hunter 356
- Thread starter Captmayhem
- Start date
That's a 410 disappearing in the waves... they were really packing in as we headed out of Boothbay - it's a funnel - once we were out in the gulf of Maine the waves were bigger but with a much longer period, so it was actually more comfortable. All of the hunters did fine and completed the next leg downeast with no problems
ok, this is not proving the easy "here take my money" I thought it would be.
Looked at three now, all have really creaky flooring by the rear berth/galley area. I understand it's an easy fix.
Lack of hour meter bothers me, engine life will be a coin toss.
The closest one to me is in NJ, liked the boat, had some (I think<gulp>) small issues, but overall was clean. Asking 70k for an 02.
It was also the least "kitted out" of the three, no radar(not that I need it), basic battery and charging stuff, did have ac/heat
I'm thinking of going at 55k contingent on survey? am I way off?
Boats also on the hard for the winter, does sale wait until spring when the water gets thin again?
Looked at three now, all have really creaky flooring by the rear berth/galley area. I understand it's an easy fix.
Lack of hour meter bothers me, engine life will be a coin toss.
The closest one to me is in NJ, liked the boat, had some (I think<gulp>) small issues, but overall was clean. Asking 70k for an 02.
It was also the least "kitted out" of the three, no radar(not that I need it), basic battery and charging stuff, did have ac/heat
I'm thinking of going at 55k contingent on survey? am I way off?
Boats also on the hard for the winter, does sale wait until spring when the water gets thin again?
Least kitted out is less of an issue - you'll eventually want to upgrade anyway if the electronics are more than a few years old...
If the boat's on the hard, the owner has already paid for winter storage and you won't get to do sea trials until spring. Try an offer - the owner may not want to sit on her all winter and pay for the next season in early spring. Engine life is not a big deal unless she's been cruised extensively - Escape's on 02 and only has 650 hours - the 3GM is good for 8-10k hours if cared for
If the boat's on the hard, the owner has already paid for winter storage and you won't get to do sea trials until spring. Try an offer - the owner may not want to sit on her all winter and pay for the next season in early spring. Engine life is not a big deal unless she's been cruised extensively - Escape's on 02 and only has 650 hours - the 3GM is good for 8-10k hours if cared for
This is a great thread from long time H356 owners. I have owned our 2002 H356 for 10 years and have never been able to figure out how to stop the annoying leak at the top of mast support post. We keep a small towel wrapped around the top of the post. I will get some silicone sealant and open the mast cable junction box this weekend!
Our H356 has been a great boat for weekends and week-long cruises on the Chesapeake for my wife and I and occasionally grand kids. I retired last summer and we are now considering buying a new 40-42' boat to possibly do some extended cruising up and down the Atlantic coast. I am extremely disappointed that Hunter seems to have disappeared from the market this fall and we have started looking other brands since the Annapolis boat show this year. I hope they get their act back together soon. We haven't yet found a boat that we like better than our H356.
Our H356 has been a great boat for weekends and week-long cruises on the Chesapeake for my wife and I and occasionally grand kids. I retired last summer and we are now considering buying a new 40-42' boat to possibly do some extended cruising up and down the Atlantic coast. I am extremely disappointed that Hunter seems to have disappeared from the market this fall and we have started looking other brands since the Annapolis boat show this year. I hope they get their act back together soon. We haven't yet found a boat that we like better than our H356.
The water comes in around the wires, but I just silicone the outside where the wires come through the plate from the mast. Just be sure you fully fill the void including around the wires. I'm going to the boat today to change oil in my engine and generator. If I can remember to do it, I'll take some photos around the plate.
Hello Captmayhem. Am interested in follow-on with your H356 quest. I am looking at getting one. Would appreciate your input. Reach out to me at sven.martinez at yahoo com Would greatly appreciate!
When we started looking for a boat, we had narrowed it down to Hunter 40.5 or 410. After looking at a lot of poorly maintained and poorly equipped options, we decided to look at a 356 we had become aware of, although we were pretty sure a 35 footer would be too small. We both fell in love with this boat immediately! It does not feel any smaller than the 40 footers we had been looking at, and is perfect for a couple.
For someone buying, I would say look for something that is sound, but is also very well kitted. We got reverse-cycle heat/AC, solar, 50A Sterling charger, 140A Balmar alternator with 1" flat belts, PSS dripless shaft seal, NextGen diesel gen, AB dinghy, davits, brand-new standing rigging, TV, electric windlass, Manson Supreme hook with G4 chain, and all the small things you need but cost a lot when added up (dinghy nav lights, dinghy anchor, handheld VHF, Magma rail-mount BBQ, Magma nesting cooking pots, flares, lifejackets (although we bought new Mustang offshore gear), lifesling, oil changing vac pump, docklines, and the list goes on. We added a pair of Sport-a-seat chairs. Best money I've spent so far. We also added a Costco 3" high density memory foam topper to the aft bed. It's almost as comfortable as our Tempur-pedic at home!
After 4 years of using our boat in the Bahamas we still love her. We've never felt she is too small, although we know from experience that anything more than 6 ft swells when crossing the gulfstream to the Bahamas, and the admiral starts losing her sense of humour.
Here are the limitations: 75 gallons of fresh water is not much. We carry another 20 gallons in jerrycans on the rail. A water-maker would be nice but we only use the boat for 3 months of the year so hard to justify. The waste tank could be bigger. We don't like having to leave our anchorage every few days to go and pump out. More battery capacity would be nice.
For someone buying, I would say look for something that is sound, but is also very well kitted. We got reverse-cycle heat/AC, solar, 50A Sterling charger, 140A Balmar alternator with 1" flat belts, PSS dripless shaft seal, NextGen diesel gen, AB dinghy, davits, brand-new standing rigging, TV, electric windlass, Manson Supreme hook with G4 chain, and all the small things you need but cost a lot when added up (dinghy nav lights, dinghy anchor, handheld VHF, Magma rail-mount BBQ, Magma nesting cooking pots, flares, lifejackets (although we bought new Mustang offshore gear), lifesling, oil changing vac pump, docklines, and the list goes on. We added a pair of Sport-a-seat chairs. Best money I've spent so far. We also added a Costco 3" high density memory foam topper to the aft bed. It's almost as comfortable as our Tempur-pedic at home!
After 4 years of using our boat in the Bahamas we still love her. We've never felt she is too small, although we know from experience that anything more than 6 ft swells when crossing the gulfstream to the Bahamas, and the admiral starts losing her sense of humour.
Here are the limitations: 75 gallons of fresh water is not much. We carry another 20 gallons in jerrycans on the rail. A water-maker would be nice but we only use the boat for 3 months of the year so hard to justify. The waste tank could be bigger. We don't like having to leave our anchorage every few days to go and pump out. More battery capacity would be nice.