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Review of the Hunter 28.5 by Ben Jones

Year built 1985  
Location of boat San Francisco, CA  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1998  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Without a doubt!  
Gear that's been added New Charger / Inverter with additional battery switch. 2 battery boxes and trays (previous owner had moved to 2-bank system) PSS Shaft Seal.  
Structural or complex improvements Replaced settee cushions.  
The boat's best features Below decks are roomy and nicely appointed. Boat has a nice, predictable feel under sail. The Yanmar diesel just plain works, no problems.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Didn't come with an emergency tiller and have had no luck finding a replacement. Replaced old stuffing box with PSS Seal(dripping close to a quart of H2O per day into the bilge) the stuffing box access could be better, lots of hoses in the way. I found some old, worn wiring in the DC circuits that I had to replace. The traveler couldn't have been placed in a worse spot. Shifter link cable also has snapped on me while backing out of the slip. Nothing I wouldn't expect in a 13 year-old boat that you get for half of BUC value. :^)  
Sailing characterisitcs Good light air boat, easily makes 4 knots in 10-15 knots of wind. In 20 wind, she's a rocket, so long as you reef down and play the mainsheet a lot...  
Motoring characterisitcs Backing up with the standard prop is poor. Forward gear gets you moving in a hurry though and fuel economy is wonderful.  
Liveability It's cozy for two for a (long) weekend. The head in particular could stand to be bigger. The galley is servicable, though storage space is at a premium.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) n/a  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Bought from a broker in the San Francisco Bay Area. They were quite helpful, took care of all of the details. Unfortunately, they could not track down the missing emergency tiller either.  
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