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Review of the Hunter 376 by P Kelly

Year built 1996  
Location of boat DOuglaston, New York  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 1996  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes-I would also recommend others to look at this model.  
Gear that's been added Yes, We have added cockpit cushions from Ameriseam and dodger,bimini and connector that covers the whole cockpit when at anchor.  
Structural or complex improvements no  
The boat's best features A hard question to pinpoint an answer for, but the belowdeck space has to be one of its best features. My wife and I mostly sail for long weekends and 2-3 week cruises on Long Island Sound and are always comfortable. We also like the way the boat is easily handled by just the two of us in all conditions. In addition, we also race in round the bouys every week and 2 or 3 long distance every season and have a ball. All crew at both levels never have had a problem with gear or accomodations. We still are getting use to the B&R rig and its proper use but that we chalf up to sailing for pleasure most of the time.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Our biggest problem was with the refrigeration and took 2 seasons to correct. But none of our fellow boater friends could believe the support we received from Hunter, Gregg Emerson was our contact or Alder Barbor. They replaced the defective unit twice and finally gave us a totally new system from compressor right up to sensors. With support like that no problem is a big one. The only other problem we have had is leaks, very small but there still the same. One that is a constant problem is in our aft room. After a rain we have a wet area alongside the starboard locker that accumulates behind the kickplate for the bed and the other one, which we have no idea of where it starts, accumulates under the mattress. Some are of the opion that this wet area under the mattress is condensation but can't believe that due to open storage areas under the mattress. Have tried to locate source with no success. Plan on placing some sort of spacer under mattress to avoid water from sepping into mattress. any ideas are welcomed. The only real complaint I would have is the inability to lock the wheel in place. The only option available is a tightening "nut" at the center of wheel and this works loose from wave action. This cause the boat to real "fly" around on its mooring or while at anchor. Our only solution, while at anchor, is to literally tie off the wheel on both sides and hold it in place.  
Sailing characterisitcs Notice a very strong weather helm which requires the sails to be dumped to compensate. As we got use to the rig and handling characterisitics we got much better performance from the boat. Most of this was nothing more than our learning curve.  
Motoring characterisitcs Under power the boat is difficult to hold on course due to "creeping" My wife can only be at the helm for a short time due to the constant strain. As noted above, without the ability to lock the wheel the boat falls off course all the time. I am not suggesting I want to leave the wheel unattended but with the ability to lock the wheel, especially on a long run you could just rest at the wheel.  
Liveability Liveability would be one of our 376's primary features. If we wanted to we could move right on. During our seasonal 2-3 week vacation cruise staying on board and at anchor has never been a problem. We also have the ability to invite friens ands guest on board at every port. Many times we have fellow crusies on board our 376 because of its liveability. Also my wife loves to cook and the galley has proven very useable and friendly. All of the above is worth twice as much during bad weather as we are the boat of choice among our friends.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) WE have dealt directly with Hunter a number of times. Our contact has been and we hope will always be, Gregg Emerson. If our experiance is typical no Hunter owner can have any complaint. He is always pleasant, helpful and courteous. Initially when our questions and problems were "new owner" related he never lost it. The few times we really had a problem he was always there for us and returned our calls. I do not know what kind of a training program Hunter runs for their employees but other firms could learn a lot from them. Even when we went to their suppliers the support was unequaled.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Yes, we purchased from a dealer and you don't have enough space for me to describe the headache, heartache and disappointment we went through. I would never advise a friend to buy from them whether new or used. I would suggest they go to another dealer. After delivery and with a very bad taste we went direct and found Gregg and even though he could do nothing about some of our dealer problems he was a breath of fresh air.  
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