My first post in a sailing forum! Hi all, I'm about to purchase my first cruiser, a 1989 Hunter Vision 32, and I've read mixed reviews around various forums. All the owners' reviews I've read on *this* forum give high praise for the boat, and almost all of them say they would buy the boat again. I am used to sailing your typical sloop rigs, so I have questions about the handling, comfort, and stability of a stayless rig. I've read that these boats heel excessively when beating to windward. Can anyone speak to these qualities?
Vision 32 handling characteristics?
- Thread starter zephyr070
- Start date
Heel "Excessively" is a qualitative term that is subjective in nature. What to a dinghy sailor is pure enjoyment to a power boater would be shear panic. Only you can really identify this concern. You need to get out on the boat and experience her. Some boats can be tender at 10 degrees but firm up at 20 and feel great. Others can feel tot eh person in the boat that anything over 15 degrees the boats going over, Let me off!
Tell the person or the broker you need to feel the sailing condition of the boat. Or find a boat in charter or in a sailing club and go for a sail. Even if it costs you a little money it will be money well spent to give you the answer to your question.
Oh and WELCOME to the forum. Hope you find the right boat for you and your cruising needs.
Oh geeze. I can't help wonder how many saying the boat "heels excessively" actually owned one much less sailed one. I had one for nine years. Did open ocean races and typical cruising. Great boat. Rated under SoCal PHRF about the same as a Catalina 30 for speed comparison. As far as being tender, I noticed no more or less than my Columbia 28, O'Day 27 or my (current) 40.5. You do have to have the right sail shape and trim just like every other one, and a re-cut or new sails are probably in order given the age of these. Good luck.
Thanks for the welcome, jssailem! And you're absolutely right regarding subjectivity of the term "excessive heel." I guess my post was geared more toward your second point about tender/firm, and if anybody had an experienced opinion as far as that's concerned (thanks, Rick D). Personally, I don't mind having a decent heel on, but a lot of my prospective passengers, several of whom are brand new to being on the water let alone sailing, might be death-gripping the lifelines.
My survey and sea trial are scheduled for next week, and I told the seller I wanted to see the sails up and do some maneuvers to get a feel for the boat, so hopefully I get lucky with the wind!
Rick D, yes I'm definitely looking forward to having to pay closer attention to the main trim - a skill set I usually put aside when my friends and I are out on a lazy pleasure cruise. New sails would be a big investment, but definitely something I'd consider down the line.
only thing i know about the boat it is a little slow. Use to have a 30T and would sail past the Vision on the lake all the time.
I'd try to determine if the sails are original, and add the 'need' replacement to your post survey / sea trail negotiations. My 76 O'Day 25 was a completely different boat once we got new sails on her, I didn't believe it could be that big of an improvement but it was. My C310 had original sails, but lite use, still if I could justify it this winter I would replace them.
I owned a cat rig for several years and really enjoyed it, no stays, shrouds, other than head stay. The huge beam is great inside and topsides. To me the only downside on the 32 is the 12 gallon black water tank. If you want to go faster get high performance sails and or asymmertic sail. Some owners have fixed larger bladders for black water.