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Review of the Hunter 23.5 by Alan Long

Year built 1974  
Location of boat At home on the trailer--Central Virginia  
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?  
Owner bought the boat in 1974  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? I would buy the boat again, but I would not buy the trailer.  
Gear that's been added Compass, Bimini, VHF Radio, tiller tamer, storage hammocks  
Structural or complex improvements To the boat, no. To the trailer I had to relocate the axle to help with a balance and stability problem (Hunter paid for this under warranty) and I had to weld a gusset at the lowest point on the back of the trailer where a weld broke.  
The boat's best features Sleek looks, surprisingly high quality of fittings and sails for the price,quite spacious for a 23.5 footer inside, and it is fun to sail.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The boat has been quite good. I had some defects in the fiberglass repaired (under warranty) but all in all the boat has lived up to or surpassed my expectations. The trailer however is another story. The thing is just barely adequate to haul the unladed boat. Once you get a motor, battery, gas cans, and miscellaneous pounds added to it the trailer borders on being dangerous. I have blown two tires, broken a weld, had the bearing grease caps pop off, replaced rusted bolts, the brakes failed within days of purchase when the back up lock out didn't work etc....I have reached the point that I don't trust the trailer even when it doesn't break down. Hunter has been somewhat helpful with repairs, but they seem to be in denial about the trailer's shortcomings. I would encourage anyone planning to buy one of these to nix the factory trailer and find a heavier one from an aftermarket manufacturer.  
Sailing characterisitcs Quite easy to sail for a beginner, which I am. It will round up and stall if you are hit by an unexpected 15-20mph gust. The first couple of times this happened we didn't know how to control the boat under those conditions. We now just dump the main and everything seems to be OK. You need to be very careful about getting up too much sail for the conditions, although I suppose that applies to most sailboats. Another reef in the main would be nice and furling for the jib.  
Motoring characterisitcs I have a 9.9 hp Johnson 4 stroke outboard with 25 inch shaft and 4 bladed prop. The motor works quite well with the boat, although it is a bit on the heavy side. If winds are strong when I am docking we usually back up, using the motor to steer. There is very little rudder control when moving slowly forward.  
Liveability Quite good for an relatively inexpensive 23.5 foot boat. Ventilation could use some improvement, especially if you have to spend a few hours in the rain with the companionway boards in and the hatch closed. A little more headroom in the area of the porta potty would be nice for a 6 footer like me. Some sort of drop in baskets for the storage areas under the interior seats would make them more useful. As they come from the factory all of your stuff that is stowed there gets dunked in bilge water.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) I have been pleased with the people at Hunter. I believe that they have gone out of their way to be responsive to my problems, solving most of them. I think that the problems I have had with my trailer are inherent to its flimsy, overly cost conscious design. The people I have talked with at Hunter have done all that is in their power to help out, but the problem is further up the management heirarchy. The trailers simply need to be made of better materials with tandem axles.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any My dealer, A-1 Sailboats in Mayo,MD was pretty unresponsive and generally had a defensive attitude about my trailer problems. Most recently I have gone to another dealer and they have been excellent. A little plug for Norton Yacht Sales in Deltaville, Virginia is in order here. They didn't have to help me out because I did not buy my boat from them, but they have been helpful, professional and even gracious in my dealings with them.  
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