I have new a 260 water ballast slated for december delivery and have a real desire to take it to florida for a week long winter trip. Here's the kick I will not have a chance to launch it here (to check for leaks or other problems). Are new owners receiving there boats in sailable condition or do most have bugs that are best worked out at home----thanks for any input
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Why not take delivery in Florida?
It may be worth your while to find out if a Hunter dealer in Florida could take delivery and do the prep for you. There is plenty of open water for your shakedown cruise, you get your Florida vacation and your towing trip gets cut in half. Hey, the factory might even give you a break on the price, because now they don't have to truck the boat to you.
OK, maybe I got a little carried away, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Peter S/V Raven
It may be worth your while to find out if a Hunter dealer in Florida could take delivery and do the prep for you. There is plenty of open water for your shakedown cruise, you get your Florida vacation and your towing trip gets cut in half. Hey, the factory might even give you a break on the price, because now they don't have to truck the boat to you.
OK, maybe I got a little carried away, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Peter S/V RavenNot so crazy, Peter...
I think you could even take delivery at the factory, if you really wanted to- but if you do that, it cuts ALL dealers out of the equation, and there's no chance for a guy like Crazy Dave to get his hands on the boat and make the few minor 'adjust and tweak' repairs that are common to the boat when it comes off the factory line. Not to scare you away from the purchase of this boat, Gary, but there are a few issues regarding this boat that are covered extensively in the archives. Crazy Dave Condon posted an article about 8 months ago about the things he ALWAYS checks and adjusts or seals before he even tells the customer that the boat has arrived... you may want to look for that post before you make your decision to take delivery somewhere away from home. That said, if you decide you'd like to have your boat in Florida for a week of sailing, I'd recommend getting it delivered to a dealer on the Gulf Coast- lower shipping cost, allows for dealer prep, and there's some GREAT sailing here this time of year! You could also take the factory tour, if you're going to be near Alachua for an afternoon... Congrats on your new boat! --Jon Bastien H23 '2 Sheets to the Wind' H25 'Adagio'
I think you could even take delivery at the factory, if you really wanted to- but if you do that, it cuts ALL dealers out of the equation, and there's no chance for a guy like Crazy Dave to get his hands on the boat and make the few minor 'adjust and tweak' repairs that are common to the boat when it comes off the factory line. Not to scare you away from the purchase of this boat, Gary, but there are a few issues regarding this boat that are covered extensively in the archives. Crazy Dave Condon posted an article about 8 months ago about the things he ALWAYS checks and adjusts or seals before he even tells the customer that the boat has arrived... you may want to look for that post before you make your decision to take delivery somewhere away from home. That said, if you decide you'd like to have your boat in Florida for a week of sailing, I'd recommend getting it delivered to a dealer on the Gulf Coast- lower shipping cost, allows for dealer prep, and there's some GREAT sailing here this time of year! You could also take the factory tour, if you're going to be near Alachua for an afternoon... Congrats on your new boat! --Jon Bastien H23 '2 Sheets to the Wind' H25 'Adagio'
Deliver through local dealer
Its your local dealer's job to commission the boat. Crazy Dave's list was quite extensive. Check archives and make a copy. If your dealer checks it out as well as Dave does I wouldn't hesitate to take to Florida for maiden voyage. However, it might be a good idea to launch near or at a Florida dealer just in case there is an unforeseen problem. Good luck!
Its your local dealer's job to commission the boat. Crazy Dave's list was quite extensive. Check archives and make a copy. If your dealer checks it out as well as Dave does I wouldn't hesitate to take to Florida for maiden voyage. However, it might be a good idea to launch near or at a Florida dealer just in case there is an unforeseen problem. Good luck!
Do Not Forget the Trailer
Before you drag the thing south or back north if you take delivery down here I would be sure to have a spare tire, bearings a lug wrench and a jack that fit the trailer (the one in your vehicle may not). I think it would also be a good idea to change a tire somwhere easy before trying to do that on the side of the road in the dark, in the rain or both.
Before you drag the thing south or back north if you take delivery down here I would be sure to have a spare tire, bearings a lug wrench and a jack that fit the trailer (the one in your vehicle may not). I think it would also be a good idea to change a tire somwhere easy before trying to do that on the side of the road in the dark, in the rain or both.
Agree with everything said!
Great idea to take delivery in Florida. Have you towed anything this big before? That takes some getting use to, especially when the semi's go roaring by! Have fun! Jim S/V Java
Great idea to take delivery in Florida. Have you towed anything this big before? That takes some getting use to, especially when the semi's go roaring by! Have fun! Jim S/V Java
Trailer....
As far as the trailer goes, I would immediately take it somewhere and have the wheels balanced and also have the brakes checked. My experience was that the tire dealer that was doing the tire balancing (immediately after taking delivery) couldn't get the lug nuts off one wheel and ended up breaking off a couple of the lug bolts which had to be replaced. Glad I didn't have to try that with a lug wrench. Also the brake fluid resevoir was bone dry. Basically check EVERYTHING, bolts & nuts too. YMMV Sounds like a fun trip, have fun. Tom
As far as the trailer goes, I would immediately take it somewhere and have the wheels balanced and also have the brakes checked. My experience was that the tire dealer that was doing the tire balancing (immediately after taking delivery) couldn't get the lug nuts off one wheel and ended up breaking off a couple of the lug bolts which had to be replaced. Glad I didn't have to try that with a lug wrench. Also the brake fluid resevoir was bone dry. Basically check EVERYTHING, bolts & nuts too. YMMV Sounds like a fun trip, have fun. Tom
I wouldn't risk it
Gary, Based on my experience, I would get it launched and thoroughly tested before expecting to enjoy any vacation trip. I experienced major problems on my maiden launch. See "Buying a Hunter has been a frustrating experience" in the archives". Although the boat was shipped from the factory on April 10th of this year, I still have several lingering warranty problems that haven't been corrected although both Hunter and my dealer are committed to getting them fixed. In my case, the root of the problem seems to be a shortage of competent maintenance people to do the job. For example, my ballast tank still leaks leaks a couple of gallons of water into the boat when we sail; the potable water faucets have never been able to maintain a suction for more than a few seconds without becoming airbound although I have been told this was repaired at least three times; the dodger that came with the boat was the wrong size and a new one has been received but can't be installed until a hatch slide with the dodger support hole drilled in the right location is received from Hunter; the lexan hatch leaks badly in the rain because the wood that keeps the hatch from being pulled out is too short to divert the rain on the hatch into the hatch gutters as it is supposed to do; the numerous screw holes used for the wrong size dodger that was originally installed need to be repaired; et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. If I had it to do all over again, I would hire Crazy Dave to do the commissioning and initial testing for me. Best of Luck to you with your new 260. I will absolutely love mine once it is works as designed. Bernie
Gary, Based on my experience, I would get it launched and thoroughly tested before expecting to enjoy any vacation trip. I experienced major problems on my maiden launch. See "Buying a Hunter has been a frustrating experience" in the archives". Although the boat was shipped from the factory on April 10th of this year, I still have several lingering warranty problems that haven't been corrected although both Hunter and my dealer are committed to getting them fixed. In my case, the root of the problem seems to be a shortage of competent maintenance people to do the job. For example, my ballast tank still leaks leaks a couple of gallons of water into the boat when we sail; the potable water faucets have never been able to maintain a suction for more than a few seconds without becoming airbound although I have been told this was repaired at least three times; the dodger that came with the boat was the wrong size and a new one has been received but can't be installed until a hatch slide with the dodger support hole drilled in the right location is received from Hunter; the lexan hatch leaks badly in the rain because the wood that keeps the hatch from being pulled out is too short to divert the rain on the hatch into the hatch gutters as it is supposed to do; the numerous screw holes used for the wrong size dodger that was originally installed need to be repaired; et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. If I had it to do all over again, I would hire Crazy Dave to do the commissioning and initial testing for me. Best of Luck to you with your new 260. I will absolutely love mine once it is works as designed. Bernie
Charter Instead
One week? Fly there and do a charter instead. Save your maiden voyage for spring after you have set up and torn down the boat a couple of times at home first. Otherwise, your crew will probably desert you as the troubleshooting begins.
One week? Fly there and do a charter instead. Save your maiden voyage for spring after you have set up and torn down the boat a couple of times at home first. Otherwise, your crew will probably desert you as the troubleshooting begins.
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