Help with selecting next boat

Andy1237 · Apr 13, 2009

Now before we start this you do know that your next boat is your last boat!

sharkdive1 · Apr 14, 2009

Here is a good link for info on the H260. http://kobernus.com/hunter260/index.html
I have a 96 H26 and love it. I only payed 10K for the boat last year and the previous owner installed alot of stuff. I like tiller for the extra room on the boat.

Joey

sharkdive1 · Apr 15, 2009

yadayada said:
Thanks Joey. I've been reading that website thoroughly for info. Did the price for your boat include a trailer?

Seems like the most problems for the water ballast 26 and 260 boil down to:

Water leak at bottom of compression post.
How well the down haul line works for the rudder.
Attachment of forestay and shrouds to the mast.

Also does your water ballast boat seem "tippy" for the first 5-10 degrees of heel? Enough at least to make guests nervous??

Anyone experienced any of these problems? I read about them but wonder how much of an issue any of them are.

Ken

Hey Ken,

The boat did not come with a trailer but I had a 2003 trailer for a power boat that I just converted for the sail boat. It worked out great.

As for leaks, the compression post does not leak on mine. The only leaks that I have are the thru-halls on the sinks and the the thru-hull transducer for the speed and depth. I have the boat apart to fix everything right now. I am installing a pressure water system, A/C, a new wind display, a T/V DVD and fixing the leaks. It did not have a down haul line on it when I got so that I do not know. As for the rigging to the mast, it all looks good. I am replacing the halyards with new since I have the mast off the boat.

As for it heeling over, I do not find it to be that bad. No one has gotten nervous yet. I have sailed it in 25 knot winds.

I removed the table to get more room for the kids, and it made it big inside.
You can get to the vberth easier and to the storage. We eat outside so what do you need the table for.

Joey

sharkdive1 · Apr 16, 2009

I was always a power boater. My wife and I would go to the Bahamas on a 21 ft boat and just stay on it or sleep on an island in a tent. Now with a family, I needed a bigger boat that I could trailer and that the everyone could sleep on. So I got this one and love it. Most of the time it is just my daughter and I, she is only 5 but she is great on the boat. I will have her steer when I need to trim the sails or sometimes she will trim the main just so that she thinks that she is sailing the boat.

Some people mite think that I have put to much stuff in the boat but it all fits. The A/C is under the sink and I run it off a inverter and to golf cart batteries. The water tank is a 40 gal under the vberth. I also have a Zodi camping hot water heater for a shower That I just hang off the boom. To recharge the batteries I use a Honda 2000 generator but only when we go on a trip. I just leave it in front of the outboard.

When I go sailing with my daughter it only takes me 20 to 30 min to set up the mast and sails and put it in the water. It is not a hard boat to sail.

Joey

Deucer · Apr 17, 2009

Yadayada,

I've got a 98 H260. A couple of things now that I've owned it for a couple of years. Rigging the boat gets old after awhile, especially if you can only do short sails. It takes us about an hour to get the boat in the water, and an hour to get it out...if everything goes well. Here's some of the issues we've dealt with:

1. Pinning the mast and mast twist. We're having a heck of a time getting the pin in the base of the mast. Looking over my boat, I've noticed a slight bow in the starboard hard stay. I plan on replacing it and hope that makes pinning the mast easier. Second thing is the mast will twist on the pin when you're trying to raise it (I'm following the directions, so I think I'm doing everything right...maybe other owners know something I don't). But, I've had to replace the mast base when the pin hole broke due to the twist. I've figured out that if I use a spare line from the front of the mast base to the opposite side of the boat, I can keep it down to a minimum and the mast goes up easier.

2. The boat has a LOT of windage. Makes docking in a cross breeze sporty to say the least!

3. Tiller vs Wheel. We've got a tiller and, while sailing, don't miss the wheel at all. Gives you a lot more room in the cockpit, especiall at anchor or dock. However, in regards to 2 above, you can get a steering linkage for a wheel that ties the motor to the wheel. Makes manuvering the boat a whole lot easier.

Ok, that all seems like bad news, but when we get the boat in the water, and can keep it there, we love it. Real easy boat to sail with lots of room for its size. Great family sailer. Good luck.

Deucer