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Review of the Hunter 20 by Peggy Frayne

Year built 1983  
Location of boat Barnagate Bay, Brick, New Jersey  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2008  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. My husband and I had never owned a sailboat although my husband had sailed on other peoples boats. It was small enough to not be intimidating and large enough to make us feel that if we really liked it we would be able to sail on weekend trips. Because we bought this boat at such a reasonable price, we were not surprised that it needed some upgrades  
Gear that's been added We have added new dacron, light wind sails and a roller furler for the jib. This made sailing the H20 a pleasure. We also purchased a new 5 HP Honda 4 stroke engine. Again, this was for peace of mind that the engine would always start. The tiller included with the boat was not the original and was way to big for the small cockpit. We ordered a new one from Sailrite.com and it was perfect.  
Structural or complex improvements Nothing major. We replaced the inner bulkhead with new wood, along with the hatch doors. We recovered the cushions and made cushions for the cockpit. We sanded and restained and varnished the handrails. Because the cabin has little head room, we were constantly hitting our heads on the downward fiberglass etc. I took tubes of pipe insullation and glued them around anything we could bounce our heads off of and this worked great.  
The boat's best features Size is the best and worst feature. It is perfect for 2 people, and okay with four. You cannot have 4 people comfortably on the boat without having the hatch raised so someone can move in there when you have to change position after tacking or the boat heels over.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. There is no pulpit on the bow and no lifelines around the boat at all. This is because the gunwhale is very narrow. Since this boat did not come with any of the sail halyards running down into the cockpit, the sailor must climb on top of the boat to raise the sails.  
Sailing characterisitcs I have been very surprised at how forgiving this boat is. We have sailed in over 20 knots and had a burst of wind heel us over 20 degrees and we don't take on water. A very experienced sailor was with us once and he got scared that we would capsize on a sharp wind gust and we were fine with it. In the Barnegat Bay where we sail, it is very easy to ground up since the bay is sometimes ridiculously shallow in places. We pull up the keel, out the engine in reverse and just back out of it. We have tried racing it. It is surprisingly fast in a good wind (over 10) but terrible in very light wind. Bring a book.  
Motoring characterisitcs We have a 2010 5 HP Honda 4 stroke and it is fine for this boat. We have had to motor into port from a longer distance at times when the wind died and the boat did fine. We usually steer with the tiller but might try the motor only next time.  
Liveability Enough space for a weekend for 2 but not longer than that.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Bought it from a private owner  
Other comments We do get a little water in the cabin (less than 2 cups) after a sail. The previous owner said it seems to happen when you do a starboard tack. We haven't seen any sign of the forward hatch leaking like some of the other reviews we've read.  

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