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Review of the Hunter 36 by JR Larsen

Year built 2005  
Location of boat Herrington Harbour, MD  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
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 2005  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Absolutely. We have been extremely pleased with the overall workmanship on the boat. No horror stories here. We know how to sail it hard when we want, and have not experienced any system failures. As with many we too have noticed gelcoat spider cracks. I think this is common, yet not critical, on many manufacturers boats, not just Hunter.  
Gear that's been added Yes, GPS Plotter, Radar, all chain rode, 3000 watt inverter (so we can run the microwave and water heater on anchor), third battery, satellite radio, davits, temperpedic owners cabin mattress cover. The boat came fully equiped, other than a generator.  
Structural or complex improvements None  
The boat's best features The in-mast furling, very comfortable main cabin. Good for entertaining. Tafrail seats.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Had some trouble at first locating leaks in the fresh water distribution under the galley sink. Fixed those with pipe tape as needed. Had to apply a bonding glue to the autopilot motor bracket to permanently affix. Otherwise, all systems performed to spec.  
Sailing characterisitcs She handles well at most points of sail. She loves a reach better than anything else. On a breezy day, sailing with just the jib works well and is simple. Otherwise, reefing down the main and jib is a good balance. The boats steers well and flys if the sail areas are balanced right.  
Motoring characterisitcs The prop walk in reverse when stopping at a dock at portside is very useful. Backing up can be tricky until you figure out that slowing to a stop and slowly applying reverse to attain headway is how you won't go into a starboard spin. Once you get reverse headway, she steers straight as an arrow with good control.  
Liveability Great for two on weekends. All the ammenities make it a fun experience for all. Love the shower.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) The manufacturer can be a bit elusive until you realize how confident they are an how they rely fully upon their dealer network to provide customer service. This can be frustrating I'm sure, if you don't think you're getting the right attention from your dealer. We on the other hand have received outstanding service from Norton Yacht Sales in Deltaville, VA. No problems.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Initially we approached one of two Hunter dealers in our region. When nogotiating pricing, we were basically told that the best the sales person could do was the retail price. They didn't work with me to do a deal. On the other hand, Mike Lynch and the Norton Yacht Sales team worked day and night to make a deal that we all could be happy with. We're so happy with this relationship we're trading up and buying a Hunter 41DS through them this spring.  
Other comments Odyssey III was our second Hunter, and we look forward to taking delivery on our third one soon.  

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