Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 340 by Frank Arndorfer

Year built 2001  
Location of boat McKinley Marina, Milwaukee, WI  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew solo  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2000  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Absolutely. When we were ready to purchase, we compared H340, Catalina 34MkII, Jenneau 34.2 All great boats, but we felt Hunter offered most value (boat for the money).  
Gear that's been added Pretty extensive list. I've spent some money on this boat.!!!! 1. Reverse cycle heat/air conditioning 2. Maxprop 3-blade feathering prop 3. Harken bat/car system for mainsail 4. Dodger/bimini 5. Cockpit speakers, overhead light. 6. Spinnaker winches. 7. Other misc: Spreader lights, GPS, refrig, etc.  
Structural or complex improvements None.  
The boat's best features This is a powerful boat that has plenty of room yet is still capable of being single-handed by a moderately experienced sailor. It's comfortable and fast. And it's quite forgiving. The cockpit arch is a great idea. Everything is at hand to control sails, great attachment point for the dodger/bimini, and a good place to hook onto when the going gets rough. Single point reefing keeps you in the cockpit.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. We've had no problems with the comissioning/start-up, etc with this boat. Very minor items (broken door latch on 'fridge, missing instrument face cover, etc). It's been very reliable.  
Sailing characterisitcs This is a powerful, fast boat, make no mistake. But it's also very stable. I've heard much said about it being "tender"...but I consider that a relative term. It does heel but interestingly, the speed doesn't seem to fall off, even with angles exceeding 30 degrees. I'm a pilot and am comfortable with 45-60 degrees of bank. 30 degrees of heel doesn't seem extreme. But if you do reef (I go 1st at 18kt, 2nd at 22kt) the boat settles down nicely. It also sails quite nicely on just the jib. I don't do a lot of downwind sailing but I'd suspect this wouldn't be a strong downwind boat. But again, why would you if you can easily do 7-plus knots across the wind.????  
Motoring characterisitcs Moderate motoring capabilities with the factory two-blade. Severe prop walk to port in reverse. All remedied with a maxprop 16X3 feathering unit.  
Liveability We went from a H28 to the H340. Interior space literally doubled. The queen size rear berth is extremely comfortable.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Have dealt with them on a few technical questions, service and response (Greg Emerson) have been outstanding.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Bought through Larsen Marine in Waukegan IL. This dealer took delivery of the boat during the midst of the two biggest Great Lakes boat shhows and still delivered, ready to sail, on time. Can't say enough about this dealer.  
Other comments I think the purchase of this boat taught us a lot about what's out there and for what price. This is a moderately priced production boat that if used in the context of it's capabilities, is a wonderful boat. Would it go 'blue water" on extended cruises.???? I don't know. Are there better suited boats out there for that purpose.???? Yes there are. But what do YOU really need for your type of sailing.???? A Porsche or BMW are outstanding cars. But they're not needed for every trip to the grocery store.!!!!  

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