Hunter Owner Reviews

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

Review of the Hunter 29.5 by Gerd Ottehenning

Year built 1995  
Location of boat Kerr Lake / North Carolina  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2007  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? I definitely would. It's an ideal boat for a (larger) lake, bays, sounds and protected salt water. For Ocean sailing I would prefer a 38 ft Hunter!  
Gear that's been added I added a spinaker. I followed the original Hunter instructions and Northsails recommendations, buying a spinaker size of 549 sq. ft (material: Norlon 75). The sail is huge and we can only use it to wind of 10 knots. We need three persons to safely sail the spinaker. If I would buy it again, I would get a smaller sail.  
Structural or complex improvements No. Solid boat.  
The boat's best features The best feature is the way she handles. The jib is easy to tack and the huge main goes along as you are tacking. I like the general layout and the interior layout. The spacious cockpit and cabin allow me to take up to 10 passengers (at modest wind conditions on the lake). My wife likes the cabin because it is light and open. Good design!  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. 1) Hoisting sail : Hoisting the main sail needs somebody at the mast to make sure the "slugs" are feeding correctly into the rail at the mast. Otherwise this works well. 2) Window gaskets: All the gaskets of the smaller windows are leaking and I am working on replacing them. 3) Bilge pump: The bilge pump hose is connected to a manual pump before it feeds to the outside. I experienced two problems: a) In our area (NC/USA) we don't fully winterize the boat (it stays all winter in the water at the Marina). However, during winter the temperature drops a couple of times below zero. The bilge pump is connected to a valve the avoids water pushing back into the bilge. Based on this arrangement there is always water in the hose which can freeze. b) I had to replace the rubber nozzle of the hand pump because it was leaking. The leak corroded the cover of the fuel tank below it (because we first didn't notice it). It was a headache to replace this cover.  
Sailing characterisitcs The main combined with the fractional rig guarantee fun sailing and she is easy to handle. Once the wind gets over 25 knots the weather helm may be a problem but you can take care of this by reefing the main. Once you learn how to handle her, weather helm is no problem. We use the boat for racing against other (bigger) Hunters on our lake and we are generally "looking good"...The boat is pointing well we are keeping up with most of the boats.  
Motoring characterisitcs Runs fine with the motor. I generally keep the engine around 2000 - 2300 rpm getting about 4 knots.  
Liveability Perfect. Lots of space for 2 persons. Wouldn't sleep more than 4. Having six overnight is tight although it works.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) No direct dealings with Hunter.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Good experience with local dealer. Transaction worked well and dealer covered every detail including the transport and rigging of the boat at the lake (including sailing lessons).  
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 |