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Review of the Hunter 27_75-84 by Mark McArthur

Year built 1979  
Location of boat Sydney Harbour, Cape Breton  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Racing  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2001  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Probably. There's a good chance.  
Gear that's been added New teak and holly sole, new interior cushions, new Pro Furl roller furling.  
Structural or complex improvements Not as of yet...  
The boat's best features She's a tank! Compared to other 26 - 28 foot boats, she weighs in, on average, an extra 1000 lbs. or more. Also, storage space down below is amazing. She's been complemented many a time from owners of some 30 - 33 footers about all the room we have. She's a very comfortable cruiser. And finally, she has very nice lines. I like to sit back and look at all these new Hunters with their "not-so-attractive" port light designs. It's amazing how well boats were built in the '70s - '80s range. You'd never get me in one of those gawdy, skimpy new Hunters. She's a great boat.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. That darn SB8 Yanmar just doesn't have the get-up-and-go that we need. Horrible in reverse. Going into the Bras D'or Lakes with a tide moving in the opposite direction, we stand still for over 3 hours! Not fun at all. And to add, she's no racer! Try as we might, all that extra weight doesn't help us much on the race course.  
Sailing characterisitcs She's a very stiff, well built boat. When she's blowing a good wind, we like to point and laugh at all the other "lighter" boats with their reefed mains and shrunken head sails. She does have some slight weatherhelm when the wind picks up. And to add, the steering isn't always as responsive as we'd like, but it's nothing that we can't handle.  
Motoring characterisitcs Hahahahahahaha! Motoring characteristics on a Hunter 27? How do I say this without using inappropriate language? hmm... The boat is madly underpowered. The 8 HP is just too little. She's horrible in reverse too. Just a lack of power "under the hood." You just have to remember that it's a SAIL boat and not a POWER boat.  
Liveability Excellent. There is ample space for 4 adults. Lots of room for food and all that fun stuff.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) I wouldn't know, seeing how we bought the boat from a private dealer.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any It was wonderful. He still checks up on the boat now and again. Sold us the Pro-Furl furling and even installed it. Even crews with us during races... oh yes, we race our Hunter!  
Other comments She's a mighty fine vessel. Not the fastest in the crowd, i.e., she'll never keep up with the fleet of Kirby 30s, Sigma 33s, Viking 33s, or even the dreaded Tanzer 26, but when the wind pipes up, you're happy that you're sitting on 7000 lbs. of fibreglass and lead. She's a very forgiving yacht. Well worth looking into if you're looking for a 27 foot boat. The Hunter 27 is a very pleasant boat to look at. Great lines, very elegant. Cheers, Mark.  

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