Hunter bashing
- Thread starter Don Lucas
- Start date
At the boat shows in St. Petersburg, Florida in the late 1980's, early 1990's one could still see new or otherwise late models of Tartan, Pacific Seacraft, Sabre, Island Packet, Cabo Rico, O'Day & Caliber yachts-to name a few-as I remember. Then, there were the new Hunters. Cheap looking & ungainly in appearance by comparison with high freeboard, squarish looking shape and a decidedly "condo" appearance below that did not say "sail me!" It was said among many they were built using chop guns instead of hand-laid fiberglass, and the "salty sailors" of that day could not imagine owning one, by their own words. They were for newbies who knew little to nothing of sailboats (or sailing). That's the way it was. The earlier Hunters from the 1970's and early 1980's, however, seemed much better regarded than those new versions coming out then. Once a reputation gets started, it's hard to reverse it, I suppose.
IPs are built using chop guns. So too Caliber. I've been to their shops and seen it used. So much for opinions.
Don you may want to check the address you went to. Below is from the IP web site.
Lamination:
http://ipy.com/
After the gel coat has had sufficient time to harden, large sheets of fiberglass are placed into the mold for high strength and impact resistance. Using a unique pressure fed roller application system developed exclusively for Island Packet, resin and catalyst are applied in carefully controlled quantities onto the triaxial fiberglass sheets. Another important part of Island Packet’s lamination process is the application of Polycore® - an inorganic, glass microsphere and resin mixture that is used as coring material.
I have no doubt that chopper guns may be used for some application I doubt that they are used for anything major.
Better check that Caliber address also:
http://www.caliberyacht.com/Features_Strength_Main_Window.htm
QUESTION: What are the advantages of heavy woven roving glass laminate construction as opposed to light weight high tech fabric construction?
ANSWER: For offshore sailing reliability, weight savings is not a top priority. A very solid heavy woven roving panel is a proven, time tested construction material. Bending strength and stiffness go up dramatically with panel thickness. A heavy woven roving glass laminate forms a thicker panel which results in a stronger hull. Simply bang the hull of a LRC SEries yacht -- compare it to others. Common sense will tell you there is a difference in strength.
Many years later after sailing frequently on an early 1980ish Hunter 55, I could not fathom the low opinion of Hunters generally among some. It's a fine world-class racer/cruiser [of its day] in my opinion--but it was built by Luhrs.
Chopper guns, you guys crack me up 
Must never have watched the construction videos back before Marlow took them off the site. There isn't any chopper guns used in modern Hunters far as I know (modern being like last 20 years). All the fiberglass sheets are CNC cut to plan and hand laid. An epoxy gun might/is used to spray the resin onto the laid sheets before it get hand rolled out.
BUT, there isn't anything really wrong with using a chopper gun if used properly.
Must never have watched the construction videos back before Marlow took them off the site. There isn't any chopper guns used in modern Hunters far as I know (modern being like last 20 years). All the fiberglass sheets are CNC cut to plan and hand laid. An epoxy gun might/is used to spray the resin onto the laid sheets before it get hand rolled out.
BUT, there isn't anything really wrong with using a chopper gun if used properly.
Exactly, Don...
...in fact, after a Hunter 376 hit a sheer-face rock island off Mexico during a race with the loss of all five crew, some people said the reason the boat broke up was chopper gun light construction. I contacted Hunter and got the lay up schedule and application method and sent the information out via the same channel used to publish the bad info. It is similar to what all the major builders use.Chopper guns, you guys crack me up
Must never have watched the construction videos back before Marlow took them off the site. There isn't any chopper guns used in modern Hunters far as I know (modern being like last 20 years). All the fiberglass sheets are CNC cut to plan and hand laid. An epoxy gun might/is used to spray the resin onto the laid sheets before it get hand rolled out. BUT, there isn't anything really wrong with using a chopper gun if used properly.
I've got one of those Hunters. (Fondly referred to as the Cherubini Hunters by us owners.) They were built much like the Columbia's, Erickson's, Islander's, Pearson's of the same era. Laid up really strong.
But because of the bad rap that Hunter suffered from, I was able to buy my boat for about 50% the cost of the other brands of the same age and size that I mentioned above. I like to tell people that the list price for the two self tailing primary winches that I bought and installed to replace the still finely working original Barient equipment was 15% of the cost of the entire boat!
Several years into the ownership, I never once have regretted buying my Hunter.
Well, take at look at this link if you need more explanation as to the bashing craze. Perhaps a good portion of it lies with reviews like this one.Chopper guns, you guys crack me up
Must never have watched the construction videos back before Marlow took them off the site. There isn't any chopper guns used in modern Hunters far as I know (modern being like last 20 years). All the fiberglass sheets are CNC cut to plan and hand laid. An epoxy gun might/is used to spray the resin onto the laid sheets before it get hand rolled out.
BUT, there isn't anything really wrong with using a chopper gun if used properly.
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/hunter28.htm
Particularly the passages near the end:
Those of you who get ideas about "bluewater voyaging" in a bargain boat like this would do well to reconsider that the ocean remains a dangerous place.
This is a price boat, and there's altogether too much that you don't get for what you don't pay, for any serious sailor to take the Hunter 28 seriously.
And finally:
If you wonder why people are leaving sailing like the plague just arrived, possibly this boat offers some reasons. There are too many just like it.
Oh, Please!
I owned a 1990 32 for nine years and I would buy another. I have to wonder just what kind of 28' this "surveyor" would think "satisfactory"? Wonder where he got his Naval Architect degree? Oh, that's right, he doesn't need one...
Hey every boat is a compromise.
Even if you have unlimited dollars and can buy the very best there are still compromises. Read the book MINE IS BBIGGER THAN YOURS if you want insights into billionaires building boats and the compromises they made in multi million dollar boats.
So buy the boat that fits your needs and your budget and be realistic about what it can do. I've owned and S2 Yacht Grand Slam 22, an O'Day 28 a Catalina 34 and and now a Hunter 38. They all had their strengths and their weaknesses.
We love our 38 but there are things Hunter did that make you say "what were they thinking? " For $10 in additional cost they could have done it right and I stead they did it cheap. And while I did spend almost $200,000 on this boat new and I do expect a lot for that kind of money I'm realistic enough to know that even at that kind of money there were shortcuts taken.
As a mature and realistic buyer I say I made my choice, I got a lot, but I didn't get perfection. And again for the boating I do it will more than meet my needs.
Even if you have unlimited dollars and can buy the very best there are still compromises. Read the book MINE IS BBIGGER THAN YOURS if you want insights into billionaires building boats and the compromises they made in multi million dollar boats.
So buy the boat that fits your needs and your budget and be realistic about what it can do. I've owned and S2 Yacht Grand Slam 22, an O'Day 28 a Catalina 34 and and now a Hunter 38. They all had their strengths and their weaknesses.
We love our 38 but there are things Hunter did that make you say "what were they thinking? " For $10 in additional cost they could have done it right and I stead they did it cheap. And while I did spend almost $200,000 on this boat new and I do expect a lot for that kind of money I'm realistic enough to know that even at that kind of money there were shortcuts taken.
As a mature and realistic buyer I say I made my choice, I got a lot, but I didn't get perfection. And again for the boating I do it will more than meet my needs.