Hunter Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
Hunter OEM Parts
General Marine Parts
 
 

Review of the Hunter 356 by John

Year built 2003  
Location of boat Olympia  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
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 2003  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes  
Gear that's been added Arch mounted bimini system and Dodger, heater, Inverter, Garmin 182C Chartplotter were added after. The boat came with many of the optional items already included. These were: Accord window shades, 2 burner gimbaled LPG stove w/oven, cockpit cushions, crusing spinnaker gear, deep keel, eletric windlass w/two anchors, in mast furling, traveler on arch, RayMarine Autohelm 4000 Autopilot, RayMarine, Autohelm WindMachine, refrigeration, stainless steel deck handrails, sterio w/CD, and enhanced battery package.  
Structural or complex improvements Not yet.  
The boat's best features Best layout I have seen in a boat this size. Best value for the dollar. Handles very well in 20-30 knot winds under full sail and points high. Also moves right along in 10 kt winds.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The salon table. It is too tight between the back of the cushions and the edge of the table in both the forward and aft positions. The starboard side has plenty of room. The forward and aft positions are not useable by an average adult. The fuel line came off the engine on the shakedown run and we had to be towed in. Yanmar fixed the problem and bled the air out of the fuel system the very next day. There were also numerous water leaks through various places on the hull that had to be fixed. This may have resulted from the truck ride from Florida to Seattle. Access to the engine is not great. Once you pull the dip stick out to check the oil you have to feel for the hole to reinsert it - you can't see the dip stick hole from any engine access. There needs to be an access cut on the starboard side of the engine in the entry to the aft stateroom. Exposing the front of the engine entails removing the cabin steps. While this is fairly easy to do, the strap holding the steps when titled out, is somewhat difficult to disconnect, and there is little room to move the steps out of the way to get access to the engine once the strap is removed. This presented a problem when the fuel line came disconnected and we had to scramble to get to the engine. There is an engine control cable sitting up against the fuel filter and althogh I haven't removed the filter yet, I can see there is going to be a problem getting to it. Access to the marine drive and packing nut is under the aft stateroom mattress. In order to get to these items, you have to fold the mattress out of the way, remove a panel from beneath the mattress, and then remove a vertical access door. If you could remove the vertical access door without removing the panel beneath the mattress first, access would be a little less burdensome. Access to the engine is an area that could and should be improved. It would also be nice if the 30 gallon holding tank was a bit larger. Maybe its just old age, but it sure seems like that tank fills quickly. This will limit our on the hook time.  
Sailing characterisitcs On the shake down run we sailed under full sail in the Puget Sound just west of Seattle in 20-30 knot winds. There were on going rain squalls with winds gusting to over 30 knots - wow, what a ride. The boat accelerated to hull speed in a flash. In spite of some serious wind gusts, the boat healed over gently and drove into the wind and waves (water breaking over the bow)close hauled.  
Motoring characterisitcs As stated above, the fuel line came off the engine (loose clamp) on the shake down run causing us to be towed in on our maiden run. The really exciting part about this was that we were in the ship canal between the Puget Sound and Lake Union when this happened. We had just exited the locks and had blown the horn to get the first bridge to open when the engine quit. The sales person was with us. She attempted to fix the engine while we deployed the jib and proceeded to sail back and forth between the locks and the bridge for about 40 mintues waiting for a tow. Fortunately, there was an 8-10 knot wind blowing across the ship canal. And, fortunately, the Hunter maneuvers well in tight quarters. We were able to reconnect the fuel line, but could not bleed all the air out of the system. After Yanmar repaired the engine we sailed and motored from Seattle to Olympia (mostly motored), a distance of about 76 miles. We took two days, primarily to catch a flood tide through the Tacoma Narrows. On the way to Olympia we did experience a few rip tides which got our attention. The boat powered through okay, but with reduced speed. The throttle creeps back when accelerated above 2500 rpm. I had to hang my inflatable vest and harness on the throttle to keep the engine purring along at 3200 rpm. I am told this is not unusual. This proved a bit of an irritant after a while.  
Liveability We have spent two weekends on the boat in the first two weekends we have had it. Other than the salon table, it is extremely comfortable. There is more than adequate storage and the placement of almost everything seems to have been well thought out. Both the main and the V-berth will accommodate two adults very comfortably. Adding the heater was well worth the cost. It keeps the boat nice and toasty. The shower works great - the water is "hot" and there is room to move around - plenty of head room too (more than 6'2" ).  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) We have not had to deal with Hunter.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The people at Signature Yachts in Seattle have been outstanding folks to deal with. Tori Parrott, our sales person, couldn't have been more pleasant and professional. When we had questions they were answered immediately. When we discovered things that needed attention, they were taken care of immediately. If you are looking for a good company to do business with, they certainly get our vote for being among the very best.  
Other comments Hunter has made a really good boat in the 356. It is easy to sail, well layed out, feels like home, looks good on the water. Just fix the salon table, improve access to the engine and enlarge the holding tank and you'd have the perfect yacht.  

Contact
About
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Limited Liability
Advertise Here
Copyright 1997-2024 SB Owners, LLC
All rights reserved.

Other Sailboat Owners web sites:
CatalinaOwners.com | HunterOwners.com | MacgregorOwners.com | OdayOwners.com | SailboatOwners.com | 10,000 Boat Names |