Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 26.5 by Randy Rathmann

Year built 1987  
Location of boat Lake Guntersville, AL  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
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 2000  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. I bought this boat from Larry Reynolds in Topeka Ka. last Nov. He had just had a trailer built for her so my son and I towed her back down to Guntersville Al. The boat is quite fast, easy to single hand and has lots of room. My wife and I just spent the night aboard with our 2 oldest granddaughters and had plenty of room and a wonderful time.  
Gear that's been added I have installed opening ports in the cabin. We moved up from a Catalina 22 which had a bimini and will install a bimini on this boat some how! I am contimplating finding and purchasing a gooseneck that would slide in the sail track on the mast and either sailing with the main reefed or having a new main cut for the raised boom. This would obviously cut performance but make the boat much more comfortable under the bimini which is a must in the summer sun. The boat had a knot meter when I bought it and it indicates 7+ knots often and I have seen it read 8.68 with the lake covered in white caps and full sail. I added a depth meter since the boat has a fixed keel and there are high spots all over the lake.  
Structural or complex improvements  
The boat's best features The open transom makes it a great swim platform for grandkids. That is important when you have six. The boat is roomy inside and with the fold up table gives a larger boat impression. All lines are led to the cockpit so nice for single handing.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. We havn't broke anything yet! My greatest frustrations are the boom being so low and the outboard motor being fixed. The motor fixed makes it dificult to back into a slip. Since the motor is mounted off center on the starboard side the only control is with the rudder. The physics of this lay out cause the boat to turn to port and can cause some degree of consternation in close quarters and slow speeds. I am sure I will become more proficient with practice. Also, in order to raise the motor while sailing you have to drop the boarding lader/stern rail, stand on the motor mount and wrestle the thing out of the water and into it's locked position. Literaly outside the boat to raise and lower motor.  
Sailing characterisitcs  
Motoring characterisitcs The 9.9hp Nisan is more than adequate and very economical.  
Liveability Very roomy for a 26.5 ft. boat. Hunter made good use of available space for storage and so far she is very dry.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) I called Hunter about installing opening ports. They were very curtious but not very helpful. When I inquired about the poper length of the main sheet they had no idea but refered me to the mfg. My impression is they try to be helpful but have built so many models over the years that they just realy can't keep up with the details.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any  
Other comments Over all I think I have a great boat and expect to get a great deal of enjoyment from sailing it.  

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