Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 23.5 by Frank Pratt

Year built 1994  
Location of boat Auburn,WA  
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 1995  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, The apparent roominess is what first sold us on this boat. The test sail was done on Bellingham bay in 15-20 knots of wind. Even with the main reefed and no head sail the boat sailed well  
Gear that's been added VHF,Compass, We are currently constructing bags that will fit on the hull in the Vee birth  
Structural or complex improvements none  
The boat's best features All lines being lead aft has made the boat easy to sail  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Storage,storage,storageThe boat has to be reconfigured for sleeping,again for cooking, againfor just laying at anchor or docksideand again for sailing.The cabin top was thicker than I planed on and when I installed the pass through for the VHF it took some epoxy to seal the core  
Sailing characterisitcs She sails well in all points. It can be difficult to reef if you wait until the winds are above 20 knots.The sail seems to jam in its track when under pressure. If you keep the sails up in 20 winds then the head sail sags as the forestay slackens  
Motoring characterisitcs We use a four stroke Yamaha It is easier to back astern in close quarters then to wait for steerage in forward.Two summers ago in the San juans we sailed with friends that had a 6hose evinrude on a San Juan 24 they used 9 gallons of fuel compared to the 3 1/2 that we used and we ran at just above an idle so the othe boat could keep up  
Liveability Always rearranging to fit the current use  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Friendly and helpful  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Very helpful always willing to keep the dream alive of getting yet a larger boat  
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