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Review of the Hunter 34 by Dan Goldberg

Year built 1985  
Location of boat New Rochelle, New York  
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?  
Owner bought the boat in 1996  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. While I have only had her for a short while, she has performed as expected and provided much satisfaction. All in all, I got what I bargained for, which I am very satisfied with.  
Gear that's been added Replaced gate valves with seacocks; upgraded battery system (3 deep cycles); pedastal helm with gauge podes.  
Structural or complex improvements None.  
The boat's best features Plain and simple, she is fast. Also, she is a lot bigger down below than one might expect in a mid-1980's 34 foot boat. Also, she motors like a dream. Others at my marina are amazed how I am able to get in and out of my somewhat tight-spaced slip.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The water system is weak. I am not sure if this is due to design, or due to age. Also, the winches (both primaries and secondaries) are undersized by today's standards. I had to install a halyard restrainer because my genoa halyard would foul the Harken roller furling system when I either set or furled the genoa (it works find now that I added the restrainer). I almost forgot, probably the biggest pain in the neck is the lack of tank gauges. I never have any idea how much fuel, water or waste I have. This is really irritating. And to make matters worse, the tanks used by Hunter do not have pre-cut ports. Thus, it is not possible to add an aftermarket gauge without a major (and expensive) undertaking.  
Sailing characterisitcs She is very fast and very responsive. She is also very tender, which is no surprise as I knew this aspect of the boat's reputation before I bought her. In any event, I am in the Western Long Island Sound, and we have plenty of light-air days, so I appreciate her being able to ghost along in 3-5 knots of wind. She also tracks very well. I have not experienced much lateral drag when sailing to windward. She also tacks very easily, although I find that the jib sheets often get fouled on the forward hatches, which requires someone to go forward to prevent the boat from heaving-to. All in all, while I would not sail her accross the Atlantic during huricane season, I think she sails great for the Long Island Sound.  
Motoring characterisitcs She motors wonderfully. She backs straight, with no noticeable yaw in either direction. Also, she motors at over 6 knots at 2600 rpms (I have a 22.5 hp Yanmar). Further, the motor produces enough thrust to allow me to stop her on the proverbial dime while going forward by throwing her into reverse and applying only moderate throttle. (The same is true when stopping her in reverse by throwing the motor in forward gear.) She is also quite efficient. As I stated above, there is no fuel gauge (among others), so I have had to keep festidious running logs. She appears to burn a gallon of diesal in about 40-45 minutes. Last but certainly not least, she runs smoothly and relatively quietly. No diesal runs completely quietly; however, my 22.5 hp Yanmar is as quiet as I have heard on any other boat of comparable size and vintage.  
Liveability There is a lot of room in this boat for people. There is an aft cabin that comfortably sleeps two, as does the vee berth. There is a sizeable quarter berth to port in the salon and the dinette breaks down into a good size double berth. Also, the head is spacious, in part due to Hunter's placing of the vanity and wash basin outside of the head per-se and shower area. The galley is also well designed with its U-shape. The ventilation and light is also quite adequate. If there is a shortcoming, it is the lack of true and deep storage space. There are a fair amount of nooks and crannies; however, there is limited space for sizeable storage such as clothes, etc.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) N/A  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any N/A  
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