Hunter 340 - seeking your opinion

bryan crites · Oct 30, 2014

hunter 34

This is my second hunter 34, to own. Mine is an 84 model. Needed some repairs but nothing major. A great sailing sloop. Great cabin area , and quite comfortable in all seasons. Do look at the deck around the mast for a deppresion . Some problems there but can be a diy fix. This boat is a great sailing vessel to enjoy.

kloudie1 · Oct 30, 2014

The 340 is a very comfortable and easy to handle boat. The midship positioned head is a God-send at sea. I like my old 34 better because of more nimble handling, but the 340's modern cockpit and cabin is a lot more comfortable. Many were equipped from the factory with useful refrigeration.. and air conditioning.. Best is the transom .. makes dingy entry/exit MUCH better.
Survey for the usual water leaks in the fixed ports and lifeline stanchions.
Good Luck !

Jackdaw · Oct 30, 2014

mrmac said:
A few owner/reviewers mentioned that the 340 does fairly well to weather but is a bit of a dog downwind.

Due to rig design, the 340 can only fly a non-overlapping (jib) headsail. No genoas allowed.

Any boat like this (and it is in GREAT company) has to pop a spinnaker going downwind. Unless it wants to be a dog.

kloudie1 · Oct 30, 2014

Struts were to stiffen the mast and prevent "pumping".. The boats with in-mast sail furling have a good bit stiffer mast and don't use the struts. Nimbleness.. the old 34 is a little more responsive to the rudder.. the 340 is fine but not quite as responsive to rudder input.. The up side is that the 340 tends to sail in a straighter line and does not have to be corrected constantly.. The owner's comments on this site are pretty well honest.. the 340 is a good sailing boat..

Bill19233 · Oct 30, 2014

We've had our 340 for five years and have no regrets. It doesn't sit at the dock either, she's on the bay almost every weekend, because it is such a fun and easy boat to sail. It is tender, but it balances very nice with a reef in the main. If you have no plans to race, the roller furling main is probably the ideal setup.
Last month, a Florida broker, who seemed to think I want to sell my boat, sent me a list of Hunters sold all over the country last quarter with asking and selling prices. Send me a PM and I will get the 340 prices to you. My profile has a youtube link with videos of our 340 sailing in all kinds of conditions.

Ed Caldwell · Nov 1, 2014

Eleven years of ownership

mrmac said:
Thanks for replies and suggestions about extra attention to possible deck compression and ease of handling. Could I hear more about how "nimble" the 340 is?

What's the deal with mast struts? I saw them on the Hunter 376s and on one of the 340s.

A few owner/reviewers mentioned that the 340 does fairly well to weather but is a bit of a dog downwind. Perhaps a bit tender, also. Is that the consensus?

[FONT=&quot]mrmac
[/FONT]

We purchased ours from the original owner in 2003 after having been in a sailing club for 10 years with access to boats mostly in the mid 20 ft range and some Caribbean charters on big boats. We're on a mid sized inland lake and this is a great boat for us. It has all the equipment of the larger charter boats for a weekend aboard, but is easy for me to singlehand (63 yo).

Re your specific questions:
Deck compression - no issues, no leaks, compression post goes to the athwartships beam under the floor

Ease of handling - main and jib sheets on the cabin top mean you move between the wheel and the winches, but it is not a big problem. You will find the utility of your traveler since it is so handy on the arch

Nimble - try it on your sea trial, with its large rudder and bellcrank steering mechanism, I find it turns as quickly as I need it to

Mast struts - already answered, but I'll add they provide a great extra handhold moving around the cabin top

Upwind performance - the previous owner changed her from single line to traditional slab reefing with the hook on the gooseneck. Agree that the boat is tender with the shoal keel and you will want to reef the main when winds are consistently over 15kt for both performance and reduce heel

Downwind performance - the usual comments about the B&R rig with 30 deg sweptback spreaders limiting how far you let the main out, so you will not go directly downwind, but instead will jibe from broad reach to broad reach, and fly an asym. spinnaker in lighter downwind conditions

Let us know of any specific questions after your sail

Rick Templeton · Nov 1, 2014

Bought ours about a year ago and really like it. Seems to handle better than most of the others have experienced but I'm not a racer or high performance guy. My wife and I sail the SoCal coast and to and from Catalina and find it to be a very enjoyable ship.

Ours is a 98 and was in pretty good shape. In the last year we had to replace the inverter (probably could have been repaired but we wanted to update and enlarge the capacity anyway), the exhaust elbow was replaced as well as the kill switch cable and we replaced the thru hull at the bilge discharge.

With some elbow grease, polish, and few minor fiberglass repairs she looks like a new boat at 1/2 the cost. The interiors are comfortable and efficient . Highly recommend the 340, just like any other purchase, look it over befor you buy.

Ed Caldwell · Nov 2, 2014

You're just full of questions - go sail it

mrmac said:
You all are GREAT! This is very helpful. I'm a little concerned that I'm being seduced by the condo-like cabin of the 340 and neglecting her sailing attributes. Our current boat sails very well and is trustworthy (not the engine so much), but offers no amenities below, making cruising for more than a day or two unappealing.

More questions:
Cored hull? Soft deck?
There must be an unused halyard for a spinnaker. Would it be difficult to rig a staysail?
How difficult is it to get to tanks, steering cables, etc.?
Problems with water heater leaks? etc.?
Do you generally do your own work or let the yard do it?

Do you have the link to Hunter 34 owner list? I had it, didn't bookmark, and can't seem to get back to it.

Again, thank you very much!

mrmac

Will try to answer based on our 1999 model:

Cored hull? Soft deck?
Hunter used balsa core above the water line in the hull and in the deck, but molded in aluminum backing plates where the hardware is mounted. We have not had any issues with a soft deck, but it's a good thing to check for.

There must be an unused halyard for a spinnaker. Would it be difficult to rig a staysail?
Spinnaker was an option. That option apparently added both the halyard and winches towards the back of the cockpit, and blocks shackled to the stern pulpit. I believe a furling jib was standard, I'm not sure how I would rig a staysail. In any case the main provides the power on the boat, we've been out in 25 kt gusting to 30 with double reefed main and half the jib rolled out, not the most efficient but felt very comfortable.

How difficult is it to get to tanks, steering cables, etc.?
Fresh water tank is under the v-berth, and the black water and fuel are starboard and port quarters respectively. All are accessible, and I assume removable if you need to by unscrewing panels. All 3 tanks are poly so no metal tanks to replace in any case. Steering is an Edson bell crank system, so there are no cables. Access is by removing part of the cockpit floor.

Problems with water heater leaks? etc.?
None (yet) 6 gallon Seaward tank with both shore power and engine cooling water heat exchanger. I expect some day I will need to replace it, and it looks like the settee seat unscrews pretty easily.

Do you generally do your own work or let the yard do it?
I do my own routine maintenance except for bottom jobs.

Do you have the link to Hunter 34 owner list? I had it, didn't bookmark, and can't seem to get back to it.
Note that the Hunter 34 is not the same boat as the 340. The 340 was made between 1998 and 2002, and was the successor to the 336 (same hull) The 1998 and 99 had the fiberglass arch, 2000 and later had a stainless arch. For owner list, look at the top of the screen in the blue banner, see "Boat Info"? Choose the model and access a wealth of info including reviews, photos, owner lists, etc. For your convenience here's the list.
http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_bowns&model=32&Itemid=169

Ed Caldwell · Nov 4, 2014

Agree on the chainplate access, but haven't heard of an issue with them like other boats. Re: the stanchions, are you sure they are not just screwed into backing plates? I have not had to remove any to see for myself.

Some time back I found a transcript of an interview that Hunter's Jim Bohart did with a guy from a Cruising World bulletin board back in pre-forum days (spring 1999) It has a lot of details about Hunter's construction techniques of that era that might help you. I wish I could remember where I found it, but apparently the interview was an attempt to quiet some of the Hunter-bashers that were pounding their fists even back then.

smoothsailing · Nov 5, 2014

We bought a 1997 340 in 2013. It's a great boat.

When you decide on buying it, or any boat, make sure you have it surveyed by a reputable Marine surveyor.

Also a short haul-out for inspection.

Boat US has a list of surveyor's. Just list your area.

Picflight · Nov 6, 2014

There is a better boat out there for, keep looking.

Kings Gambit · Nov 6, 2014

mrmac said:
UPDATE:

I made an offer. The seller countered. I accepted the counter offer price and asked that we have two sea trials. The seller took her off the market - decided to keep her. I can't decided to be annoyed or disappointed so will just be both.

This is a great forum - very, very helpful. Thank you.

mrmac

Perhaps try hooking up with a Cal 34 III, Morgan 34, or Pearson 34.

Hunter 340 - seeking your opinion

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Attachments

.

.

.

.