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Review of the Hunter 240 by Josh McDaniel

Year built 1998  
Location of boat San Diego  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength less than 10 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2000  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes  
Gear that's been added Live bait tank for fishing, pole holders  
Structural or complex improvements No  
The boat's best features Sails close to the wind well, wide beam is nice, railing seats, open transom, easy to raise and lower mast (even alone)  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The keel catches kelp really easy, when down there is about a 4 inch gap between the top of the keel and the bottom of the boat. when the keel is raised it still doesn't come off because there is still about a 4 inch lip at the top of the keel when up. I have not sailed once without catching a load of kelp. A boat hook works sometimes and of course getting in the water. I have sailed other swing keel boats that do not do this. The table is a nice addition, but we usually don't take it because it takes up a lot of space and doesn't colapse. I replaced the shackles on the jib, jib sheet and main sheet. The boat came with shackles that the pin was loose. I did not want to lose a pin into the water and not be able to raise the sails or use the jib.  
Sailing characterisitcs Sails close to the wind well, but poorly down wind due to spreaders. I knew of this before buying and was willing to accept it. The jib sheets get caught on the bracket for the mast raising pole. This is solved by putting tape around the bracker every time, this makes it happen only a few times in a day. I don't like the jam cleets for the jib and I am going to replace them with a different type. A cunningham would be nice when reefing. I don't trust the plastic hook that secures the front of the sail to much force.  
Motoring characterisitcs I use a honda 8hp four stroke. It pushes the boat to about 7 knots. The boat manuvers well at both slow and fast speeds. I can go about 10 miles on 3 gallons of gas.  
Liveability Fine for two adults who don't mind ruffing it a little. I still need to ad curtains to the windows and entry to the cabin. We usually have to put the extra anchor and anything else heavy on the port side when sleeping. When we sleep our heads are on the starboard side along with the motor and the boat leans slightly. (enough to give us both headaches the first night we slept aboard) This getts worse as our water tank (on port side) gets lower on trips of several days. We also have the camper top which lets you stand up in the cabin, but keeps the sea air out. The bracket for this is one large u shaped piece though and does not colapse. We also use a propane lantern instead of cabin lights until I expand our batteries and possibly add solar or wind to charge. I only use the outboard for now.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) I did not deal with Hunter directly, but would like to make a comment. I know these are production boats, but I have found that the attention to detail by Hunter could use some improvement. I found an awl stuck into the foam in the front bulkhead. The two screws holding this front bulkhead were of different sizes and only one of the was in a hole, the other was loose and only held by sealant. The drain for the anchor locker was barely attached on the inside. I have only been in the front bulkhead, but it's condition makes me wonder about the type of work done on the rest of the boat.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any I only had a choice of two dealers in my area. H&S Yacht Sales treated me as a second class citizen because I was buying a trailerable boat. They wouldn't even return my calls. I then went to the other dealer, San Diego Sailing Academy. They were also hard to get in touch with, but at least returned my calls. They did not seem to deal well with my ignorance of the details of buying a boat. My boat came with a knot/depth meter. I don't know if the dealer intalled it, but they put it behind the keel (which the directions say not to do), so the speed doesn't work right. They also gave me a battery that was a for starting and in poor condition. (I had to replace this the first week) I don't know who I'll use when I buy a bigger boat, maybe I'll try a Catalina or go to L.A.  
Other comments I like the boat overall and will make some improvements over time. We had originally ordered a 212, but after waiting a year decided to get the 240 when the first 212 came with parts missing. I am glad that we went with the bigger boat. I think it is a better choice than a Catalina 250, which was my second choice. The 240 is easy to sail and has resonable storage. I am still trying to figure out a fix for the kelp cathing problem though.  

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