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Review of the Hunter 146 by Tereza d'Andrade

Year built 2004  
Location of boat Candlewood Lake, Danbury, CT  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength less than 10 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2004  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. Perfect simplicity for carefree sailing on the lake and occasional trailer trips to Cpe Cod Bay and Long Island Sound. Quite tippy, but haven't flipped her yet.  
Gear that's been added Motor mount, 1 1/2 hp Cruise-n-Carry gas motor for getting in/out the channel, sail cover. May add a boom kicker.  
Structural or complex improvements None. May install a boom kicker and better hardware.  
The boat's best features -Ease of rigging/derigging -Simplicity of design -Comfort on board -Good sailing in light winds Ease of trailering -I like the high boom - the added comfort and safety of myself and passengers outweighs any performance hit. -I love the roller furling jib, though I have not yet gotten the hang of how to perfectly rig it - seems it is hard to get it unfurled all the way. Probably due to my inexperience and the lousy directions in the "manual". Roller furling makes single-handing a snap. -Uphaul and downhaul for rudder are very handy, though I put knobs on both (only 1 had it), and marked them as 'Raise" and 'Lower'.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Quality of hardware used is inconsistent. For example - folding shroud adjusters are a very nice touch and make rigging easy. This is a good thing. Bad - many of the pins used are not captive pins - meaning it is so easy to lose them when rigging. Also, they use the absolute cheapest, flimsy rings like on a key chain (only flimsier), to secure those pins. How do you work thos rings with soggy fingernails? Or are ou supposed to use a tool, which wil also disappear into the drink at the same time that you drop the pin and ring? No downhaul for the main. Mainsail Outhaul is badly designed - line goes through a stationary bale, which jams and chafes. Impossible to easily tighten the outhaul.  
Sailing characterisitcs Very responsive. This boat does what you tell it to. Also very sensitive to weight of crew. Rudder kicks up when sailing fast - seems to happen on a reach. Of course, effects handling when that happens - you ned to round up and pull it down again. Tippy, though have not yet flipped it. In high winds, helps to have a few folks on board to help flatten her out.  
Motoring characterisitcs I use a 1 1/2 hp Cruise-n-Carry gas motor jsut for getting in/out of the narrow cove from where I dock. WOrks fine for that. Biggest problem is succesfully flipping the motor out of the water once underway- nowhere to hook it to keep it safely out, though that i more the problem of the motor.  
Liveability The spiders heartily endorse it. It's a bit small for the rest of us. Mooring cover is a problem - because the boom is too high to hang a cover from, the "shower cap" deign, as I call it, where a cover is bungeed around the rails, is too hard to get t stay on, especially when you have access only to one side of the boat when at the dock.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Very good phone assistance. Patient in explaining the things that the manual doesn't explain. Have had little contact with them beyond a few rigging questions.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The dealer - The Boat Locker, in Westport CT was OK, though not very responsive. While waiting for douments or parts, I had to call and ask, I was rarely given updates without having to call. Being located about 35 miles north of them, I feel that I do not have the best accessibility for any questions about the boat, though their is staff there that is knowledgeable and helpful if you get them on the phone.  
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