We visited the Sydney Boat Show with a view to upgrading to a bigger boat ready for some serious crusing and really fell in love with the Hunter yachts. We feel that they have everything that we need for cruising around Australia. The only problem is that a lot of people who are so called in the know are very critical which puts us off buying. Comments are usually quality is poor, no back stays ,not made strongly enough etc. At the moment we are sailing a 2002 Jeanneau 34.2 Sun Odyssey and wheras it is a very smart looking boat I wouldn't rave about the quality? Can anyone give us some advise??
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I'll answer your question with a question.
Why? That is the question. Why has Hunter been successful for so very long? Why do so many people buy them? Hunter Marine would not survive in businss if they made an inferior product. It's basic economics. Back in the 70's, a multitude of boat manufacturers entered the market and just as quickly disappeared. Hunter survived. People buy Hunter yachts because they are beautifully designed and well made. Their are many owners that visit the HOW site. Why so many? We appreciate our yachts and devote considerable amounts of energy, time and money toward upgrades, refits and additions. Further, no Hunter owner would trust the lives of their loved ones to an inferior craft. Hunter is an excellent everypersons yacht. Sadly, Hunter does not pay me to say that either. I own a Hunter and when the day comes my next yacht will be a Hunter. Therein is the last question. Why are so many Hunter owners repeat purchasers of Hunter yachts? Let the bashers bash!!
Why? That is the question. Why has Hunter been successful for so very long? Why do so many people buy them? Hunter Marine would not survive in businss if they made an inferior product. It's basic economics. Back in the 70's, a multitude of boat manufacturers entered the market and just as quickly disappeared. Hunter survived. People buy Hunter yachts because they are beautifully designed and well made. Their are many owners that visit the HOW site. Why so many? We appreciate our yachts and devote considerable amounts of energy, time and money toward upgrades, refits and additions. Further, no Hunter owner would trust the lives of their loved ones to an inferior craft. Hunter is an excellent everypersons yacht. Sadly, Hunter does not pay me to say that either. I own a Hunter and when the day comes my next yacht will be a Hunter. Therein is the last question. Why are so many Hunter owners repeat purchasers of Hunter yachts? Let the bashers bash!!
Different
The B&R rig has some people put off, just like free standing rigs do. I think some of that has changed with more race boats (one design) having non-overlapping head sails, outboard shrouds, swept back spreaders and some without backstays. Also, the traveller location on an arch is different. Having said all that, when I got into sailing, there were still people who wouldn't own a fiberglass boat, thought gaff rigs were the best, thought fin keels would fall off and wouldn't have anything but a ketch. Really! As to quality, that I think is just a function of volume. There are a lot more of them (like Catalina) and you will hear some issues as a natural consequense. However, the boats are highly engineered and in the litigious USA, you can bet that any serious problem is identified, recalled and fixed promptly. The other thing that gets people riled up is the many model changes and updating done by Hunter. Some people consider that improving the breed. Others consider it planned obsolesence. Like Mike said, forget the bashers. They are simply wrong. The proof is the endurance and success of the brand, coupled with good factory support and willingness to change. IMHO, Rick D.
The B&R rig has some people put off, just like free standing rigs do. I think some of that has changed with more race boats (one design) having non-overlapping head sails, outboard shrouds, swept back spreaders and some without backstays. Also, the traveller location on an arch is different. Having said all that, when I got into sailing, there were still people who wouldn't own a fiberglass boat, thought gaff rigs were the best, thought fin keels would fall off and wouldn't have anything but a ketch. Really! As to quality, that I think is just a function of volume. There are a lot more of them (like Catalina) and you will hear some issues as a natural consequense. However, the boats are highly engineered and in the litigious USA, you can bet that any serious problem is identified, recalled and fixed promptly. The other thing that gets people riled up is the many model changes and updating done by Hunter. Some people consider that improving the breed. Others consider it planned obsolesence. Like Mike said, forget the bashers. They are simply wrong. The proof is the endurance and success of the brand, coupled with good factory support and willingness to change. IMHO, Rick D.
Hunter Opinions
I have owned a Hunter and may own another in the future because they are good value for a reasonable price. The vessels have their limitations and most are best suited for coastal cruising, not off shore duty. Who wants their rudder to break off shore? Many of the changes made by Hunter over the years were to reduce productions costs rather than improve the final product. Take a look at resale value and compare prices of more tradition style boats to Hunter. It rapidly becomes obvious that most other boats hold their value better than Hunters. That is likely why I purchased mine. Similiar size (and age) Catalinas, Pearsons, ....., and others cost more money than my Hunter did. Although some of their designs were innovative, many were experimental and not very successful. My observation was that many Hunters performed slightly better than the competition. If you buy a new Hunter you can expect reasonable service for a short time but buyers of used Hunters are on their own (even for known defects from Hunter) So for advice it appears you already know what you are entering into. Buy it if you like it and ignore everyone else. Take it off shore if you're a gambler. Stronger boats with better designs can be had for more money. Most production boats have similiar quality. You can buy a Hunter you like, invest time and money in updates and repairs and it will still be a Hunter that some folks may opinions of that are not positive. I've seen several Hunters from the 80's where owners removed the logos from hulls and sails (and a Beneslow did that also) and hoped no one would know what it was.
I have owned a Hunter and may own another in the future because they are good value for a reasonable price. The vessels have their limitations and most are best suited for coastal cruising, not off shore duty. Who wants their rudder to break off shore? Many of the changes made by Hunter over the years were to reduce productions costs rather than improve the final product. Take a look at resale value and compare prices of more tradition style boats to Hunter. It rapidly becomes obvious that most other boats hold their value better than Hunters. That is likely why I purchased mine. Similiar size (and age) Catalinas, Pearsons, ....., and others cost more money than my Hunter did. Although some of their designs were innovative, many were experimental and not very successful. My observation was that many Hunters performed slightly better than the competition. If you buy a new Hunter you can expect reasonable service for a short time but buyers of used Hunters are on their own (even for known defects from Hunter) So for advice it appears you already know what you are entering into. Buy it if you like it and ignore everyone else. Take it off shore if you're a gambler. Stronger boats with better designs can be had for more money. Most production boats have similiar quality. You can buy a Hunter you like, invest time and money in updates and repairs and it will still be a Hunter that some folks may opinions of that are not positive. I've seen several Hunters from the 80's where owners removed the logos from hulls and sails (and a Beneslow did that also) and hoped no one would know what it was.
Resale Regional
While I'm sure Daryl's observation with respect to resale is true in his area, in SoCal, the resale is slightly better than the norm (taking into consideration the purchase price). I noticed the UK used prices looked very healthy too. I do find that prices in the US South East are considerably less than West Coast resale. Also, as far as factory support, I can only say that my experience with two used Hunters has been excellent. RD
While I'm sure Daryl's observation with respect to resale is true in his area, in SoCal, the resale is slightly better than the norm (taking into consideration the purchase price). I noticed the UK used prices looked very healthy too. I do find that prices in the US South East are considerably less than West Coast resale. Also, as far as factory support, I can only say that my experience with two used Hunters has been excellent. RD
And they send me free stuff and my boat is going
on 19 years old. Of course, I'm the original owner. And I wouldn't have redone my boat if the basic product wasn't solid.
on 19 years old. Of course, I'm the original owner. And I wouldn't have redone my boat if the basic product wasn't solid.
Ditto here regarding Hunter support....
I've dealt with hundreds of vendors and manufacturers over the years and Hunter falls in the top ten in my customer focus and quality of service book. Even though we were the second owner and the boat was ten years old, they promptly paid all labor and material costs to upgrade our electrical system. Terry
I've dealt with hundreds of vendors and manufacturers over the years and Hunter falls in the top ten in my customer focus and quality of service book. Even though we were the second owner and the boat was ten years old, they promptly paid all labor and material costs to upgrade our electrical system. Terry
My personal perspective (long)
I had a 1999 H310, which I traded in this past autumn on a 2005 H36. I don't know if my situation has sufficient parallels to yours to make my comments of any value, but here goes. I wanted a new boat, and thought I'd learned enough about things to fix or upgrade to make the risk of buying anything but a fully-equipped and well-proven used boat worth taking. I finally settled on the H36 after looking at a lot of alternatives because it is the best compromise between all the things I consider important for the price. I'm a short- (often single-) handed coastal North Atlantic cruiser. I'm not a floating condominium owner, a trailer sailor nor an ocean crosser. My idea of a passage is (mostly) in sight of land or only a little farther out where I can navigate by radar images of the coast (plus GPS and chart-plotter, plus GPS and Maptech software, plus paper charts). In my opinion, Hunters are analogous to Fords, not BMW's or Mercedes; specifically, I consider them analogous to performance-equipped Mustangs. Enough of them have been produced, at sufficiently high volumes over enough years, to have generated the (possibly apocryphal) stories about quality analogous to the "beer-can-found-behind-the-door-panel" tales; the kinds of occurrances that would'nt be a threat to life or limb, just an annoying shaker of one's faith in the product's perfection. They do exhibit pretty good performance for the buck, and have a high fun quotient. They're not Ferrari's, but they aren't SUVs, either. My H310 had some corners cut that I found appalling - like no seals or latches on cockpit lockers, and no coachroof grab rails. I addressed both issues and was glad I had when broached by a quartering sea that was breaking higher than my bimini top when crossing the Merrimac River entrance bar at full ebb after Hurricane Jeanne (with an anxious USCG 47-footer shadowing us in). I was even more glad, however, to not be in a "safe" traditional long-keel, blue water design which would have been rolled - while my litle H310 just skidded sideways away from the wave until the wave's height when it finally boarded my cockpit was only waist high. I've had the little H310 out in sufficient coastal Atlantic nastiness to trust her. I'd hate to find myself in "the perfect storm" with her, but don't go out without checking the weather. The H36 has met the letter of the law on the Category A classification requiremnents (such as seals and latches on locker lids), but it is not specifically designed for ocean crossings. The South African dealer's Hunters are deliverd on their own hulls from FLA, however, and I doubt the delivery captains would risk that in anything that couldn't stand-up in heavy weather on blue water. The H36's construction includes hull-flange-to-deck bolts every 6 inches, with toe-rail-to-deck fasteners between each pair of said bolts. That's a lot of support for the 3M 5200 seal. When combined with the Kevlar reinforcing layer in the forward section, that gives me confidence that I have plenty of hull strength if I do get caught in heavy weather, and if I cut away any spars before they hit the hull too many times in case of a dismasting. (I also find the 3-point-staying of the B&R rig plus the mast support struts confidence-inspiring.) Obviously, I can make no estimate of how many years of heavy weather hull-flexing it'd withstand before fatigue set in, and (like most boats) it doesn't have any water-tight bulkheads. However, if I didn't cover those big "windshield" deadlights with my nested dinghy, I'd sure want (solid) storm covers for them to not test the acryllic (and seals) with a ton of wave. (If you want maximum strength against such "blunt trauma," you use acryllic. If you want bullet-proofing against stress-concentrating penetraters, you use Lexan. Both will test their mountings when their area picks up more load than their perimeter can hold.) More importantly, the very reasons I love the basic design's performance - both in keeping up with much large boats under sail, and reacting to beam-on waves - are the reasons it is a tiring boat to have to steer for long periods in heavy weather. It turns on a dime, whether from helm input or wave action. When that's what you want (most all the time, for me) it's "responsiveness." When you'd like to let the autopilot steer and take a break in very heavy conditions, it's "skittishness." A heavy-duty, hydraulic below-decks autopilot wouild address that problem, but only with a load of batteries I don't care to carry. A "blue water boat," like a Pacific Seacraft, would not have to address it. On the other hand, the Hunter's light-air acceleration makes the Volvo-like Pacific Seacraft look pretty stodgy - to say nothing of a sluggish minivan-like Island Packet. Of course, for the price I paid for a new H36, the only new Pacific Seacraft I could have bought is a lovely (LITTLE) Crealock 31. There are no perfect boats, but the Hunters are good enough for the purposes of enough people that you don't see Luhrs Marine starved for customers - many repeat. Good luck with your decision.
I had a 1999 H310, which I traded in this past autumn on a 2005 H36. I don't know if my situation has sufficient parallels to yours to make my comments of any value, but here goes. I wanted a new boat, and thought I'd learned enough about things to fix or upgrade to make the risk of buying anything but a fully-equipped and well-proven used boat worth taking. I finally settled on the H36 after looking at a lot of alternatives because it is the best compromise between all the things I consider important for the price. I'm a short- (often single-) handed coastal North Atlantic cruiser. I'm not a floating condominium owner, a trailer sailor nor an ocean crosser. My idea of a passage is (mostly) in sight of land or only a little farther out where I can navigate by radar images of the coast (plus GPS and chart-plotter, plus GPS and Maptech software, plus paper charts). In my opinion, Hunters are analogous to Fords, not BMW's or Mercedes; specifically, I consider them analogous to performance-equipped Mustangs. Enough of them have been produced, at sufficiently high volumes over enough years, to have generated the (possibly apocryphal) stories about quality analogous to the "beer-can-found-behind-the-door-panel" tales; the kinds of occurrances that would'nt be a threat to life or limb, just an annoying shaker of one's faith in the product's perfection. They do exhibit pretty good performance for the buck, and have a high fun quotient. They're not Ferrari's, but they aren't SUVs, either. My H310 had some corners cut that I found appalling - like no seals or latches on cockpit lockers, and no coachroof grab rails. I addressed both issues and was glad I had when broached by a quartering sea that was breaking higher than my bimini top when crossing the Merrimac River entrance bar at full ebb after Hurricane Jeanne (with an anxious USCG 47-footer shadowing us in). I was even more glad, however, to not be in a "safe" traditional long-keel, blue water design which would have been rolled - while my litle H310 just skidded sideways away from the wave until the wave's height when it finally boarded my cockpit was only waist high. I've had the little H310 out in sufficient coastal Atlantic nastiness to trust her. I'd hate to find myself in "the perfect storm" with her, but don't go out without checking the weather. The H36 has met the letter of the law on the Category A classification requiremnents (such as seals and latches on locker lids), but it is not specifically designed for ocean crossings. The South African dealer's Hunters are deliverd on their own hulls from FLA, however, and I doubt the delivery captains would risk that in anything that couldn't stand-up in heavy weather on blue water. The H36's construction includes hull-flange-to-deck bolts every 6 inches, with toe-rail-to-deck fasteners between each pair of said bolts. That's a lot of support for the 3M 5200 seal. When combined with the Kevlar reinforcing layer in the forward section, that gives me confidence that I have plenty of hull strength if I do get caught in heavy weather, and if I cut away any spars before they hit the hull too many times in case of a dismasting. (I also find the 3-point-staying of the B&R rig plus the mast support struts confidence-inspiring.) Obviously, I can make no estimate of how many years of heavy weather hull-flexing it'd withstand before fatigue set in, and (like most boats) it doesn't have any water-tight bulkheads. However, if I didn't cover those big "windshield" deadlights with my nested dinghy, I'd sure want (solid) storm covers for them to not test the acryllic (and seals) with a ton of wave. (If you want maximum strength against such "blunt trauma," you use acryllic. If you want bullet-proofing against stress-concentrating penetraters, you use Lexan. Both will test their mountings when their area picks up more load than their perimeter can hold.) More importantly, the very reasons I love the basic design's performance - both in keeping up with much large boats under sail, and reacting to beam-on waves - are the reasons it is a tiring boat to have to steer for long periods in heavy weather. It turns on a dime, whether from helm input or wave action. When that's what you want (most all the time, for me) it's "responsiveness." When you'd like to let the autopilot steer and take a break in very heavy conditions, it's "skittishness." A heavy-duty, hydraulic below-decks autopilot wouild address that problem, but only with a load of batteries I don't care to carry. A "blue water boat," like a Pacific Seacraft, would not have to address it. On the other hand, the Hunter's light-air acceleration makes the Volvo-like Pacific Seacraft look pretty stodgy - to say nothing of a sluggish minivan-like Island Packet. Of course, for the price I paid for a new H36, the only new Pacific Seacraft I could have bought is a lovely (LITTLE) Crealock 31. There are no perfect boats, but the Hunters are good enough for the purposes of enough people that you don't see Luhrs Marine starved for customers - many repeat. Good luck with your decision.
Okay,and here is my perspective!!!
Rule No.1. Buy a Hunter only when there is a good supportive dealer who will be responsive to your service.It makes all the difference in the world.I,myself will probably never buy another Hunter,for sure a new one,after my experiences over the last year and a half.I bought a new 2003 356.I have had it for 14 months and stuff has been breaking since the first month.My dealer has fixed a couple of items over the 14 months.There were also numerous fit and finish items that I thought should have been addressed at the factory.For something that you pay more than the price of a house for,I would think that the QC effort would be a little more.Also,the 1 year warranty on everything except the hull is a little skimpy for something most people only get to use occassionaly. That having been said,I have done some Gulfstream crossings in 14-16 waves in a couple of different 41 Hunters and have found myself feeling rather secure.I dont think they are built badly,I think they are built for their purpose which is Coastal Cruising. Good Luck with your choice!(see rule No 1)
Rule No.1. Buy a Hunter only when there is a good supportive dealer who will be responsive to your service.It makes all the difference in the world.I,myself will probably never buy another Hunter,for sure a new one,after my experiences over the last year and a half.I bought a new 2003 356.I have had it for 14 months and stuff has been breaking since the first month.My dealer has fixed a couple of items over the 14 months.There were also numerous fit and finish items that I thought should have been addressed at the factory.For something that you pay more than the price of a house for,I would think that the QC effort would be a little more.Also,the 1 year warranty on everything except the hull is a little skimpy for something most people only get to use occassionaly. That having been said,I have done some Gulfstream crossings in 14-16 waves in a couple of different 41 Hunters and have found myself feeling rather secure.I dont think they are built badly,I think they are built for their purpose which is Coastal Cruising. Good Luck with your choice!(see rule No 1)
Regional Resale Value
Yes it has been my observation that there is a difference in price on the east and west coast. I've seen Hunters cheaper on the east coast and Catalinas cheaper on the west side. I suspect is a supply and demand issue associated with the market and larger supply in the area they are produced.
Yes it has been my observation that there is a difference in price on the east and west coast. I've seen Hunters cheaper on the east coast and Catalinas cheaper on the west side. I suspect is a supply and demand issue associated with the market and larger supply in the area they are produced.
And,,,,
it costs $5 to $10 thousand dollars more to get Hunters to the west coast. And that's just for a mid-thirty's boat.
it costs $5 to $10 thousand dollars more to get Hunters to the west coast. And that's just for a mid-thirty's boat.
One Hunter's Atlantic crossing reports
Here's a link to one of a sequence of e-mail reports during one H450 owner's (and his boat's) first Atlantic crossing. This particular e-mail is a summary once they reached Horta, but clicking on the link at the page's bottom will get you the list of all the e-mails as he made the passage.
Here's a link to one of a sequence of e-mail reports during one H450 owner's (and his boat's) first Atlantic crossing. This particular e-mail is a summary once they reached Horta, but clicking on the link at the page's bottom will get you the list of all the e-mails as he made the passage.
My advice is very simple
It is not the yacht that makes it around the world. It's the skipper. I have found over the years that the "knockers" are usually people with either little sailing experiance or those that have a vested interest. And then of course there are all those who only dream of owning a yacht. Watch the weather, sail flat, sail fast.
It is not the yacht that makes it around the world. It's the skipper. I have found over the years that the "knockers" are usually people with either little sailing experiance or those that have a vested interest. And then of course there are all those who only dream of owning a yacht. Watch the weather, sail flat, sail fast.
Given the same skipper, if I were to travel
the world, I'll take a Hallsberg Rassy than a Hunter anytime. Yes we all know about how important the skipper is. But really, price not a object.... I'll take a Rassy any time. And about trusting your family in a Hunter and safety.... then we should all leave our small cars behind and buy Rolls, top of the line Benzes, and Bentleys. How much is safety worth? Well, we all have to make choices and we all have a limit in our pocketbooks.... if I didn't I would be sailing something better than my Hunter. For my budget, I am happy with my H. abe
the world, I'll take a Hallsberg Rassy than a Hunter anytime. Yes we all know about how important the skipper is. But really, price not a object.... I'll take a Rassy any time. And about trusting your family in a Hunter and safety.... then we should all leave our small cars behind and buy Rolls, top of the line Benzes, and Bentleys. How much is safety worth? Well, we all have to make choices and we all have a limit in our pocketbooks.... if I didn't I would be sailing something better than my Hunter. For my budget, I am happy with my H. abe
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