Hello all, Getting ready to close on a Hunter 38 and thought I'd join the fun. After chartering and looking for years we finally pulled the trigger. Any tips on sailing / owning a 38 (2005) would be appreciated. It's a different rig than what I've sailed, this is our first "big boat" and we don't have a lot of experience. Retiring in a few months and then we hope to get lots of experience. Also don't have much experience with these web sites so be gentle.
Upper Chesapeake for the coming year then headed south with everyone else.
Lots to learn.
Donnie
HI and welcome.
We have a 2008 38 that we purchased new in 2009. It was a dealer demo and was still in their inventory in 2009 when we purchased her. Love the boat!
couple of things to start with.
- The first thing the dealer told us during our test sail is that when the winds get to 15 knots reef the main some. I’ve found about 1/3 of sail works. You reef the main first on this boat. The boat carries a lot of beam far back and with full main she heels a lot and it’s like dragging a barn door through the water. Reef, flatten her out and she takes right off.
- I replaced the standard fixed prop with a max prop and it’s one of the best upgrades I’ve done. Boat backs better, stops quickly and the prop feathers when sailing so performance is better.
- the 38 tends to sail like a banshee on anchor. Do a search in the site archives on anchor sailing and you will get many threads on that topic. Lots of suggestions on how to deal with it.
- I did replace the 22 pound Delta that came in the mariner package with a 35 pound anchor. The 22 was very marginal in the ratings and given the windage of this boat I felt like pushing the margins was not wise.
- This one was a matter of preference and in total honesty was a very extravagant decision but my wife hated the blue fabric on the interior cushions. At one year of ownership we had new upholstery done. It lightened the interior and made a huge difference. Like I said bad financial decision but we Like it better and it makes us want to spend more time there because of it.
- Should you find yourself in a slip where you get waves from the stern, the slapping is significant. It will thunk and slap and makes it nearly impossible to sleep. There is a product called Slap Stopper or something like pool noodles laid on the water at the stern helps with the slap.
there are quite a few threads on the 38 so look for those. You might even want to look at the posts I’ve done.
also check out the 38 section of the site. Good information there.
Hunter resources, by model
if you need any parts, the 38 section of the SBO store is a fabulous resource.
Hunter 38 Parts
If you don’t see a part you need, contact them. They are very resourceful and can often get what you need.
don’t hesitate to drop me a note if you have any other questions. I’m happy to chat.
