Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 33.5 by Nancy Cohen

Year built 1989  
Location of boat Toronto, Ontario, Canada  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? Yes  
Owner bought the boat in Deal  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes  
Gear that's been added Autohelm, Stereo, dodger, binimi, screens, built-in microwave and toaster, plugs, lights  
Structural or complex improvements replaced 2/3's of deck, changed furling line arrangement, and replaced heat exchange lines  
The boat's best features the settee and clear path through the boat that that arrangement allows  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. all holding/gas/water tanks on one-side makes boat list and heel unevenly, small and uncomfortable cockpit, no gas gauge, lazarette storage smell leakage into 1/4 berth, wood storage covers under cushions collapse, cushions thin, teak shower/toilet seat cover falls, main salon skylight leaks, no mid ship cleat, winches and most hardware significantly undersized, large mainsail hard to handle in heavy wind, motor undersized, need to tear boat completely apart to replace heat exhange hoses, wet locker to small, sink water hull fitting should be lower on hull to avoid splashing people on deck, motor cover fittings don't work, sink faucet leaks, not one drawer in galley, one drawer would have been better in 1/4 berth, v-berth cants down to aft,  
Sailing characterisitcs uneven heel due to holding tank locations, large tall main hard to handle in heavy winds we must reef before this happens or after becomes a major challenge, sails best on a reach, furling setup major pain as drum set down under deck and always fowls, helm/cockpit layout makes decreased visilibity, dull in light wind, not a racer, weight distribution too far aft,  
Motoring characterisitcs every boat passes us, noisy, lots of vibration, not enough control when docking,  
Liveability 1/4 berth headroom could have been better designed, settee great for kids - especially while under sail, otherwise lots of room for 2 adults, 2 kids and an irish setter  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) never tried  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any We bought our boat from the Hunter dealer - Angus Yachts, we've never asked for help - did every thing ourselves. Dealer was great during negotiations and we felt that they were not just working for the seller.  
Other comments From my experience all the hardware and fittings are undersized on this boat and Hunter continues this trend on current models. This is not acceptable and restricts women especially from full participation by making the boat not capable of being handled by the significant other ( terrible situation in the event that something catastrophic occurred to the male partner). Women need larger winches - especially with the height and size of the mainsail!