I am contemplating buying a Hunter 46 (2000 - 2004) and am interested in comments regarding its "sea worthyness". Is this a Blue Water boat or not? Are any modifications necessary to the production equipment/rigging necessary?
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seaworthiness
In terms of seaworthiness, the only modification you'd need to make is to replace the panel doors with proper washboards. Otherwise, the h46 is as seaworthy as anything its size out there. Some might argue that the floorboards should also be modified to prevent them from going ballistic during a rollover, but I think that's a bit too tight a definition of seaworthiness. For long passages you might also want to convert the toilets to use sea water, but again we're not talking "seaworthiness" here. A boat designed primarily for passage making would have better sea berths and a smaller cockpit, both of which would make the vessel much less livable. A great bluewater boat is necessarily going to be cramped down below; what you'd want is storage space rather than room to move about. Is that really what you want? If so, you can do better than an H46. If, on the other hand, you want roomy, comfortable, relatively affordable boat with a bombproof hull and rig, look no further.
In terms of seaworthiness, the only modification you'd need to make is to replace the panel doors with proper washboards. Otherwise, the h46 is as seaworthy as anything its size out there. Some might argue that the floorboards should also be modified to prevent them from going ballistic during a rollover, but I think that's a bit too tight a definition of seaworthiness. For long passages you might also want to convert the toilets to use sea water, but again we're not talking "seaworthiness" here. A boat designed primarily for passage making would have better sea berths and a smaller cockpit, both of which would make the vessel much less livable. A great bluewater boat is necessarily going to be cramped down below; what you'd want is storage space rather than room to move about. Is that really what you want? If so, you can do better than an H46. If, on the other hand, you want roomy, comfortable, relatively affordable boat with a bombproof hull and rig, look no further.
H 46-Great Boat!
Bought our H 46 in 2001 and have over 30,000 miles under our keel. Based in New Bedford, we have been to Honduras, Guatamala, Belieze and Mexico, as well as the Bahamas and south since our launch. Love the boat. With the exception of handholds throughout the cabin and attachments for harness in the cockpit we have made no other safety modifications. We have done lots of comfort modifications too. We are a crew of two and find the boat very easy to handle and very comfortable both at sea and at anchor. Highly recommend this model!
Bought our H 46 in 2001 and have over 30,000 miles under our keel. Based in New Bedford, we have been to Honduras, Guatamala, Belieze and Mexico, as well as the Bahamas and south since our launch. Love the boat. With the exception of handholds throughout the cabin and attachments for harness in the cockpit we have made no other safety modifications. We have done lots of comfort modifications too. We are a crew of two and find the boat very easy to handle and very comfortable both at sea and at anchor. Highly recommend this model!
Chuck is right on point. Our P42 shroud stay...
stranded cables sit proud of the swage fittings creating a potential weak point according to our surveyor. I check them often and after 15 years they remain strong and in good condition. Hunter Marine has yet to experience a reported shroud stay failure on any P42 when I checked with them three years ago. At some point all the stays will need replacing, especially if we ever plan on cruising off shore. Terry
stranded cables sit proud of the swage fittings creating a potential weak point according to our surveyor. I check them often and after 15 years they remain strong and in good condition. Hunter Marine has yet to experience a reported shroud stay failure on any P42 when I checked with them three years ago. At some point all the stays will need replacing, especially if we ever plan on cruising off shore. Terry
an h46 ain't an h356
The stern hatches on the h46 are actually smaller than on the h356, and have a superior latching system. whether the owner of an h356 would feel comfortable offshore has almost no bearing on the seaworthiness of an h46. The former model displaces less than 1/2 of the latter. They have different rigs (forestay vrs headstay), different displacement/length ratios, different displacement/ballast ratios, et cetera. Having sailed both, I can attest that they have completely different temperments. You really can't make inferences about the abilities of one Hunter based on the abilities of another. I'm amazed at how much better mannered my h46 is than my h410 ever was. Even though they're both aft-cockpit hunters, they are not scale models of each other. The h46 points higher and will carry its headsail deeper. The 410, with its bulb keel, was a bit stiffer than the 46 with its fin. And yet the 46 will accelerate nicely in puffs where the 410 wanted to round up. I had no concern, however, about taking either boat offshore.
The stern hatches on the h46 are actually smaller than on the h356, and have a superior latching system. whether the owner of an h356 would feel comfortable offshore has almost no bearing on the seaworthiness of an h46. The former model displaces less than 1/2 of the latter. They have different rigs (forestay vrs headstay), different displacement/length ratios, different displacement/ballast ratios, et cetera. Having sailed both, I can attest that they have completely different temperments. You really can't make inferences about the abilities of one Hunter based on the abilities of another. I'm amazed at how much better mannered my h46 is than my h410 ever was. Even though they're both aft-cockpit hunters, they are not scale models of each other. The h46 points higher and will carry its headsail deeper. The 410, with its bulb keel, was a bit stiffer than the 46 with its fin. And yet the 46 will accelerate nicely in puffs where the 410 wanted to round up. I had no concern, however, about taking either boat offshore.
Offshore Hunters
John, I wasn't trying to directly compare a 356 to the 46-they're clearly different boats-my point is that we can always find ways to improve on a design, but whether or not those improvements have real world value is a completely different issue. For offshore use, the 46 as built with some mods I would expect to be fine-but you could certainly find many things to "improve" given unlimited $$$$$$ and time-which may or may not ever prove useful. That's true of any boat, including the offshore boats the purists love.
John, I wasn't trying to directly compare a 356 to the 46-they're clearly different boats-my point is that we can always find ways to improve on a design, but whether or not those improvements have real world value is a completely different issue. For offshore use, the 46 as built with some mods I would expect to be fine-but you could certainly find many things to "improve" given unlimited $$$$$$ and time-which may or may not ever prove useful. That's true of any boat, including the offshore boats the purists love.
BLUE WATER
I have read many opinions on what is a "blue water boat" and have never read about how experienced is the owner and crew to handle ocean conditions. It would be of interest to note the offers of opinions what real ocean experiences they have before expressing..............
I have read many opinions on what is a "blue water boat" and have never read about how experienced is the owner and crew to handle ocean conditions. It would be of interest to note the offers of opinions what real ocean experiences they have before expressing..............
waldo emerson?
That's a curious observation to have originated from someone who writes under a nom de plume. When Jim Facteau writes about his experience as the owner of an H46, I can quickly look up his owner profile and see that he's previously owned a Caliber 40, Tarten 34, Cal 27, et cetera, and that he's been sailing since 1969. Suddenly, his observations regarding the seaworthiness of an h46 have meaning, especially because he owns one. We know the name of his boat and its home port. Were you to google on john farnsworth you could easily discover such things as what yacht club I belong to and what university I teach at. You might even discover that I've served as cruising fleet captain at my club, and faculty advisor to the sailing team at my college. You might find pictures of previous boats I've owned. You would certainly discover that I actually own an h46. The value of an owner's web is in having real boat owners share their actual experience. Now, if I google on "waldo emerson" I discover that he's a transcendentalist who died in 1882. He had a great deal to say about self reliance, but probably has very little to contribute about the seaworthiness of an h46.
That's a curious observation to have originated from someone who writes under a nom de plume. When Jim Facteau writes about his experience as the owner of an H46, I can quickly look up his owner profile and see that he's previously owned a Caliber 40, Tarten 34, Cal 27, et cetera, and that he's been sailing since 1969. Suddenly, his observations regarding the seaworthiness of an h46 have meaning, especially because he owns one. We know the name of his boat and its home port. Were you to google on john farnsworth you could easily discover such things as what yacht club I belong to and what university I teach at. You might even discover that I've served as cruising fleet captain at my club, and faculty advisor to the sailing team at my college. You might find pictures of previous boats I've owned. You would certainly discover that I actually own an h46. The value of an owner's web is in having real boat owners share their actual experience. Now, if I google on "waldo emerson" I discover that he's a transcendentalist who died in 1882. He had a great deal to say about self reliance, but probably has very little to contribute about the seaworthiness of an h46.
it depends
John F It depends on whether the anon poster is asking a question or offering 'facts'. I post anon just because, no real good reason. But I don't make strong statements of fact while hiding behind anon. If Waldo starts making wild claims then there certainly is reason to question who is behind the mask.
John F It depends on whether the anon poster is asking a question or offering 'facts'. I post anon just because, no real good reason. But I don't make strong statements of fact while hiding behind anon. If Waldo starts making wild claims then there certainly is reason to question who is behind the mask.
"One Time" Posters
You can tell when winter is approaching - the average daily temperatures start falling, there are more rain-bearing clouds in the sky, the migratory birds start heading south (in the northern hemisphere), the leaves start turning colors and gradually falling off, and boat web sites start coming up with nebulous posts such as those with regard to "blue water" boats, "what is the best boat", capsize screen discussions, etc. In all too many cases, it seems, the original poster leaves their question which generally begs clarification(s) and is never to be seen again. Meanwhile, many board members try to help the original poster while all the time trying to figure out what the poster was really after and how one can better help them. Consequently, the discussion becomes something I would categorize more like a futile attempt at "chasing rabbits". One can only wonder if the original poster ever came back to read the responses - maybe they lost the URL? Who knows? If after a few responses there is no feedback what is the sense of continuing to post? Often the original post, like this one, winds up being more of an "internal" discussion. When there is a question (see Franklin's reply #2) of the poster and there is no response forthcoming then it would appear they went off elsewhere. So, for those who posted the 14 replies, thanks for taking the time trying to help someone out, even if your feedback apparently was never received.
You can tell when winter is approaching - the average daily temperatures start falling, there are more rain-bearing clouds in the sky, the migratory birds start heading south (in the northern hemisphere), the leaves start turning colors and gradually falling off, and boat web sites start coming up with nebulous posts such as those with regard to "blue water" boats, "what is the best boat", capsize screen discussions, etc. In all too many cases, it seems, the original poster leaves their question which generally begs clarification(s) and is never to be seen again. Meanwhile, many board members try to help the original poster while all the time trying to figure out what the poster was really after and how one can better help them. Consequently, the discussion becomes something I would categorize more like a futile attempt at "chasing rabbits". One can only wonder if the original poster ever came back to read the responses - maybe they lost the URL? Who knows? If after a few responses there is no feedback what is the sense of continuing to post? Often the original post, like this one, winds up being more of an "internal" discussion. When there is a question (see Franklin's reply #2) of the poster and there is no response forthcoming then it would appear they went off elsewhere. So, for those who posted the 14 replies, thanks for taking the time trying to help someone out, even if your feedback apparently was never received.
Forum Police Response
Contrary to John "Forum Police" Nantz' response, I did review the responses to my posting and got the information for which I was searching. Thank you to those that responded. I hope the arrogant attitude of Mr. Nantz is not representative of the other Hunter owners. Otherwise, I have no interest in joining the elite fraternity.
Contrary to John "Forum Police" Nantz' response, I did review the responses to my posting and got the information for which I was searching. Thank you to those that responded. I hope the arrogant attitude of Mr. Nantz is not representative of the other Hunter owners. Otherwise, I have no interest in joining the elite fraternity.
To John Mc
In looking at the list of posters it's interesting to note that the first two posters had questions seeking clarification that were never responded to and that was SIX days before your reply, and yet after only ONE day after my post you found time to write something. Unfortunately your reply had nothing that would provide help to people to provide a better answer to your question. Maybe that's why subsequent posts found poeople talking amongst themselves.
In looking at the list of posters it's interesting to note that the first two posters had questions seeking clarification that were never responded to and that was SIX days before your reply, and yet after only ONE day after my post you found time to write something. Unfortunately your reply had nothing that would provide help to people to provide a better answer to your question. Maybe that's why subsequent posts found poeople talking amongst themselves.
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