Hunter 170

[Bob Smith]

The hunter 170 is an ecellent boat that is fast and fun to sail. It will beat many other boats on the water. The open transom is an excellent feature and is great for having fun on the water in good sized daysailer. But, the boat does not sail well in winds over 20 mph. But if you want a daysailer to sail well on a lake, this is your boat. Raising the mast is very easy and quickly done. Launching is also a smooth experience and it is possible to sail it into the dock without a moter quite easily. This boat is lots of fun.

 

[Dick in MI]

Over 20 mph?!

Well, I personally stop having much fun when it gets to about 15 mph in this boat. I think it is at its best around 10 mph. I don't doubt that some folks have a ball with it up to 20 mph, though. And yes, it is fast for what it is.The only other thing that I'll add is that in a wind and trying to get into a busy launch dock, the high profile of the hull makes treading water challenging. Once you've dropped your sails, the boat can be blown around a bit. So if you're trying to wait for other boats to clear the launch, you might find yourself paddling a bit more than you'd like just to stay in one place. For that reason I just bought a 2 HP Honda. The motor also can be used on very light wind days (which the 170 normally handles well) if the winds die entirely.