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Review of the Hunter 35.5 by Charlie Singmaster

Year built 1994  
Location of boat Punta Gorda, FL  
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 1994  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Definitely! Bought the boat when I lived in Northern CA and sailed it on SF Bay (had to double reef all summer). Then moved it to SW FL March 97 with business transfer.  
Gear that's been added Autohelm 4000, refrigeration, dodger, Garmin GPS. Now I need to add central air conditioning; any advice?  
Structural or complex improvements None  
The boat's best features Great boat to sail, fast,. I solo a lot. Wife likes the galley. Well built, good value. Like the design (and the aluminum toe rail) much better than what Hunter builds today. Why did they drop the 35.5?  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Anchor chain locker is small. I want to add a windlass but doesn't look too easy. Cockpit is small. Could do with less footage in the swim transom and more in the cockpit.  
Sailing characterisitcs When sailing on SF Bay in 20 knt wind, main double reefed and 130% gennie furled to about 110%, would still top 8.5 on a beam reach and 7.5 up wind. The rig is a bit tender for SF Bay in summer (it's perfect for Florida). The boat is light and tends to bounce over the big ones more than some others her length. However, the hull grid is very rigid and I've noticed very little torsion when falling off a big greeny.  
Motoring characterisitcs Have 380 hrs on the 3GM30F Yanmar. Have religously changed oil and all filters. Reliable, but hard starting when very cold and damp. I cruise at around 2700-2800 RPM, 6 knt, runs smooth. I do get vibration between 2100 and 2500 RPM so never run in that range (have checked engine alignment and all is well). It is noisy down below.  
Liveability Great for 2 up to a week cruise. Head, shower and galley and aft cabin are very comfy for a boat this size. Tankage could be bigger. Have to get to a pump out too often.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Once. When I had the boat hauled the first time, found the paint had pealed off parts of the rudder. When I called Hunter to ask for advice on how to refinish the rudder so that I would not void the blister warranty, I was told to do it any way I liked because the rudder was not covered by the warranty. That didn't sound like the kind of response you would expect from a company that is really serious about quality and customer satisfaction.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Excellent!!! Bought the boat through Nocal Yachts in Alemeda, CA, David Hunter was the sales person. The boat was commisioned within 2 weeks of promissed date. 3 times out I hung up the main halyard at the top of the mast. David worked with Hunter to resolve then we found the falt was with the commisioning yard. They had crossed the main halyard over top of the topping lift. Only other problem was the cabin cusshions split at the seems. Norcal repaired them locally any they have never split again.  
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