Hunter 41

Rick D · Jul 7, 2014

What Do You Want?

Jim Beck said:
My wife and I are considering moving up from our H33 and like the H41. However, we have some concern about the 63' mast height (furling main) with bridges on the ICW. Any H41 owners out there that would share their experiences with this issue on ICW? Also, we are wondering how much harder this boat would be to handle for a couple compared to our 33. We are early 60's.

My wife and I moved to our 40.5 15 years ago when I was 55. We had a 32 Hunter Vision. Our expectation was that we would take our daughter and her family out and our parents as well. Well, the daughter is still single, the parents aged without having any desire to sail. The forward head makes a nice storage area for the enclosure curtains and cockpit cushions. It is nice for crew on races, though and the very occasional guests. It's a lot more money and the 32 did just about everything as well.

However, the 40.5 isn't particularly difficult to sail. I can single hand her at 70 just fine. It's nice to have the water and holding tank capacity for longer stays away and the provisions storage is larger.

I think it depends on what you want. If you are fit with few medical problems and comfortable financially, why not? If it's a stretch, I'd think twice.

Rick D · Jul 7, 2014

Sorry, Jim... I completely missed that part of the question, namely, the most important part! No, I'm on the opposite coast. Sorry to waste your time. :-(

ice breaker · Jul 8, 2014

I sailed our H41 around Pensacola for about a week before it was shipped to Lake Superior. With the boat at 62' 10" I did not have any bridge issues. I did have the VHF drag on the bottom of a bridge though. So not a lot of experience, but enough to say it works.

Very great boat to sail. I single hand all the time. It took a while to get the 7001 auto pilot dialed in, but with the auto pilot it truly is a set it and forget it type machine. The in mast furling is great. The only modification that I made was to rout the Jib furler line to the cockpit top through a rope clutch directly to a winch rather than leave it routed along the stanchions. This simple line re rout has made a huge difference in safety and convenience.

Before we bought it we were looking at smaller boats, but most do not have the things that make single handing simple and safe, like in mast furling, windlass etc.

I have owned it for over 5 years and would buy the boat again!

smokey73 · Jul 8, 2014

We have a 1994 Hunter 40.5 that we sailed down from Annapolis as far as Beaufort SC last May. (63.5 ft advertised air draft) You do have to be careful with some of the ICW bridges, especially at high tides or if there is a wind driven tide. Most (but not all) have height boards pretty well marked.

When we came down in May 2013 the 65 foot bridge near Bell Haven NC was reportedly below 65 feet with a strong, sustained wind from the south (they don't have much tide but the wind does drive the water in). When we left Alligator River marina we elected to go around Roanoke Island but that may not have been necessary. We did find a few bridges where we might not have been able to make it through at high tide but they were all in areas with pretty large tidal ranges (6 to 8 feet) so when we went through there was enough room.

The new McTeer bridge in Beaufort is one of those that is problematic but manageable. There is a 7 to 9 foot tide there and no height boards yet. Local knowledge says it gets to 63-64 feet or so at high tide but since there is such a wide tidal range you only have to wait an hour or so to get through if you happen to reach it at high tide. Besides, the water depth is more of a problem than mast head height since there is some very shallow water in the SC/GA area. I don't know the draft of your proposed boat but you'll appreciate something with less than 5 feet draft (4'10" for a 40.5) more than you'll have a problem with the higher mast height, at least in my opinion. We love the boat, she's pretty, quick and easy for two to handle. (I'm 62 and have had 5 way heart bypass!!!!). I do use a Winchrite to help with hoisting the Main but that's probably not a problem with in-mast furling.

Perfect Excuse · Jul 8, 2014

Hunter410

My wife and I sail our 410 without difficulty and we are in our late sixties. In fact she is easy to singlehand. The furling main can be a pain if it is furled loosely. It tends to bind when unfurling. We apply tension to the out haul when furling. That is the only draw back that we have encountered. Good luck!

Mike H. · Jul 8, 2014

My wife and I are 56 and we sail a Vision 36 in the San Francisco Bay area. Our mast height is 61.58' above DWL. We haven't had any problems with bridges around here. However, if you have ever sailed in the bay, you can understand that our boat is overpowered for this area and we always have both reefs in during the summer, (strongest winds during the summer). Pulling down our main or reefing is a chore. I have heard horror stories of people with furling mains getting jammed. For that reason, I don't think I would want a furling main.

robertclasalle · Jul 9, 2014

My wife and I also have a Hunter 41 that we keep in St. Pete, FL. It's easy to handle for the 2 of us. My wife is late 50s and petite and I'm 61. On the west coast of Florida in the ICW, fixed bridges are at least 65 feet, usually much higher. We have furling main and jib, bow thruster, dinghy davits, electric anchor windlass, all to make things easier for us. Hope this helps.

captron · Jul 10, 2014

Mast Height

Jim Beck said:
Thanks everyone. Your comments have been most helpful. We are definitely going to look seriously at the 41.

Hey Jim,

Noticed you were in Oriental, I have a 40.5 in New Bern have had her almost 4 years, mostly just the wife (69 yr.) and I (71 yr.) no problems in handling the boat I have ticked (the antenna) on several of the ICW bridges I pay close attention to the tide boards, and if they are accurate and are reading 64' clearance I can pretty well bet I will "ding the bridge" with the radio antenna, anything greater no problem. the boat itself is easy for the two of us to sail and maneuver, we are at NWC Marina in Fairfield there is also a live-a-board couple that have a 40.5 and have cruised the east coast and Bahamas with out any Major

bridge issues

Capt. Ron
S/V Wind Dreamer