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Review of the Hunter 44DS by Big Spud's

Year built 2005  
Location of boat Chesapeake Bay  
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? Yes, it has been a great family experience and a good choice for our first boat. Although the 45CC is tempting ; )  
Gear that's been added Bow thruster - A must this boat would be a pig in the water without it. Mariner Package, C-80 Chartplotter, Radar, DSM 300 Fishfinder - I think we are finally going to get all the gremlins out of this unit... New Software!!! Dodger, Bimini, Connector Strip, Electric Head, Autopilot. Generator - Did this myself in the second year and saved $3,500.00 on the installation (Hunter had added lead counter weight to account for it, so it was a snap to place and setup. Bruce anchor, the Delta was not any good for the Bay... Sold it on e-bay...  
Structural or complex improvements Biggest job was the Bow Thruster Addition, Tidewater Marina did a Great Job on this... I added a delay timer midway into the second season to keep someone from doing a sudden reversal and breaking the unit (Plugging the Motor) The generator was a neat project used the boom to load into the boat, and slid it on some carpet turned upside down. I had the motor mounts premounted... very tricky as the tolerance on the holes is about nil... Printed a template in full size from AutoCAD and mounted to picture mounting board. This worked perfect... Used rear head pickup for water supply (I added one electric head powerflush in the aft head... and left the forward head a manual in case of power failure)  
The boat's best features Sails great in both Light (5 to 10 Knots) and Heavy Winds (25 to 40 Knots), never Sailed EVER and this was our First Boat... Magilla the Gorilla could Sail this thing! The Saloon is a Great Size and there seems to be Plenty of Storage both Inside and Out.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. I had a bunch of problems with the DSM unit... it looks like it was Software related and Hopefully will be Fixed this Season? The seating over the Aft Cabin Escape Hatch would only open a few inches... I fixed this year with a 2"x 2" set of hinges and offsetting the mount by 1"... Looks Original, but opens fully without the fear of breaking the seat off!!! Start the Aft Air Conditioner first if you forget to close the Valve before going Out... The Shorter Distance to the Aft Air Handler allows the pump to Prime OK. Center Hatches in the Saloon were not set Properly, one Required Major Rework, to get it to Seal... But it is Properly Setup Now!  
Sailing characterisitcs I let my Insurance Agent take the Helm in Heavy Weather... We Buried the Rail which is Very Hard to Do on this Boat. I start to Reef at about 22 Knots, will surf at 8.5 Knots from the GPS unit. I won't intentionally go out if over 30 Knot Winds. This was the Best Father's Day Gift Ever!  
Motoring characterisitcs Motor limit is 3000 RPM... Run it at Max for 5 minutes about Ever 5 Hours when Motoring. I prefer to Mix up the Engine Speed to Prevent Building a Ridge in the Cylinder... Running between 2,000 and 2,700 most of the time. Motors about 7 Knots at 2,700 RPM.  
Liveability Wife, 2 Kids, and 1 or 2 Dogs Depending on the Time of the Year... No Problem... The Largest Group was a Weekend out with 6 Kids, 4 Adults, and a Seeing Eye Puppy.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) I am Disappointed with Them, I was Originally looking at a Used 2004 44DS, but there were Issues with it, and Hunter did not want to step up to the Plate... There were a few Items on this one that took awhile to Resolve and did so with the Dealer, but they have been Resolved, but not with Hunter's Help.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The Salesman was Great, but he Left to Open his Own Brokerage (Was at Dealer for 19 Years). The Dealer has Their own Store and is Easy to Work with... Will Match Internet, and Catalog Pricing, but you Have to Look and Know what is Out There.  
Other comments We Love the Interior Colors and Setup, which after the Issues with the 2004 44DS We Still Purchased a Hunter! Sailability, Hey we had No Idea what We were doing... But it has been a Great Experience for the Whole Family... Absolutly No Regrets! This Boat can Take Care of a Green Horn with No Problem!  

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