This Spring I will be moving up from my Oday 30 to a live aboard cruiser in the 37 foot range. The realistic range will be from the Maine coast to Bermuda, The Keys and the Bahamas and possibly BVI. The Tayana 37 and the Hunter 37 (both cutters) are the 2 boats I am considering. I have found plenty of listings for both and have found some in the same price range near the same years of production. I have read the reviews.I am leaning toward the Hunter.Considering both boats pass a survey with the usually repairs/upgrade needed for both,which do you think fits my particular needs and cruising grounds better? I will be sailing with a crew of one( my wife) and doing most of it by myself. mark
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Speed -vs-comfort
Not being sure of the specs of the Tayana I would say the HUnter would be a little faster while the Tayana would offer more comfortable cruising. If you are docked most of the time, I would say the Hunter would have a more comfortable cockpit. For heavy duty cruising I would opt for the Tayana.
Not being sure of the specs of the Tayana I would say the HUnter would be a little faster while the Tayana would offer more comfortable cruising. If you are docked most of the time, I would say the Hunter would have a more comfortable cockpit. For heavy duty cruising I would opt for the Tayana.
and Jack
Jack: You forgot to mention all of that maintenance that they will not need to do on the Hunter. I have not experienced the trip to Bermuda, but would think that the Hunter is going to get there quite a bit quicker but it may not be as comfortable. Mark, I would look for one of the newer H37C with the mid boom sheeting. This makes the dodger setup a lot better. Also check with other owners regarding the engines on these models.
Jack: You forgot to mention all of that maintenance that they will not need to do on the Hunter. I have not experienced the trip to Bermuda, but would think that the Hunter is going to get there quite a bit quicker but it may not be as comfortable. Mark, I would look for one of the newer H37C with the mid boom sheeting. This makes the dodger setup a lot better. Also check with other owners regarding the engines on these models.
Mark, Tough choice. But with some risk as to
my loyality I venture this response. First of all, I do not have any experence with any boats larger than my 95 H26 and have never sailed in the salt. We also are very strongly looking for a larger boat. One of my stronger desires is to buy a cutter rig and 37 foot is the prefered boat for us. My wife and I have been studying all boats in this range VERY HARD for 6 months now so I do feel very qualified to venture my opinion The Hunter 37C is a nice boat and for coastal crusing would be fine for us. The cabin layout, deck layout and creature features all work well. On the down side I have found quite a lot of concerned comments about deck equipment fittings leaking into the cabin, the hull to deck joint leaking and deck soft spotting. The blistering appears to be no worse than any boat in this time frame. The 37 Tayana is also a cutter rig. I have found the cabin plan and deck layout more to my liking. I also would feel more comfortable in this boat on the longer water crossings we plan to make. The early Tayana's had wooden masts and booms which were a major problem with us and they had teak decking that is also a very high maintanance item. Because of these features we have ruled out the early boats. The later 37's have aluminium spars and glass decks. The cost is also quite a lot more than a Hunter. When we return in 5 years I feel the Tayana would be easier to sell. I comes down to what you will use the boat for, how safe you feel onboard if the poo hits the sails and....money. Ray S/V Speedy
my loyality I venture this response. First of all, I do not have any experence with any boats larger than my 95 H26 and have never sailed in the salt. We also are very strongly looking for a larger boat. One of my stronger desires is to buy a cutter rig and 37 foot is the prefered boat for us. My wife and I have been studying all boats in this range VERY HARD for 6 months now so I do feel very qualified to venture my opinion The Hunter 37C is a nice boat and for coastal crusing would be fine for us. The cabin layout, deck layout and creature features all work well. On the down side I have found quite a lot of concerned comments about deck equipment fittings leaking into the cabin, the hull to deck joint leaking and deck soft spotting. The blistering appears to be no worse than any boat in this time frame. The 37 Tayana is also a cutter rig. I have found the cabin plan and deck layout more to my liking. I also would feel more comfortable in this boat on the longer water crossings we plan to make. The early Tayana's had wooden masts and booms which were a major problem with us and they had teak decking that is also a very high maintanance item. Because of these features we have ruled out the early boats. The later 37's have aluminium spars and glass decks. The cost is also quite a lot more than a Hunter. When we return in 5 years I feel the Tayana would be easier to sell. I comes down to what you will use the boat for, how safe you feel onboard if the poo hits the sails and....money. Ray S/V Speedy
1985 H37C
This last summer I sailed my H37C round trip to Bermuda. It did everything I asked of it and was looking for more. I got cought in 40 knots of wind with all the sails up and it took it just fine till I got some reefs in. I have a 40 hp yanmar with mid boom sheeting. I have made may of the changes discussed here on the board and have the utmost faith in my Hunter.
This last summer I sailed my H37C round trip to Bermuda. It did everything I asked of it and was looking for more. I got cought in 40 knots of wind with all the sails up and it took it just fine till I got some reefs in. I have a 40 hp yanmar with mid boom sheeting. I have made may of the changes discussed here on the board and have the utmost faith in my Hunter.
Tayana ... Get A Good Survey...
..good vessel, but spotty quality control, esp in the earlier years. Watch especially the shafts, struts and through hulls. Of course, the same can be said for lots of used craft. Rick D.
..good vessel, but spotty quality control, esp in the earlier years. Watch especially the shafts, struts and through hulls. Of course, the same can be said for lots of used craft. Rick D.
Another H37C owner.
As an H37C owner I recommend the Tayana. If you read Vigor's book, "Seaworthy Offshore Sailboats"(link below), and then do the math you will see why. The H37C stacks up extremely well. I did the math and bought the H37C because of price/performance. I knew it was unlikely that I would circumnavigate but I definitely want to go the islands. Had that been part of the dream then I would have paid double for the Tayana. My first major upgrade was the portlights, all bronze now but a large expense and a lot of work. The only other serious outfitting will be improvements to the rudder mounting and safety gear: liferaft, radar, SSB, etc. But for right now, in Lake Erie and with new sails, she's a blast!
As an H37C owner I recommend the Tayana. If you read Vigor's book, "Seaworthy Offshore Sailboats"(link below), and then do the math you will see why. The H37C stacks up extremely well. I did the math and bought the H37C because of price/performance. I knew it was unlikely that I would circumnavigate but I definitely want to go the islands. Had that been part of the dream then I would have paid double for the Tayana. My first major upgrade was the portlights, all bronze now but a large expense and a lot of work. The only other serious outfitting will be improvements to the rudder mounting and safety gear: liferaft, radar, SSB, etc. But for right now, in Lake Erie and with new sails, she's a blast!
Tayana Owner Not Happy - Do Not Recommend
I can put you in touch with a Tayana owner who would like to sell you his boat cheap . . .
I can put you in touch with a Tayana owner who would like to sell you his boat cheap . . .
Tayana v. Hunter
It never surprises me the quality of the overall advice and/or observations folks post on this thing, Mark. First, run down and buy yourself a copy of the Jan. 2002 Cruising World magazine and read Nim Marsh's article beginning on Page 88 about the Tayana 37. It's a good article and brings up some good points. Also, get in touch with Bob Perry; yes, he's still alive and well and for $350 he will open his files to you on all the boats he's designed over the years and personally consult with you about the strengths and weaknesses. Perry's a very astute and honest fellow and, in this case, he'll be "working" for you. His insights can be very helpful. Over the years, I've worked on a few Tayanas and I personally like them. Most of the machinery is in reasonably easy access and you generally don't have to be a contortnist to work on systems. Listen, the Chinese were building blue water boats while our ancestors were scribbling on cave walls, so I think they know a few things about ocean-safe boats. However, there is something to be said about the QC/QA in the early years and the advice you were given about eschewing the early models is sound. You don't want wooden spars, either. Most of the ones that had wooden spars have been modified with aluminum installed. Also, just so you know, there are 900 bungs and screws holding the teak decks down. I tell you this in case you have deck leaks..and some of the older ones do. Welcome to "Recalk your decks 101" and it's an arduous task. Also, chances are good you will have to remove and rebed the ports on older models, i.e., anything 10 years or older. More hassle than anything, but you don't want leaky ports. Ditto on the hatches. Most of the Tayanas available out there today in the $65k-$95k bracket typically suffer from lack of attention, so a good survey is mandatory. As to your question about whether a Hunter or a Tayana makes a better cruiser, well, in my opinion, the Tayana wins hands down and I own a 78h30. I can't speak to the successes or failures others have had and I freely admit I really like my Hunter for daysailing, coastal cruising and that sort of thing, but I don't consider either mine or any other Hunter to be what I would necessarily call a true bluewater cruiser. Others will disagree with me, but I have been on a variety of true bluewater yachts over the more than 35 years I've been doing this and I can tell you none of them were Hunters. All this talk about comfort over speed is hogwash; want to go fast? Well, then, why the heck are you trying to go anywhere on a boat then? If you have the need for speed, go by jet. In any bluewater endeavor, most of us -- the racing elite not included here -- want the comfort and security of a sea-kindly boat and I think that pretty much is what Tayanas are all about. I think, too, from what I have seen over the years that a $65k Tayana is going to require a bit more work while the ones on the upper end usually have most of the stuff done on them already. Of course, that's just my opinion and sometimes it's only worth what you pay for it!
It never surprises me the quality of the overall advice and/or observations folks post on this thing, Mark. First, run down and buy yourself a copy of the Jan. 2002 Cruising World magazine and read Nim Marsh's article beginning on Page 88 about the Tayana 37. It's a good article and brings up some good points. Also, get in touch with Bob Perry; yes, he's still alive and well and for $350 he will open his files to you on all the boats he's designed over the years and personally consult with you about the strengths and weaknesses. Perry's a very astute and honest fellow and, in this case, he'll be "working" for you. His insights can be very helpful. Over the years, I've worked on a few Tayanas and I personally like them. Most of the machinery is in reasonably easy access and you generally don't have to be a contortnist to work on systems. Listen, the Chinese were building blue water boats while our ancestors were scribbling on cave walls, so I think they know a few things about ocean-safe boats. However, there is something to be said about the QC/QA in the early years and the advice you were given about eschewing the early models is sound. You don't want wooden spars, either. Most of the ones that had wooden spars have been modified with aluminum installed. Also, just so you know, there are 900 bungs and screws holding the teak decks down. I tell you this in case you have deck leaks..and some of the older ones do. Welcome to "Recalk your decks 101" and it's an arduous task. Also, chances are good you will have to remove and rebed the ports on older models, i.e., anything 10 years or older. More hassle than anything, but you don't want leaky ports. Ditto on the hatches. Most of the Tayanas available out there today in the $65k-$95k bracket typically suffer from lack of attention, so a good survey is mandatory. As to your question about whether a Hunter or a Tayana makes a better cruiser, well, in my opinion, the Tayana wins hands down and I own a 78h30. I can't speak to the successes or failures others have had and I freely admit I really like my Hunter for daysailing, coastal cruising and that sort of thing, but I don't consider either mine or any other Hunter to be what I would necessarily call a true bluewater cruiser. Others will disagree with me, but I have been on a variety of true bluewater yachts over the more than 35 years I've been doing this and I can tell you none of them were Hunters. All this talk about comfort over speed is hogwash; want to go fast? Well, then, why the heck are you trying to go anywhere on a boat then? If you have the need for speed, go by jet. In any bluewater endeavor, most of us -- the racing elite not included here -- want the comfort and security of a sea-kindly boat and I think that pretty much is what Tayanas are all about. I think, too, from what I have seen over the years that a $65k Tayana is going to require a bit more work while the ones on the upper end usually have most of the stuff done on them already. Of course, that's just my opinion and sometimes it's only worth what you pay for it!
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