involved,not to mention the work involved.So being 70 years young I gave up the idea. However,if you can proceed without these things,I think it to be a good idea. Mine is like a floating condo and I also live aboard. The joker
No humor stories,but backing up your idea of going with a larger boat. One year after buying a new 450 and learning how to sail it,I was hot to go for a 55-65 ft boat but second hand.Found two that fit my needs, but no dealer or individual would take a trade in.Being that we were dealing in the area of $300,000-400,00 it became evident that 8.2/5% tax became a part of it and selling a 450 could get involved,not to mention the work involved.So being 70 years young I gave up the idea. However,if you can proceed without these things,I think it to be a good idea. Mine is like a floating condo and I also live aboard. The joker
D
Don
Absolutely.
I went from a 22 to an'84 31'. Absolutlely loved the room and greatly improved sailing (I'm on the Chesapeake.) There is no comparison. But, with a bigger and older boat (2 issues there), you are looking at a lot more maintenance, both initially and ongoing. I really liked the newer 26's where all is simple and clean. But, I enjoyed working on my 31. That's the primary issue facing you if you go with an older boat. As for sailing the 31 alone, that's ok too. I just sold my 31 and moved up to a 37.5. The challenge continues...
I went from a 22 to an'84 31'. Absolutlely loved the room and greatly improved sailing (I'm on the Chesapeake.) There is no comparison. But, with a bigger and older boat (2 issues there), you are looking at a lot more maintenance, both initially and ongoing. I really liked the newer 26's where all is simple and clean. But, I enjoyed working on my 31. That's the primary issue facing you if you go with an older boat. As for sailing the 31 alone, that's ok too. I just sold my 31 and moved up to a 37.5. The challenge continues...
C
Chuck
Do not hesitate
Bought a '83 h31 last season. Could not be happier with the purchase. Do you homework and get a good survey. I paid about $20,000 for mine it was in very good shape. I do a fair amount of single handed sailing and have no problem. Good luck and let us know how you do.
Bought a '83 h31 last season. Could not be happier with the purchase. Do you homework and get a good survey. I paid about $20,000 for mine it was in very good shape. I do a fair amount of single handed sailing and have no problem. Good luck and let us know how you do.
A
Alan Liebnick
Excellent Choice
We have a 1986 Hunter31 and I am thrilled with it. I've had it 4 years and my current crew (8,6, and 2 year old) were raised on it. Moving up to it,had several drawbacks BUT not unsurmountable. 1. The sails are definitely heavier to raise.My first mate just sweats alittle more. 2 Attaching the main halyard required installing flip up mast steps. My first mate is 5'4". ( the captain towers in at 5'6"!!) But you will enjoy the boat- I promise. The layout is great and the cockpit is roomy. I don't have a dodger so the kids can sit under the boom.
We have a 1986 Hunter31 and I am thrilled with it. I've had it 4 years and my current crew (8,6, and 2 year old) were raised on it. Moving up to it,had several drawbacks BUT not unsurmountable. 1. The sails are definitely heavier to raise.My first mate just sweats alittle more. 2 Attaching the main halyard required installing flip up mast steps. My first mate is 5'4". ( the captain towers in at 5'6"!!) But you will enjoy the boat- I promise. The layout is great and the cockpit is roomy. I don't have a dodger so the kids can sit under the boom.
G
Greg
One thing to check
Check the compression post for rot before buying. The only good way to check is to remove the door jam for the head door. Search the forum archives here for all of the horror stories on the 31s and 34s. Enter "compression post rot." There is also a great posting in the photo forum. I had my boat surveyed and the surveyor told me it was OK. It wasn't. Turned out he drilled into the teak that was covering the compression post instead of the real compression post!
Check the compression post for rot before buying. The only good way to check is to remove the door jam for the head door. Search the forum archives here for all of the horror stories on the 31s and 34s. Enter "compression post rot." There is also a great posting in the photo forum. I had my boat surveyed and the surveyor told me it was OK. It wasn't. Turned out he drilled into the teak that was covering the compression post instead of the real compression post!
C
Craig Young
Great Boat
We bought our '86 H31 in '89. We'd looked at a lot of boats and the H31 was the best lay out we'd seen for that size of boat. I have raced her for most of the winters here and like the way she handles. I like it best at about 10 to 12 kts. She is starting to need more attention now that she's 15 yrs. old but has done well by us. Good luck.
We bought our '86 H31 in '89. We'd looked at a lot of boats and the H31 was the best lay out we'd seen for that size of boat. I have raced her for most of the winters here and like the way she handles. I like it best at about 10 to 12 kts. She is starting to need more attention now that she's 15 yrs. old but has done well by us. Good luck.
E
Eric Steege
Good move up
I started with a 22' and moved up to '84 H'31. I have had it for three seasons, and I love it. It is easier to sail than my 22' and has lots of room for my family of five.
I started with a 22' and moved up to '84 H'31. I have had it for three seasons, and I love it. It is easier to sail than my 22' and has lots of room for my family of five.
R
Roger Mummah
H31 Works For Us
Endless Summer is 1983 h31 #58. She took us 1200 miles from Virginia to the Florida Keys, where we lived aboard her for 2+ years at a marina. We also had a car the doubled as a dock box. We loved the boat and the Keys life style. We finally made it to the Bahamas and Endless Summer effortlessly took us 300 miles there and 300 miles back from the Exumas. In April we plan to spend 4 months in the Abacos aboard her. We have thought about upgrading to a bigger, heavier cruising boat, but we are proving to ourselves that this h31 can do anything we want to do. Our boat has never had the compression post problem. In fact we have never had ANY major problems. The cabin layouts vary a little from year to year, and I'd look into which you like best. You could probably go to the "owner's database" and get some specifics. I don't know if any h31's had the Yanmar 2GMF20 (as opposed to the 2GMF), but the extra 5 hp would be an improvement IMHO. Like I said, we have gone a long, long way on this great boat, and if we can save about $100 grand by making her work for the Bahamas! If you buy an h31, your fellow owners can give you ideas for a zillion upgrades to ALL theboat's systems. Look forward to seeing you "out there". Roger and Susie Mummah
Endless Summer is 1983 h31 #58. She took us 1200 miles from Virginia to the Florida Keys, where we lived aboard her for 2+ years at a marina. We also had a car the doubled as a dock box. We loved the boat and the Keys life style. We finally made it to the Bahamas and Endless Summer effortlessly took us 300 miles there and 300 miles back from the Exumas. In April we plan to spend 4 months in the Abacos aboard her. We have thought about upgrading to a bigger, heavier cruising boat, but we are proving to ourselves that this h31 can do anything we want to do. Our boat has never had the compression post problem. In fact we have never had ANY major problems. The cabin layouts vary a little from year to year, and I'd look into which you like best. You could probably go to the "owner's database" and get some specifics. I don't know if any h31's had the Yanmar 2GMF20 (as opposed to the 2GMF), but the extra 5 hp would be an improvement IMHO. Like I said, we have gone a long, long way on this great boat, and if we can save about $100 grand by making her work for the Bahamas! If you buy an h31, your fellow owners can give you ideas for a zillion upgrades to ALL theboat's systems. Look forward to seeing you "out there". Roger and Susie Mummah
R
Reggie Lawrence
Logical Leap
Assuming the survey comes back positive, your choice is a great one! I went from a Catalina 22 to the H31 and found it to be a logical leap upward. You'll find her both breezy and roomy below with distinct areas for chart work, gally work, dining/entertaining, personal hygiene and sleeping. She is very stable and can take the 3'-4' chop of the Chesapeake (or Atlantic) in easy stride. I was (had to let her go) fond of singlehanding out of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River against the prevailing southeasterly and had little trouble (when there was wind). Her cockpit is comfortable for two or four and a few more can catch the sun from the cabin roof or bow. The Yamaha is a very reliable iron mate and you'll enjoy the attention she gets from the docksiders. You can tell I miss my baby very much, can't you? You're right!
Assuming the survey comes back positive, your choice is a great one! I went from a Catalina 22 to the H31 and found it to be a logical leap upward. You'll find her both breezy and roomy below with distinct areas for chart work, gally work, dining/entertaining, personal hygiene and sleeping. She is very stable and can take the 3'-4' chop of the Chesapeake (or Atlantic) in easy stride. I was (had to let her go) fond of singlehanding out of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River against the prevailing southeasterly and had little trouble (when there was wind). Her cockpit is comfortable for two or four and a few more can catch the sun from the cabin roof or bow. The Yamaha is a very reliable iron mate and you'll enjoy the attention she gets from the docksiders. You can tell I miss my baby very much, can't you? You're right!
S
Scott Moore
H31...great boat for us
Purchased our 83'H31 March 2000. So far...no problems, absolutly NO regrets! Well equiped, plenty of headroom & space for our family of four. Get a good/reliable survey. Happy hunting
Purchased our 83'H31 March 2000. So far...no problems, absolutly NO regrets! Well equiped, plenty of headroom & space for our family of four. Get a good/reliable survey. Happy hunting
J
Joe Baker
Thank you, thank you!!!!
We are sold if we can find a good 31. Thank you all so much for this valued information! We have perused the Web and some magazines and found a few prospectives. One had a survey three years ago. Would it be advisable to pass up a new survey if I go over the boat carefully with the old survey in hand?
We are sold if we can find a good 31. Thank you all so much for this valued information! We have perused the Web and some magazines and found a few prospectives. One had a survey three years ago. Would it be advisable to pass up a new survey if I go over the boat carefully with the old survey in hand?
D
David Foster
Survey a must
Your insurance will probably require it, but the real reason is that most problems on older boats are cumulative. If something has gone wrong on your prospective h31, it probably did become critical in the past few years. A survey also gives you a great baseline when you take over the boat. David (bought a '77 h27 last spring.)
Your insurance will probably require it, but the real reason is that most problems on older boats are cumulative. If something has gone wrong on your prospective h31, it probably did become critical in the past few years. A survey also gives you a great baseline when you take over the boat. David (bought a '77 h27 last spring.)
T
Terry Houwerzyl
Newer year
When you are looking for your new 31', check out the 1987 model. These are before the Legend series and have a different layout than the earlier models. We had ours for close to 10 years before selling her to move up to our 40.
When you are looking for your new 31', check out the 1987 model. These are before the Legend series and have a different layout than the earlier models. We had ours for close to 10 years before selling her to move up to our 40.
pass on the survey?
Joe: I do not think that passing on a current survey is money saved. A survey is going to cost you about $300, there is nothing that I can think of that is going to get fixed for $300 (except the batteries, maybe). Get a survey from a reputable surveyor and think of it as money in the bank. PS: If the compress post is going bad the cost is about $3k. Replacement rudder $1k, soggy deck $$$ and the beat goes on.
Joe: I do not think that passing on a current survey is money saved. A survey is going to cost you about $300, there is nothing that I can think of that is going to get fixed for $300 (except the batteries, maybe). Get a survey from a reputable surveyor and think of it as money in the bank. PS: If the compress post is going bad the cost is about $3k. Replacement rudder $1k, soggy deck $$$ and the beat goes on.
D
David
H 31 Survey?
Joe, always get a survey. It is your best protection, also, you will generally need it for any financing and insurance. A surveyors report is based on a survey that is done at a particular moment in time. A lot can happen to a vessel in a short period of time.
Joe, always get a survey. It is your best protection, also, you will generally need it for any financing and insurance. A surveyors report is based on a survey that is done at a particular moment in time. A lot can happen to a vessel in a short period of time.
P
Peggie Hall/Head Mistress
Joe, an old survey is worthless
And so is a seller's survey. When you hire a surveyor, that surveyor represents YOU, and YOUR interests...so you want the best one you can find. You have no way of knowing how well qualified a previous surveyor was...what he might have missed, or what may have been an insigificant problem at the time of the old survey that the seller should have corrected but didn't...and now has progressed to a serious problem that you won't find because you don't know what to look for. Your lender/insurance company will require at least a current "C&V" (condition & value) survey anyway, which isn't a thorough as a full pre-purchase survey, but costs about half as much. Bite the bullet and get the full one. All used boats have a few problems...they may be minor, but minor problems can turn into major ones if not found and corrected...and 99% of the time, the cost of correcting 'em all is more than the price of the survey. When problems are found during a pre-purchase survey, the buyer has two options: renegotiate the price downward enough to cover the cost of correcting 'em, or require the seller to fix 'em *to your surveyor's satisfaction.* I recommend the latter...just in case it turns out that there was more to the problem than could be seen till it was removed or taken apart for repairs (i.e. rot in the floor under a leaky toilet that hadn't spread far enough to notice till the toilet was removed...turning what you thought would only be $150 for a new toilet into a $500+ repair AND a new toilet!!) Hire the best surveyor you can find, and make any offer 'subject to survey.' It'll be the best investment you can make. And btw, be there during the survey...a good surveyor will want to show you everything, good AND bad... what you'll want to keep an eye on "just in case"...what's especially good, and what isn't that--while it isn't exactly a problem--you might consider changing.
And so is a seller's survey. When you hire a surveyor, that surveyor represents YOU, and YOUR interests...so you want the best one you can find. You have no way of knowing how well qualified a previous surveyor was...what he might have missed, or what may have been an insigificant problem at the time of the old survey that the seller should have corrected but didn't...and now has progressed to a serious problem that you won't find because you don't know what to look for. Your lender/insurance company will require at least a current "C&V" (condition & value) survey anyway, which isn't a thorough as a full pre-purchase survey, but costs about half as much. Bite the bullet and get the full one. All used boats have a few problems...they may be minor, but minor problems can turn into major ones if not found and corrected...and 99% of the time, the cost of correcting 'em all is more than the price of the survey. When problems are found during a pre-purchase survey, the buyer has two options: renegotiate the price downward enough to cover the cost of correcting 'em, or require the seller to fix 'em *to your surveyor's satisfaction.* I recommend the latter...just in case it turns out that there was more to the problem than could be seen till it was removed or taken apart for repairs (i.e. rot in the floor under a leaky toilet that hadn't spread far enough to notice till the toilet was removed...turning what you thought would only be $150 for a new toilet into a $500+ repair AND a new toilet!!) Hire the best surveyor you can find, and make any offer 'subject to survey.' It'll be the best investment you can make. And btw, be there during the survey...a good surveyor will want to show you everything, good AND bad... what you'll want to keep an eye on "just in case"...what's especially good, and what isn't that--while it isn't exactly a problem--you might consider changing.
With all of this said....
a surveyor has NO responsibility to you for ANYTHING that they don't find or that they miss. So when you look around you want to find someone that has a great reputation. You may know more about the specific boat that you are looking to buy (all from your friends at HOW) than many surveyors, sooooooooooo. Make a check list of EVERYTHING that you know can be wrong with one of these boats and give it to your surveyor and demand that he/she pays special attention to these items. That way they look for the things that they know to look for and you have them look for things that are common with the specific boat that you are looking at. GO GET'UM
a surveyor has NO responsibility to you for ANYTHING that they don't find or that they miss. So when you look around you want to find someone that has a great reputation. You may know more about the specific boat that you are looking to buy (all from your friends at HOW) than many surveyors, sooooooooooo. Make a check list of EVERYTHING that you know can be wrong with one of these boats and give it to your surveyor and demand that he/she pays special attention to these items. That way they look for the things that they know to look for and you have them look for things that are common with the specific boat that you are looking at. GO GET'UM
J
Joe Baker
Well, thanks again!!
You have convinced me!!!! I will be getting a survey! Any reputable surveyors to recommend in the Florida Keys??
You have convinced me!!!! I will be getting a survey! Any reputable surveyors to recommend in the Florida Keys??
- Status
- Not open for further replies.