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Review of the Hunter 33.5 by Dick Litchfield

Year built 1988  
Location of boat Portsmouth, VA  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Multi-week coastal cruising  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2006  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Probably. I would like to say no, but we love the boat except for some minor issues.  
Gear that's been added New canvas, main, reconditioned the jib, Xantrex battery charger, new house bank of Trojan 605 golf cart batteries, new GP24 start battery, Honda 2000 generator, new Groco head, new Ronco water tank, new water pump, Norcold Ice box conversion (refrigeration), Martek davits, Garmin 192C Chartplotter, cockpit speakers, new AM/FM/DC and Bose speakers, 700 watt inverter, 15" TV/DVD, dual primary fuel filters. Replaced Hood continuous line with single line furler.  
Structural or complex improvements No.  
The boat's best features Nice cockpit with walkthru transom. Roomy salon.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Starboard List - design places to much weight on starboard side. Anchoring - no bow roller, shallow anchor locker, no windlass. Masthead sheaves - plastic disintergrated due to UV & exposure. Blisters - lots of them, but have been professionally repaired. Repairs plus barrier coats seem to be doing the job for now. We thought we would use the aft cabin and its nice long berth, but it didn't work out so now it has become the "garage". The V-berth is a little cramped but we prefer sleeping there.  
Sailing characterisitcs Handles well. New main helped pointing. Very stable in 20-30 kn but we reef early.  
Motoring characterisitcs Boat came with a 2 blade Max-Prop. Motors well and even backs ok, but I think I would prefer a fixed 3 blade like we had on our H27. Motored and motor-sailed over 2000 miles to FL and back in 2007-08 with no problems.  
Liveability We spent almost 8 months living aboard while we cruised to FL and back. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The salon is great, v-berth a little cramped sleeping 2.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Pretty good for the most part. Mike in the parts department was very helpful with our H27 and the 33.5. Contached Tech support regarding embeded aluminum in the 33.5 cabin top before installing portside clutches and organizers. Tech had no clue on the locations and I doubt the "tech" wasn't even born when the boat was built.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Purchase the boat used from Norton Yacht Sales. Broker Mike Lynch was very helpful with the purchase and the sale of our H27.  
Other comments Just love the boat!  

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