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Review of the Hunter 37.5 by Norman Hittinger

Year built 1994  
Location of boat Michigan City, IN  
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? No  
Owner bought the boat in 1994  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. We've extensively sailed our Hunter in the Great Lakes logging over 6000 NM and never have had any serious problems. My only complaint is the length of the rudder. If you ground, you'll drag on the rudder which extends down to the same depth as the keel. This has happened twice to me and the rudder shaft is slightly bent but still very servicable. I've talked to Foss Foam Products who make Hunter rudders and they could make one a few inches shorter. Since I do so much cruising and have refrigeration and extensive electronics, I use four 6 V golf cart batteries. That's good for 1 1/2 - 2 days without recharging.  
Gear that's been added PYI feathering prop; PYI packless sealing system; Third Dutchman monofilament line on the sail flaking system; Dutchman end batten cars for ease in raising the main (works great); Walker Engineering Airsep system that has totally cleaned up the diesel sooting in the engine compartment(I wouldn't run a diesel without one. You can't believe how clean the engine is.); Federal Marine flexable coupling; Fully integrated Raytheon electronics system with everything but radar; Racor fuel filter with priming pump (You never have to bleed the fuel system!).  
Structural or complex improvements None  
The boat's best features Reliability; comfort; and ease of sailing. Often single hand sail by myself. Still one of the fastest cruising boats in the area.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Developed a fuel tank leak and replaced the tank with an Atlantic Coastal Welding custom made (same dimentions as the original) tank. Wore out a linear drive motor on the Raytheon autohelm steering. Replaced with a re-built unit. CNG tanks are hard to get filled but we like CNG better than propane. Replaced the noisy water pump.  
Sailing characterisitcs Not a racing boat, but a fast easy to sail cruising boat. Rarely does anyone go faster than our boat. I carry a whisker pole which I use on the genoa and sometimes in lighter winds to pole out the cruising chute.  
Motoring characterisitcs Very good. I'd recommend a feathering prop for maximum sailing speed and great docking flexability. You can "stop on a dime." The Yanmar has performed perfectly. After all our miles it still looks like new and starts instantly. A bit noisy, but better insulation could improve that.  
Liveability Very liveable. We've traveled over 6000 NM and love the setup.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Always good. Always had the few harware parts that I've needed.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Port Sanilac Marina, Port Sanilac, MI is everything I could want from a dealer for a very fair price! We had to sail the boat 700 NM back to home port in Indiana, but the help and service I received was better than if I had bought in the Chicago area.  
Other comments Based on our extensive cruising experience, I can't think we could have made a better buy for our dollar!  

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