Need Your thoughts and review on a 1994 Hunter 26 WB

Bob 04 H260 · Apr 19, 2012

Bruce, I don't know the 26 Hunter you are looking at but I have owned a Mac26S and a Hunter 260, both water ballasted boats. I liked both of them and found they sailed very well. I trailered them all over, as much as 1800 miles one way. I lived on the Hunter for over 2 months while cruising down the Florida east coast and Keys. I liked the Hunter very much it was 2005. It was heavy to tow and I used a full sized 4x4 pickup truck, and was glad I did not have anything smaller. If you pose questions on the trailer sailors forums you may get more reply's from those with experience with these boats.
good luck, Bob

steve stark · Apr 20, 2012

Bruce...
I would highly recommend reading George's site cover to cover at:
http://kobernus.com/hunter260/index.html

Although it is dedicated to the H260, there are several comments on the H26 directly and almost everything within the pages applies.

I had an H26 for 5 years and was extremely happy with it. Sailed very well and, with the proper mods and upgrades, was very comfortable at anchor. Our longest journey was 17 days through Desolation Sound in BC and she served us well. The soundness of that boat led us to our present H340.

I would think that your GVWR of 5000 pounds will be a little light. George's site will show you a trailer/boat weight of nearly 6000 pounds dry.

Good luck in your search.

cephius (Dave) · Apr 20, 2012

I tow my fully loaded H260 with a Jeep Cherokee. My marina is about 60 miles of country road away. Never had a problem.

Doug L · Apr 20, 2012

I previously owned a Mac 25, and moved up to a Hunter 26, also a 1994. First, I will say the Hunter 26 is the most wonderful boat I have owned, and probablly the best I will ever own. It sailed very nicely, had lots of cabin space, a real enclosed head with sink, a workable galley, a nice queen size bed for the captain and first mate, and enough sleeping space for out 3 grandchildren. It is a great boat. I towed it with a Jeep Liberty, also rated for 5000 lb, and it was not great, but adequate. It probably is no harder to rig to sail, or get back on the Trailer, than the Mac 25. I felt the Mac 25 and the Hunter 26 were about equally tender, or stiff, if anything I thought the Hunter might be a biit stiffer than the Mac 25. If you can afford it, I would easily choose the Hunter over the Mac, you won't regret it.

Doug L · Apr 20, 2012

I will also say that shallow draft is very important to me. If I had deep water I would go with a keelboat. All boats are a compromise, the H26 is a great shallow draft, trailer boat.

Juice6576 · Apr 20, 2012

Owned a 96 H26 for 16 years

abk said:
I am now looking at a 1994 Hunter 26 W B boat to buy... I would like to hear your thoughts on this sailboat.

I also have spent about an hour trying to find out its weight with the trailer so I can tow the thing... My Jeep Cherokee has a 5000 lb rating with a 4.o Liter 6 cylinder.

I sail rivers, the NJ coast and the Chesapeake. I currently own a Macgregor 25 with a swing keel.

I like the shallow draft these type of boats will provide.

All the good and bad about comments are welcomed. I was also looking at a Mac 26x and a Catalina 25 WB.

My friend suggests a shallow draft too. I want to trailer it and a keel boat up on a trailer must be a problem to launch and retrieve. I like to sail and not run aground or be limited to where I can go. Beaching a keel boat? Unless it's a Hake or Southerly or another swing keel boat beaching is impossible.

I know that a lot of mono hull owners do not like the water ballasted boats but I haven't heard any real complaints that have a valid reason to avoid a w b boat.

Thanks in advance for your reply...

My first two boats were Hunter water ballast trailerables. We owned our H26 and sailed it in Red Rock Lake, IA, Mississippi River, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago. It's a good sailing boat within its design limits. The big Hunter mainsail means reefing around 12 knots of wind. Boat sails well and has a 18 inch draft. We used to sail and tie off pretty close to beaches with ours, but you can't fully dry out as the centerboard does extend about 8 inches below the keel. We upgraded ours with roller furling, lazy jacks, cruising spinnaker, 8 HP High Thrust Yamaha outboard and a Tiller Pilot. When we replaced the main, we upgraded with two reef points which worked a lot better. Look for one with the upgraded interior and stern rail seats. I always wanted to upgrade the water system but never got around to it. There are a lot of reviews on this site and the 26/260 has a pretty good modifications section. It was a great boat and I would recommend one.

Juice6576 · Apr 20, 2012

Towing questions

We towed our H26 with a succession of Full Size SUVs - Expedition, Suburban, Avalanche. None of those vehicles ever felt challenged by towing the boat, in fact it trailers pretty well.

The full load displacement was supposed to be 5100 lbs., with ballast drained it is lighter. I honestly think you might be pushing it with the Cherokee. We towed our H23.5 with a 2 door 95 Blazer with a 4.3 V6. The Blazer didn't lack for power, but the short wheelbase and brakes seemed challenged.

Crazy Dave Condon · Apr 25, 2012

Bruce;

The dry wieght of the boat only is appx. 3000 pounds. with the wieght of the trailer and motor and gear, it can be anywhere from 4500 to 5000 but again motor and gear will make the final determination. You probably have brakes on one axle. Before towing, make sure the brakes and lights work properly. After 20 miles, pull over and check the tie downs. The 260 is basically the 26 except the design of the cockpit allows for installation of wheel steering and easier axcess ont the boat. In addition, the forward hatch is different. Otherwise pretty much the same.

One other thing on the tie down strap on the back. get the 2inch width and twist the strap a few times on the side to keep it from slapping against the hull.

If you have any more questions, feel free to email me at davecondon@mindspring.com as I know the boats too well.

Crazy Dave Condon

Charisma · Apr 25, 2012

Crazy Dave, that is a great idea about twisting the tie down straps. Always learning something new here. Thanks Chris

Crazy Dave Condon · Apr 26, 2012

You are welcom Chris. I even have a better one. Launching a Hunter 33 with the mast up off a trailer behind my dooley and pulling it out or better yet, launching a Hunter 320 with mast up with a crane over a bridge 40 feet down into a lake. feel free to contact me anytime my friend.

crazy dave condon

Steve Kamp · Apr 30, 2012

It is good to see that Crazy Dave has returned to the forums and is sharing his expertise.

He served us well when we had a 260 and continues to keep in touch after we got 12foot-itis and we bought "Carolina" from him in 2005.