Hunter Owner Reviews

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

Review of the Hunter 30_88-94 by Geoge W. Preston

Year built 1989  
Location of boat Garden City, Utah  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1990  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. I debated between the Hunter and the Catalina 30. Shipping from Fla. was more expensive . I chose the Hunter because I liked the swim step and the interior accomodations best.  
Gear that's been added Spinnaker gear, 170 and 150% genoas, Std Com instruments, GPS. Harken furling, rigid boom vang, vhf radio and stero equipment. I installed a folding Martec prop. Good forward speed. Bad reverse .  
Structural or complex improvements no  
The boat's best features Easy to single hand. Stable(my wife really enjoys this feature). I like the recessed head stay with the furling below decks. For racing it makes the genoa very efficient. Good anchor well, but the boat needs a better anchor roller set further foreward from the headstay.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Interior cushion material, poor quality. Some weaping at the hull-keel joint. Requires annual repair and repainting. Fual tank gage. Factory installed the wrong gage. When it says 1/4 full it is really empty.  
Sailing characterisitcs The boat is used for racing and day sailing. We do spend some nights aboard. Tacks through 90 degrees. Fractional rig-great for short handed sailing but short on power for light air against tall rigged Cat. 30s. Double reefing installed and used on a regular bases. In heavy air the boat will sail well with jib and double reefed main.(30 to 50kts) In moderate air a single reef and jib will allow the boat to heel no more than 20 degrees, speed slows rapidly after 20 degrees heel. Downwind tacking with spinnaker is a must. The main hides the spinnaker. The boat will sail to its rating on a reach and downwind but it has trouble upwind in light air. (180 PHRF)  
Motoring characterisitcs Some vibration but not bad. Reverse with a folding prop(Martec) is a real challange. Use lot of throttle. The high sides, while giving lots of interior room, cause the boat to be subject to the wind, especially when going from forewrd to reverse.  
Liveability Good. Galley just fine for a 30 footer. The oven is really nice for hot meals. The rear berth is difficult to get in and out from it you are the furthest aft, but thats life in a 30 foot boat. It  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) We had an initial problem with the origional rudder. Hunter replaced it immediately.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The dealer we bought the boat from was very helpful and quite knowledgable. He transported the boat about 120 miles and launched it for us. We now put the boat on a trailer for the winter with the mast up. No problems yet, other than the owl who thought the mast fly was a landing perch.  
Other comments  

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 |