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Review of the Hunter 170 by Brian Farrell

Year built 2004  
Location of boat Ventura, Ca.  
The boat is sailed on Open ocean  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew solo  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2004  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, no regrets. I would like to have a larger boat but the 170 fit all of my needs for now.  
Gear that's been added I added a tiller tamer since I am single sailing most of the time. I have also added Cleats mid ship to aid in docking when I am alone. In the future I intend to add a boom kicker so I can eliminate the topping lift and aid in sail trim. When I do this I will also change the hardware on the boom vang since the stock hardware is cheap. I am also looking for a mast mounted compass. A wind vane added to the top of the mast was a must for me.  
Structural or complex improvements Other members of our Hunter Day Sailers club have foamed thier masts to prevent water filling the mast in the event of a capsize. I will do this as well.  
The boat's best features Easily trailerable and set up by one person. I store my boat across the street from the launch ramp so I can leave it rigged. But it is easy to set up. There is very little maintenance on this boat. I hose it down when I am done and park it, thats it. Once a year I will buff out the scratches.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The ACP material the hull is made of is suspossed to be very impact resistent. However, cosmetically it is very easy to scratch up. Hit the dock, you have a scratch. Now it is susposed to be easy to buff out these minor cosmetic scratches. I'll see. It does not appear to fade in the sum like fiberglass can.  
Sailing characterisitcs I don't have a motor yet so I must sail in and out of the docking area. I was heading back to the dock one day and the wind went to 0. I mean it seemed like there was no wind. I thought I would have to row back. But the 170 kept on moving towards the dock. It took a while but she got me there. It takes very little wind to move this boat. It seems like a popular topic when talking about sailing boats in this size range is stability. Since I sail mostly alone or with my small children, I too was concerned about this. But I have found that this boat loves to sail with the rail in the water and the crew up on the windward rail. She rounds up before she capsizes. Thats not to say she won't capsize, but I think its harder to do than you might think.  
Motoring characterisitcs No motor yet  
Liveability Very uncomfortable  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) None yet  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any I bought my boat from Sailing Obsession (sailing-obsession.com). Dennis was excellent. He is very responsive with questions and problems and is always very willing to help. He loves these boats and wants to be sure his customers are happy.  
Other comments Dennis said to me when I was considering the 170 that you will sail a boat more if you fall in love with it. Well he was right. I love this boat and urge anyone interested in a trailerable day sailer to buy one.  

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