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Review of the Hunter 25.5 by Brad Odland

Year built 1984  
Location of boat Milwaukee, WI  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2000  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. I was a bargin "hunter" while shopping for our first boat. I saw the Hunter 25.5 at a local powerboat oriented yacht center. It had basically been abandoned by the previous owner. It was a filthy mess. Under shrink wrap for two years with the sails still bent on. I had a survey done after some research (on this board) and if the survey was satisfactory I would purchase. The boat was well equipped from previous owners - 110 North Aero-luff treatment Jib, New 150 Foam Luff genoa, Cruising Spinnaker, dousing sock, APELCO 6000 DXL LORAN, 25 watt VHF, 9.9 johnson, AutoTiller, RItchie Navigator Compass, Porta-Potti, spinnaker pole, lazy jacks, three halyards, topping lift, full batten main with two deep reefs, cunningham, boom vang, Harken Roller furling, tiller-tamer, tiller extension, cockpit cusions, all USGC reqrd saftey gear, lots of new unused line and plenty of turning blocks.  
Gear that's been added Master battery switch, charger, new VHF coax in the mast as well as connectors. New 5/16" - 50ft jib sheets, 3/8" hayards, wiring.... Rail mount BBQ grill. WIth the outboard and gas in the cockpit I use the BBQ grill amidships on a stantion far away from the fuel tank and engine. Plan on new roller furling line, 130 Genoa, New Main, GPS, new radio. Bought a new tiller.  
Structural or complex improvements I re-wired the 12 volt system and had to repair all the electronics. The LORAN, the VHF, intruments were all poorly maintained. The intruments are still malfunctioning. My wife, daughter and I cleaned and cleaned....a rather nice looking boat emerged both inside and out. Had the 9.9 Johnson Sailmaster serviced. Sanded the bottom smooth. There are at least five different layers of bottom paint. This is all coming off at the end of this season and the bottom will be barrier coated prepped for VC-17 application. THe keel needs attention some rust spots breaking through nothing too serious though. Repair a delaminated tiller. IT was the orginal one and has lot of charachter, I had to fix it but I got a new one too just incase.  
The boat's best features The balance of performance and accomidations on the 25.5 is rather amazing. Small traditional doghouse windows (I don't care for those big dark windows) The sail plan is scaled rather well for the hull. Deck space is roomy. Daughter likes to sit on bow and I lash the deflated dinghy to the are just aft of the mast and forward of the hatch. Kenyon mast and boom. Lots of info on rig-rite.com on kenyon rigs. Roller Furling. Roomy cockpit.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Instruments. Windspeed, depth and boat speed are all in need of service. Electro Marine is out of business but the molds and service are handled by a company out east. I am planning on sending them in to have them serviced on pullout this fall. The infamous water-logged pop-top problem. See the archives on this issue. I read them and was aware of it and can deal with it.  
Sailing characterisitcs So far the the Hunter 25.5 is a joy to sail. Its sail plan is such that the loads are not that great but there is plenty of drive and acceleration. The pointing ability on this boat excellent.(shoal draft version) This is with the 110 jib and proper trimming of the main. We have'nt used the 150 genoa yet. I feel it is probably too much sail beyond 15 knots. With full batten main, vang, out haul and cunningham keeping the boat from being overpowered was not a problem. The only time it felt overpowered was on a close reach with the cruising spinnaker up in a puff. The boat handled 3-5 foot waves alright. It is a lively boat. Initially tender but stiffens nicely underway. Keeping the boat balanced under sail is a given (on any boat, I think) Without pushing to hard we had moments of 5 knots to windward in 12-15 knots of wind. In very light air with the cruising spinnaker up we were movin when others were'nt. The crusing spinnaker with sock is great fun and makes off wind sailing much more enjoyable, colorful and EASY. Every sailer should have one. Make no mistake this boat does not sail itself. It sails like a 25 footer should. Lively, responsive and above all FUN.  
Motoring characterisitcs We have a Johnson 9.9 long shank. It drives this boat nicely and manuvering is very easy. Having the ability to alter the thrust angle in addition to using the rudder makes nearly any manuver possible. The only thing I don't care for is the stupid tether kill switch which, in my experience, has caused more problems with motors. The switch gets corroded over time and becomes flaky, killing the engine at appropriate times with the tether clipped in! It is another point of engine failure that I don't care for.  
Liveability My wife, ten year old daughter, cat and I have no problems spending multiple days aboard. With proper planning it is very doable. But we were tent campers before getting this boat so this is like having a floating RV to us. Head room is fine for short folks. The aft double birth is plenty sizable for two adults. It is a little difficult to crawl in and out to use the potti at night. We've added some homey touches like books and games, barometer and clock and it makes it comfy. The pop-top leak is annoying. the forward v-berth is two kid size and houses the prti-potti. There is a door. And there are curtains for the v-berth for some privacy for late night potti use. It is a small boat so you better not be too timid. If you are bothered by it put the potti in the cockpit at night. Not recommemded in a slip :O  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Have not had to. Yet. I may ask about the deep keel. As I will need to service the hull-keel joint soon. I was thinking maybe it might be feasible to switch out the keels.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Having bought this boat through a broker at a marina that handles powerboats not sailboats I was VERY CAREFUL! (it also allowed me to negotiate a rather good deal) Buy boats in the fall. Its a buyers market and people are ready to avoid storage fees again. I would be VERY careful about ANY dealer or broker. Be prepared and FIRM. If you can't get what you want then walk away. Read and learn all you can about a boat you are looking at and HAVE A PRO SURVEY THE BOAT! It is worth it!  
Other comments I am very pleased with the 25.5 it is all that people say. Roomy, quick and fun and you can find one for sale fixed up and ready to sail for under ten grand. It is a shame they did'nt keep this design longer. I grew up on catamarans and scows and like the feel this boat has.  

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