Having read and heard so much about the Hunter plant tour we made it part of this year’s plan. By coming to Florida on I-75 it brought us right to Alachua, a small town and strange place for a sailboat plant. A couple from Belgium joined us for the tour. They own a DuFour 36 so added a perspective to what we were seeing. The building of a Hunter sailboat is an amazing feat. What looks like a nine to twelve month project is completed in nine days for the smaller boats and around eighteen for the larger boats. I thought the molds would be some exotic metal. In fact they are fiberglass. I assume the smooth finish is gelcoat, red in the ones that we saw. So they spray gelcoat onto gelcoat then start laying up the glass and resin. I forgot to ask about coring in the hull. I had heard that they were cored above the waterline but I saw no evidence of that. The hulls that I saw all looked solid but maybe you cannot tell from looking. We saw how the gelcoat stuck to the mold in a few places and the resulting dull spots on the hull or deck. We saw how they repaired those spots so that you cannot see the flaw. And the darker non-skid comes out of the molds looking perfect. We saw H41 #157 and H44 #175 at the end of the line. Or was it the other way around? There is just so much to see and try to remember. We saw how the new soft headliners go in, naugahyde I think. And how they can be removed if necessary for access to wiring or, fat chance, a leak. Even the H386 now has the soft liner. Some models have a glass/gelcoat headliner in the rear of the boat, hard to recall which ones. Our guide, Mark Arnold, thought H33 #127 was already outside. There were two lines of that boat, one off each line every three days. The cabinetry shop was fascinating. Mike says they make everything except compound curved wood. They outsource that. Not sure where I have ever seen any on a Hunter. Those louvered doors? We watched them being made. The keels are still Mars Metal and most of the rudders are Foss Foam. They do make some rudders at the plant. I was surprised how beefy the rudder/steering system is on the new boats with the Lewmar(Whitlock) pedestal. Very heavy duty arm and rod arrangement. Easy to add a below-deck autohelm. I was impressed with the hull/deck joint. They use screws every four to six inches with 5200 in the joint. Then they immediately drill and bolt every ten to twelve inches. All the bolts, nuts, and screwheads are covered with a sealant. Then the rubber cover goes on after everything sets. Quality control seemed to be well considered. The boats go to a little lake for a float test. They get two "rain" tests. Our guide thought a lot of the leak issues were due to transport. He said they do not leak when they go on the trucks. All in all a very worthwhile side trip. Any weekday at 0900, 1100, and 1300. Be there fifteen minutes early for the sign in and video.
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Thanks Ed
Ed, I enjoyed your overview. Do you know how long Hunter has used this same method of construction? Ricardo s/v La Vida Feliz
Ed, I enjoyed your overview. Do you know how long Hunter has used this same method of construction? Ricardo s/v La Vida Feliz
Great report
A fascinating tour, and a reminder of the importance of manufacturing in America, sadly just 15% of our economy today.
A fascinating tour, and a reminder of the importance of manufacturing in America, sadly just 15% of our economy today.
See Pics of Hunter Factory Tour
I took the tour on 2/23/04 with Eddie, a Hunter master craftsman (which means he is qualified to "do it all"). If you go to my web site (http://sailingforever.home.comcast.net) and click on the "Pics of our Hunter Factory Tour" you can see what we saw. There are caption below most pics. On most of the Hunter line, the interior is built inside the hull, however, on the new H33 the interior is built in a "jig" (mold?) and then lifted and set into the hull. In any case, the factory was going very strong and they will have 5 H33 lines running in the nest few weeks. The QC and attention to detail is amazing. The fact that it is an assembly line means that there will be some flaws and defects that are not caught there at the factory, but if you purchase your Hunter from a great dealer like Norton's Yacht Sales (#1 in world on Hunter Curtomer Service) where we bought ours, they will get all of the kinks and bugs worked out prior to you taking delivery. Regards, -Jim- s/v Forever
I took the tour on 2/23/04 with Eddie, a Hunter master craftsman (which means he is qualified to "do it all"). If you go to my web site (http://sailingforever.home.comcast.net) and click on the "Pics of our Hunter Factory Tour" you can see what we saw. There are caption below most pics. On most of the Hunter line, the interior is built inside the hull, however, on the new H33 the interior is built in a "jig" (mold?) and then lifted and set into the hull. In any case, the factory was going very strong and they will have 5 H33 lines running in the nest few weeks. The QC and attention to detail is amazing. The fact that it is an assembly line means that there will be some flaws and defects that are not caught there at the factory, but if you purchase your Hunter from a great dealer like Norton's Yacht Sales (#1 in world on Hunter Curtomer Service) where we bought ours, they will get all of the kinks and bugs worked out prior to you taking delivery. Regards, -Jim- s/v Forever
To Gregg of Huntington, NY re: Reefers
Gregg, Per Eddied at the Hunter Factory, Adler/Barbour reefers are NOT being used on the H33, they are using "standard" refrigerators. Hope that helps =) Regards, -Jim- s/v Forever
Gregg, Per Eddied at the Hunter Factory, Adler/Barbour reefers are NOT being used on the H33, they are using "standard" refrigerators. Hope that helps =) Regards, -Jim- s/v Forever
New Hunter reefers
Hunter is using Nova Kool(Related Link) for its front loading refrigs and freezers. I am guessing but I think the 2.4 cu. foot in the H33 and smaller. And 3.5 in the H36 and larger. I remember at the plant tour that the one in the H44 seemed even larger. And it also had a separate front loading freezer. If you read the specs they seem to be very efficient. But still I wonder about the wisdom of front opening on a boat reefer.
Hunter is using Nova Kool(Related Link) for its front loading refrigs and freezers. I am guessing but I think the 2.4 cu. foot in the H33 and smaller. And 3.5 in the H36 and larger. I remember at the plant tour that the one in the H44 seemed even larger. And it also had a separate front loading freezer. If you read the specs they seem to be very efficient. But still I wonder about the wisdom of front opening on a boat reefer.
Jim -
Thanks for remembering me, and great job with the photos on your web site! Also, thanks Ed for your input on the Nova Kools.
Thanks for remembering me, and great job with the photos on your web site! Also, thanks Ed for your input on the Nova Kools.
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