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Review of the Hunter 36 by hartley s newman jr

Year built 2004  
Location of boat hampton va  
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 6  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2004  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Absolutely, it is a nice friendly boat easily handled by a mid-sixty's couple.  
Gear that's been added When we ordered it from Norton's yacht in Deltaville, we loaded it up with radar and raymarine goodies. It came standard pretty much with everything else. By the way Ken and Carolyn at Nortons are the best. We added a flat screen TV.  
Structural or complex improvements Bought factoy made cushions for the cockpit seats. Thats all it needed. Added a TV antenna on the last bottom painting, Nortons did that and Craig Beechler their chief of maintenance is VERY helpful.  
The boat's best features we can do everything but deploy the anchor from the cockpit. the anchor windlass makes that pretty easy too.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. We had an overheating problem with the Yanmar. I took it to Craig at Nortons and he fixed it on Yanmar's nickel. Some type of preservative clogged up the heat exchanger. No trouble since.  
Sailing characterisitcs Works very well with minimal muscle power. Not the fastest but it hasn't left my fanny out in the bay either and I'm in no hurry. That's what handicap ratings are for. Very beamy with lots of interior space. Would make a good liveaboard if one was so inclined.  
Motoring characterisitcs Exceptional! Goes well on the 30hp Yanmar. Big rudder and will turn in just about its own length. Has a PYI reversible prop that makes backing into the slip a no-problem event. Craig at Nortons will try to talk you out of it, but this is the one time I insisted and I'm glad I did. He does not like cutting the shaft. I don't like running into things. My last boat was a Morgan out island that was VERY difficult to back in a straight line. The Hunter is a dream.  
Liveability Bright, spacious and open. Comfortable. Its really nice. Put egg crate foam on the berths and they are very comfortable now. Little hard before. Galley and head both work very well. Note, put a fuel cleaning system on the boat from Algae-X for about $300-400 dollars. Flip a switch and it runs fuel from the generator pick-up through a strong earth magnet and a racor filter back to the tank. No fuel problems at all. I keep the tank full all the time to minimize moisture. Never have found any glop in the racor which is not the case on the Morgan.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Went to FL to watch the boat being built for a couple of days. It was fun and they were great. Everybody was very knowledgeable and seemed happy and motivated. Our contact man had worked there for about 20 years and done most of the jobs himself at one time. Was a fountain of information. Very positive experience. Nice plant. Very good QC.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Ken and Carolyn at Norton's yacht in Deltaville are the best. I'm not saying that just because Ken promised to buy me a beer at the next rendezvous and Carolyn hugged me at the last one. Seriously, your problem is their problem. Most of the time they have discovered it first and fixed it before you notice it.  
Other comments Love it, SAIL ON!  

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