Hunter 356 vrs Hunter 36

[Charlie L]

I am currently looking at a Hunter 356. I checked the specifications and could not find any difference between the Hunter 356 and the Hunter 36 other than year manufactured but then I am not very observant. This probably has been discussed before but "What are the differences between the Hunter356 and the Hunter 36?"

Thank you for your attention.

 

[seadaddler]

Same But

Depeding what year 356 and what 36 they are really same size hull sails.
Hunter did some big changes with the 36 like added things and different hardware different years,my 2007 36 has iron keel solid stainless rudder post winches rear stern for the jib and no struct bars on the mast for In-Mast.
The kitchen ref and lay out was changed,steps all wood hand rails different.
Some other changes here and there can't remember them all right now.
Some real nice changes but most do not like the up right ref storage in the kitchen,my wife and I like it.
I am sure other will jump in.
I love the new 36 X which will be at one of the up coming boat shows.
I did look at the used 356 and decided on a new 36 and could have gotten a 36 in the dealers stock but wanted to order mine with all the extra's we wanted.
Nick

 

[Shippy]

Like Seadaddler said, the galley and winches are the biggest changes. I looked at both when I bought my 2003 356. I loved the fact that the 36 had the jib winches near the helm instead of cabin top, but I liked the galley, steps and look of the interior wood more on the 356. There are quite a few good 356's and 36's out there now (including mine) and you would love either.

 

[chuckwayne]

Ditto on Seadaddler and Shippy, you'll love either one! On our 356 we added the optional spinnaker winches, they mount back by the helm and you can use them for the jib if you want. The 356 has the jib leads on the cabintop and is a little closer winded as a result. it really is a choice on interior details, especially the galley and nav station-on the 356, the nav panel is larger so there's room for more "stuff". We have an 8" plotter display and a 20" pc screen mounted on ours. probably wouldn't fit on the 36 panel. the top opening refridge/freezer are more efficient than the front opener on the 36, which may or may not matter to you.

 

[Doug/Karen]

All things considered...

we would not trade our H356 for the H36 on any terms. We are just finishing our third season in the H356 and happen to have a H36 dockmate allowing us many opportunities for comparison on and off the water. They now both wish they had the H356. There is no doubt the women in our lives prefer the H356 due to the larger capacity/more efficient freezer/fridge design. By putting these two units under the starboard countertop, four drawers of easy-access storage become available. In the opinions of the women, these three factors far outweigh the disadavantage of the awkward top-down access.

On deck, the positioning of the headsail winches on the cabintop seems to make it easier for a two-person crew to run both sails without a lot of extra moving about the cockpit. This approach leaves the helmsman with the relatively simple traveler operation.

On a more minor note, not having the outer side stays extending onto the saloon shelves provides additional interior shelf space.

 

[deacm]

Well, I'm maybe unique in that I've owned BOTH. A 2002 356 and then a 2006 36 (with a boat in between). First of all, when my wife and I decided to get a bigger keel boat again, we weren't limiting ourselves to Hunter or anything and started our search from scratch again and determined even though it had been seven years since I had bought the 2002 356, we STILL liked the Hunter 356/36 for our needs better than any other boat out there in that price/value range. So the FIRST thing I did was try to hunt down my old 2002 356 to see if it might be for sale (the answer was no). We ended up finding a great 2006 used 36 with only 25 hours on the engine. So.........

Pros on the 356:
1. Far better galley layout as has already been mentioned. The better location of the drawer unit and trash can (the trash can location on the 36 is a real pain) as well as the refrigerator preferences loom large (although I find the 36's upright frig more energy efficient than the 356's chest frig locker). We also NEVER use the separate freezer underneath the nav statioN on the 36 unless we are going on a long cruise somewhere......I like the 356's storage area under the nav station far better. I also am not enamored with the 36's "Dishes Display Area"....when seas get rough, I'm not sure those cups and plates won't launch themselves through the faux glass cabinet door.

2. The teak side cabinets in the salon are taller than on the 36 ...so more storage inside (although that means the 36 therefore has more shelf space ABOVE those cabinets....your choice, but I prefer more enclosed space)

3. I also liked the little storage area under the salon table of the 356......handy.

4. Topsides I see no advantages to the 356 except that the swim platform lockers are 'safer' in that they hinge port to starboard (as opposed to the 36 which hinge forward/aft which could be kind of dangerous in bad conditions if one of the happened to open and the whole stern storage area under the swim platform would inhale huge amounts of water.

Pros on the 36

1. The ceiling liner in the aft cabin is 'soft' vs hard plastic which saves a lot of weight and makes for easier access should you need it (just be careful wearing your Leatherman to bed ;-)

2. The removable sink faucet/sprayer combination is nice.

3. The jib winches in the back are nice but don't make that much difference when I'm singlehanding because the autopilot tacks for me anyway and it's not a big deal to step in front of the wheel to handle the jib sheets. And when my wife and I sail, we actually get in each other's way a bit more with the jib winches in the back than we would if she could just stand by the companionway to operate the winches etc. Although, if we ever do get a spinnaker, it will be nice to have the winches back there.

4. It's nice not having the 'struts' that reinforced the mast on the 356. They got in the way a lot.

5. The engine access (and steps) are a nicer set up and design

6. I might be mistaken, but I think the Yanmar on the 36 is a 29 HP vs 27HP on the 356.

7. The detachable stainless steel arch on the 36 is much easier to deal with than the one piece arch on the 356 should you ever have to remove it for repairs (not often very likely....but I remember what a pain in the ass it was to install the arch with our dealer on the 356).

8. I read somewhere that later 36's have a slightly longer water line and a more plumb bow

Beyond that, the aft cabin, heads, V-berth etc are indistinguishable between the two boats. One thing I WOULD watch for if you're looking for a 36 is that starting in around 2007 or 2008 they quit using the teak veneer down below and replaced it with a shiny cherry veneer, which was not as warm and classy we thought. Also about that time, they quit using a lead keel and went to a cast iron keel.........we far prefer the lead keel. In fact, there was a 2008 Hunter for sale when we were looking for ours and we passed on it for those very reasons even though it had some great other options.

In the end, I love both boats and the differences are just not deal killers either way. There's not a day I wake up on the 36 and say "Gee, I wish I had my old 356". Both are great boats and I can't wait to see the new e36 in Annapolis this coming week........although, I'm guessing that with all the cost cutting going on, all of us with our old 'teaky' Hunter 356/36's are going to be very glad we have what we have.

 

[chuckwayne]

Well said, Deac! I'm glad you brought up the keel issue-for me, the iron keel would be a deal breaker, no matter what hi tech treatment Hunter is using. It may protect the keel during the warranty, but after iron will be a real headache. Hunter told me offering the lead keel would add $15,000 to the 45-but on a $300000 boat would that really stop anyone?

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

We like the 356 far more than the 36 due to the kitchen and storage issues noted above. The refrigeration and freezer in the 356 as well as the garbage, drawers and storage under the nav station are far better in the 356. We really enjoy our 03 356 and are on our eighth season and to date have spent 558 days on board. There is very little we would change.

 

[Shippy]

chuckwayne, where and how did you install the spinnaker winches. I do not believe there is a pad already for them. any pics?

 

[chuckwayne]

Hi Shippy, there isn't a molded pad like on the later boats but the glass is thick and you can easily get to the underside to install bolts with heavy washers or a backing plate. A lewmar st40 fits fine. pictures attached

 

[deacm]

...and now the Hunter e36

Just got back from the Annapolis Boat Show and spent some time scrambling over the new Hunter e36's. They had TWO there......one the 'performance package' and the other the 'cruising package'. The performance package had an open transom (which you could add the drawbridge swim platform to if you wanted), deeper keel, retractable deck-mounted bowsprit, performance sails etc etc. With the open transom, there is of course no longer a place for the helmsman to sit. The cockpit seems a little larger (as in longer) but that might be an optical illusion with the transom seats gone. The deep port locker is still there, but they've kind of combined it with the old rear aft shallow lazerette, so now you have two smaller deep lockers. The 'look and feel' is similar to what the 36/356 was except the port window treatment is a little more 'Euro' looking now and the hatches are 'flush mounted'.
Down below, the basic layout is about the same. The galley has been modified some (I still like the 356 layout here) and the salon table is probably the biggest difference. It is no longer a U-shaped seating arrangement.......it's now two bench seats with the table going all the way to the starboard 'wall' . It seems bigger. They removed the forward part of the storage compartment/shelf areas that used to run along both side walls and now that area is just half 'wall'. The cool louvered door into the V-berth is gone as well. It is obvious that the design engineers have thoroughly gone through the boat plan and 'removed the cost' out of the boat. Remember the old 'wet locker' off the shower with shelves, drain and hooks? Now it's just a much smaller storage closet with no shelves etc. The shelf under the head sink? Gone.....and the area beneath much smaller for storing things. The aft berth's vertical 'headboard' to lean against while reading with shelf behind it ? *Poof* gone too.....as well as the far aft bedside table with removable cover. So you'll miss the 'little things' from the 36/356.
If I was more dedicated to racing and speed, the performance e36 would be of interest. But as a cruiser, I like what we already have. Note: I'm working off of memory here and I looked at so MANY boats last week, that hopefully I didn't cross-pollinate any of my observations. So please feel free to correct me if I misstated something.

 

[Jim Seamans]

Ditto on the 356

Just everyone above has commented on what we like about the 356. We are just finishing our 8 year and would NOT trade it for anything. I feel the boat is well laid out. Joan has taken it out several times single handed and don't think she would do it with a larger boat.

 

[chuckwayne]

Re: ...and now the Hunter e36

Thanks for the update, Deac. We didn't get the E36 at Newport, but heard about it. Seems like they've removed a lot of the details that make our boats so nice..... If you want to up performance, there are things you can do, reduce drag, better sails, etc without giving up the nice - and practical- touches