Hunter Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
Hunter OEM Parts
General Marine Parts
 
 

Review of the Hunter 290 by Kevin Cremin

Year built 2000  
Location of boat Marina del Rey, California  
The boat is sailed on Open ocean  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2005  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Absolutely  
Gear that's been added Additional House Battery. ST60 Electronic Wind Guage. Solid Boom Vang. Back up electric bilge pump.  
Structural or complex improvements Additional shelving. Access hatch to aft mounted fuel filter. Alternate Fuel Filter with manual switch and vacuum guage.  
The boat's best features Very easy to single hand. Very economical to operate. Low exterior maintenance. Great value for the dollar.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. My roached mainsail hung up on the topping lift and Lazy Jack flaking system while raising the main. After adding the solid boom vang, I was able to eliminate the topping lift while away from the dock, but I have to be absolutely dead into the wind to avoid the Lazy Jacks. (I have so much canvas around the cockpit, I can't just reach up and shake it!)  
Sailing characterisitcs I've made about every dumb mistake you can make on that boat, and have sailed merrily back to port in spite of myself. So it's design is thankfully very forgiving. It's allowed me to survive long enough to learn how to sail. It is a light boat, so I've learned to reef early. Tracking is straight. Rails in the water sailing is not it's strong suit. It is a joy to sail in 95% of the conditions we get in Southern California.  
Motoring characterisitcs The engine vibration up to 1800rpm is annoying. Found heavy corrosion in the exhaust elbow, which limited engine rpm to 2200. Engine would die if throttle was pushed beyond that limit. Elbow was replaced with 275 hours on the engine, and it worked great after that. There is moderate prop walk to port in reverse, but that can be compensated for.  
Liveability I bought this boat used, and it had been equipped with every option known to man. So I've been able to learn how to use chartplotters and radar as well as sail. It's great for weekends on Catalina Island with 4 people aboard. My slip neighbor uses his Hunter 290 as a condo for 1 or 2 nights a week and is quite happy. The attachment points on the table in the main salon could be stouter.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) No dealings since I bought the boat used.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any H&S Yacht Sales, our local Hunter dealer has been great.  
Other comments If it were not for Hunter, I could never have afforded to get back into boating. Not that I couldn't have afforded a boat, but I wouldn't have invested that much to purchase a "learning" boat. I was very impressed with how much value for the dollar I was getting, so it made the investment appear more secure than taking a flyer on an expensive pastime that I might not be crazy about. As it turned out, I've become a passionate sailor because of this little boat.  

Contact
About
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Limited Liability
Advertise Here
Copyright 1997-2024 SB Owners, LLC
All rights reserved.

Other Sailboat Owners web sites:
CatalinaOwners.com | HunterOwners.com | MacgregorOwners.com | OdayOwners.com | SailboatOwners.com | 10,000 Boat Names |