Hailing all Hunter owners! I am looking into obtaining a live a board. I have never owned a boat bigger than 20'ft. My price range is up to 100k. I was wondering which hunter (used) would you go with? Email me directly if you wish. Also if anyone out there knows of any hunter owners wanting to sell in the Saint Pete / Tampa area and would work with owner financing, please have them email me. tylerdarby@netzero.net Thanks. Tyler
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BIG!
You alone? Personally I could easily live on a 30-footer(with A/C). My wife thinks our 37-footer is too small. Everything is relative. Do you want to sail or just liveaboard? That decision can really narrow the lot. The new Hunter designs have more interior room and storage in the 30 then I have in my old 37. They kick up the freeboard to get all that space under the cockpit. You can't get that kind of room in a traditional design like my Cherubini unless you go over 44 feet. But with $100K you'll have lots of fun looking.
You alone? Personally I could easily live on a 30-footer(with A/C). My wife thinks our 37-footer is too small. Everything is relative. Do you want to sail or just liveaboard? That decision can really narrow the lot. The new Hunter designs have more interior room and storage in the 30 then I have in my old 37. They kick up the freeboard to get all that space under the cockpit. You can't get that kind of room in a traditional design like my Cherubini unless you go over 44 feet. But with $100K you'll have lots of fun looking.
Slip Size
Tyler, My wife and I have lived aboard our '85 H34 for two years now with no space problems at all. One consideration you may not have thought about is slip size. I don't know about Tampa, but here in San Diego anything larger than a 35' slip is very hard to come by - for liveaboards.
Tyler, My wife and I have lived aboard our '85 H34 for two years now with no space problems at all. One consideration you may not have thought about is slip size. I don't know about Tampa, but here in San Diego anything larger than a 35' slip is very hard to come by - for liveaboards.
Aft Cabin
Ed and Steve are right -- big -- neighborhood of 40'. If I could swing it, my choice would be one of the aft cabin models. Hunter has several models from 37' upwards that have aft cabins. Our experience with a short live-aboard period while our house was being built was that making the bed in the V-berth was a bit of a pain. And for two aging boomers, it's not the most comfortable of places to sleep. In fact, my wife much prefers one of the settees to the V-berth. Also, our boat (1977 H27) is way too small for more than the short-term live aboard we did. Now, this is all speculation on my part, since I've never actually experienced it, but to me, aft cabins would seem to offer a less cramped sleeping quarters, and more reasonable logistics for getting in and out of bed, and for changing the sheets and so forth.
Ed and Steve are right -- big -- neighborhood of 40'. If I could swing it, my choice would be one of the aft cabin models. Hunter has several models from 37' upwards that have aft cabins. Our experience with a short live-aboard period while our house was being built was that making the bed in the V-berth was a bit of a pain. And for two aging boomers, it's not the most comfortable of places to sleep. In fact, my wife much prefers one of the settees to the V-berth. Also, our boat (1977 H27) is way too small for more than the short-term live aboard we did. Now, this is all speculation on my part, since I've never actually experienced it, but to me, aft cabins would seem to offer a less cramped sleeping quarters, and more reasonable logistics for getting in and out of bed, and for changing the sheets and so forth.
Planning on living aboard....
....our 320. With all the freeboard, the interior is very spacious and we have everything in ours except the washer and dryer....all the galley extras and the heat/AC as well. We sleep in the aft cabin---not the v-berth. We spend lots of time aboard already, but intend to live aboard 6 months and the other 6 months "somewhere" yet-to-be-determined. The only thing we may do is somehow make the table smaller, since we never use it for extra sleeping anyway.
....our 320. With all the freeboard, the interior is very spacious and we have everything in ours except the washer and dryer....all the galley extras and the heat/AC as well. We sleep in the aft cabin---not the v-berth. We spend lots of time aboard already, but intend to live aboard 6 months and the other 6 months "somewhere" yet-to-be-determined. The only thing we may do is somehow make the table smaller, since we never use it for extra sleeping anyway.
ask to see some.....
....boats to get an idea of the different years/styles/sizes you might want to get into. Send me an e-mail (i'm in the directory) and i can link you to a site which shows you what an '88 Legend 37 gets you space wise. I am certain other proud owners would do likewise.
....boats to get an idea of the different years/styles/sizes you might want to get into. Send me an e-mail (i'm in the directory) and i can link you to a site which shows you what an '88 Legend 37 gets you space wise. I am certain other proud owners would do likewise.
live aboard, kind of...
My wife and I live aboard during the summer and would offer the following observations which are quite subjective: It's only big enough when I haven't done something too offensive, dumb, irritating, or generally unacceptable to the Admiral... The aft cabin which is relatively large for a 40 footer requires one of us (whoever is inside) to crawl out if the other person is still sleeping which gets tedious (center cockpit boats have their advantages here); The head holding tank is also relatively large but requires periodic pumpout so make sure the appropriate facilities are easily available; One hundered gallons of water requires periodic replenishment at the most inconvenient times (I'll never trust pressure reducer connections to dockside water again - long story); Heat and AC are both essential and depending on the climate, insulation on the hull to minimize condensation; The refer/freezer which are both huge on our boat are still insufficient unless you like frequent shopping (and always require digging to find anything); Storage for everything is limited and the laundramat is too far away. The point of this is that you will have to like the lifestyle to do it. If you are so inclined as we are, it's great, albeit part-time in our case after trying it to see how well we could adapt. Lastly, I don't think I ever heard a live-aboard complain that their boat was too big... Don S/V Illusion H 40.5
My wife and I live aboard during the summer and would offer the following observations which are quite subjective: It's only big enough when I haven't done something too offensive, dumb, irritating, or generally unacceptable to the Admiral... The aft cabin which is relatively large for a 40 footer requires one of us (whoever is inside) to crawl out if the other person is still sleeping which gets tedious (center cockpit boats have their advantages here); The head holding tank is also relatively large but requires periodic pumpout so make sure the appropriate facilities are easily available; One hundered gallons of water requires periodic replenishment at the most inconvenient times (I'll never trust pressure reducer connections to dockside water again - long story); Heat and AC are both essential and depending on the climate, insulation on the hull to minimize condensation; The refer/freezer which are both huge on our boat are still insufficient unless you like frequent shopping (and always require digging to find anything); Storage for everything is limited and the laundramat is too far away. The point of this is that you will have to like the lifestyle to do it. If you are so inclined as we are, it's great, albeit part-time in our case after trying it to see how well we could adapt. Lastly, I don't think I ever heard a live-aboard complain that their boat was too big... Don S/V Illusion H 40.5
34
Ive got a 34 that has been a great liveaboard for the past 2 years. I am not far from Tampa but a couple of things to consider down that far south are draft, a/c, etc. Down around Ft Myers Beach I had real problems at 5'6. Maybe a shoal draft would be better? I really like the 37s Ive looked at, bigger aft berth than the 34 (my only complaint).
Ive got a 34 that has been a great liveaboard for the past 2 years. I am not far from Tampa but a couple of things to consider down that far south are draft, a/c, etc. Down around Ft Myers Beach I had real problems at 5'6. Maybe a shoal draft would be better? I really like the 37s Ive looked at, bigger aft berth than the 34 (my only complaint).
Individual Choice
Don had some really good points. We liveaboard a 376 and love it. Center cockpit 420 would be more comfortable, but so would a 150' yacht with crew. We have room for guests in the vberth, can food shop for a week at a time, do laundry once a week, pump out the holding tank once a week, shower aboard, fill up the water tank about every 5 days, do the yard work by washing the deck after sailing most weekends. The key for us is to keep the boat within 30 minutes of "secure for sea". Makes getting underway for a few hours or overnight seem reasonable, and keeps the clutter down in the cabin. For around the $110K I would look at the 376's if you are focused on a Hunter. We spent about a year looking at boats (all kinds of sailboats) from 30' to 40' (slip considerations) from FL to NJ before buying our 376 in NJ and shipping it to SC. Some of the driving factors then: - How much sweat equity (time) would be required. - Shower not over the head. - Minimal topside wood. - What kind of sailing could we do for the next 8 years or so? Ans. Have to work, so coastal cruising. - Ease of sailing. We sailed from Charleston to Panama City, FL about 9 months after getting the boat. - Storage vs. People Space. What tradeoffs suit you. Everyone wants more storage vs. how tight a space do you want to walk around in. Things not considered that maybe we should've. - Space for kid(s). 376 will work for our first (due in OCT), but then it might get a bit tight. - Kind of crave a bed with two sides, but then underway it would suck. How often will you need to sleep while underway? When we did our 2+ day sails the main cabin settee with table down was the best. In port we use the aft cabin. The best advice is make sure you really want to liveaboard. Then be brutally honest about your lifestyle, personality, habits, and preferences. Then imagine all that baggage living on a boat. When we did the calculus, the 376 fit us, but took an extra 6 months to afford. I have seen lots of other happy liveaboards here in Ventura. They all have differant boats and styles. Some use their boats as waterfront houses, others sail frequently, some have pets, some have five kids. It is a great community. Hope this rambling helps a bit. Scott
Don had some really good points. We liveaboard a 376 and love it. Center cockpit 420 would be more comfortable, but so would a 150' yacht with crew. We have room for guests in the vberth, can food shop for a week at a time, do laundry once a week, pump out the holding tank once a week, shower aboard, fill up the water tank about every 5 days, do the yard work by washing the deck after sailing most weekends. The key for us is to keep the boat within 30 minutes of "secure for sea". Makes getting underway for a few hours or overnight seem reasonable, and keeps the clutter down in the cabin. For around the $110K I would look at the 376's if you are focused on a Hunter. We spent about a year looking at boats (all kinds of sailboats) from 30' to 40' (slip considerations) from FL to NJ before buying our 376 in NJ and shipping it to SC. Some of the driving factors then: - How much sweat equity (time) would be required. - Shower not over the head. - Minimal topside wood. - What kind of sailing could we do for the next 8 years or so? Ans. Have to work, so coastal cruising. - Ease of sailing. We sailed from Charleston to Panama City, FL about 9 months after getting the boat. - Storage vs. People Space. What tradeoffs suit you. Everyone wants more storage vs. how tight a space do you want to walk around in. Things not considered that maybe we should've. - Space for kid(s). 376 will work for our first (due in OCT), but then it might get a bit tight. - Kind of crave a bed with two sides, but then underway it would suck. How often will you need to sleep while underway? When we did our 2+ day sails the main cabin settee with table down was the best. In port we use the aft cabin. The best advice is make sure you really want to liveaboard. Then be brutally honest about your lifestyle, personality, habits, and preferences. Then imagine all that baggage living on a boat. When we did the calculus, the 376 fit us, but took an extra 6 months to afford. I have seen lots of other happy liveaboards here in Ventura. They all have differant boats and styles. Some use their boats as waterfront houses, others sail frequently, some have pets, some have five kids. It is a great community. Hope this rambling helps a bit. Scott
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