Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 30_88-94 by Janet

Year built 1993  
Location of boat Hammond Marina, Hammond, IN. Lake Mich.  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Racing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2004  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes! Gives you a lot for your money. We looked at boats for over eight months. Payed for several surveys before we bought.  
Gear that's been added New Auto Helm, Spinnaker,a Whisker Pole, pole mounts, added running rigging for the chute, Cam Locks, Stearn Rail cushions and back rest cushions. Also, a GPS76 Map,second battery plus a smart charger, a Imcom portable and So Pac fenders for the floting dock. So far that's about it.  
Structural or complex improvements No. Just had to change o rings on the Lewmar ports to stop some drips. Found the fix on the Hunter Fourm Archive.  
The boat's best features We've raced her in 10 to 20 Knots the first two weeks we had her, she handled very nice. I don't think she needs to be reefed unless its a steady 20. She'll start to weather at 15 but you can handle it. The layout in the cabbin is great. We have more room than my friends 32s5 Benatau. One of the greatest features is the factory installed stearn rail seats. Simply the best seats in the house. I love ths tall fractional rig. Makes tacking very, very easy. Have had no problems getting her in and out of the docks, even when its windy.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Haven't had her long enough to break anything. I lost a winch handle the first time we raced her. I guess you could say now I got that out of the way. Bought two locking handles.  
Sailing characterisitcs She has great handling characterisitcs. I don't know if I will ever get a bigger head sail. She tacks and gibes on a dime. Works great at the marks. Seems to point high enough. I'm still waiting for delivery on a reaching chute. The sail fleet at Hammond Marina is chute only PERF's. I just got a 186 PERF assigned. That's not bad.  
Motoring characterisitcs To get her to Hammond Marina we Motor Sailed her from Holland Michigan to Hammond Indiana. Ninty nautical miles in a strieght line. Took just over 14 hours. Had to motor the last four. Topped the fuel tank off before we left. When we docked the needle just moved of Full. Motored at about 2400 RPM. Seemed the smoothest for the Yanmar.  
Liveability The best bunk is the aft berth. Like a queen size bed. I slept in the V berth, but like the aft. The cushion for the extra berth's in the the salon will always be kept at home. Maybe some day more than four if we get any grand kids.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) They always give you an answer. They will tell you who to call or even give you a supplier number. If you have a question just call. They want you to call and ask questions.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any We bought ours from a private agent. He was there for everything. Even had him do some work on her I couldn't do or didn't have time to do. His work was excelent and at a fair price.  
Other comments If you have stearn rail seats, get the backrest and seat cushions here at SailboatOwners.com Chandlery.