Should I buy a 170

[sean33]

Hi, I am thinking about buying a Hunter 170 for sailing on the great south bay of long island and occasionally long island sound. The bay is shallow so when the wind picks up over 15-20 knts. it can get very choppy. Chances are I could get caught out in 20-25 knts. I will be sailing solo alot and also with family including a young child. I am fairly inexperienced about 2 yrs of lessons. I am concerned about the ability to single hand the boat, stability, ease of trailering/rigging/launching/retrieving. Also, in the event of capsize, I have read reviews where it is easy to right the boat and others where it is near impossible to right the boat without help. I will be either trailer sailing or dry sailing with a crane lift.Any comments would be greatly appreciated.-Sean

 

[Michael Collier]

Certainly, buy it!

everybody starts somewhere and a 170 is a good choice. The waters in eastern NC are shallow also, so we get the heavy chop--the waves aren't high just run close together. Check the weather and select the best time for your outing. If the wind gets above 15 knots, then reef and furl. You will find that two or three hours on the water will make a good outing. If the weather turns nasty (we get afternoon pop up squalls), go for home. You should be able to single hand without much difficulty. Select a launch site or marina that has provisions for trailered boats. One that will allow you to leave your boat fully rigged and parked on their lot is preferable. Remember those low overhead obstructions like power lines and tree limbs.If she does capsize, check the condition of everyone onboard first. Swim free of the rigging. It is best to free the sheets. Then, swim to the end of the mast and swing the bow into the wind. Doing this at the mast tip will prevent the boat from going turtle. You can rest the mast on a PFD, but don't tie it on. With a little down pressure on the centerboard, she should pop back up. I used this technique for years with a 14 foot catamaran. I did it in ocean breakers near shore several times and never had difficulty getting her back up.So, go get your sailboat and enjoy it. Fair winds and fine sailing to you.

 

[Bill18593]

170 is nice. Just as an alternative

Have you looked at the San Juan 21? Nice boat with a little extra ballast in the swing keel. Has a nice size cockpit and a big enough cabin so that a small family could camp out. Its a popular trailer sailor and can be dry sailed / crane launched. Quite a few available at really reasonable prices.

 

[Brian]

Love my 170

Sean, I love my 170. I bought it new in Oct. 2004 after looking at many of the trailerable boats. I have 3 kids, 8,9 and 13 and we sail in our local harbor and offshore. They love swiming off the open transom and just dangling their feet off the stern of the boat. However, most of the time I am solo sailing. I too was concerned about being able to launch and retreave the boat by myself but have found it very easy to do. I dry store the boat accross the street from the boat ramp so I am able to leave the boat rigged. But I have found it just as easy to rig my self when I have to, it just takes longer. So. Ca. has pretty consistent winds and I have sailed in as much as 12-15 mph winds and 12"chop. I have had it healed over to about 40* and she heads into the wind before going over. There is a lot of discussions on this web site regarding capsizing this boat. Worth reading. Check out www.sailing-obsession.com. There you will find a very comprehensive review of the 170 by Danny Hartzell who is very knowledgable. Good luck.

 

[sean33]

Thanks for the review

Thanks for the review, I had not seen that one yet.