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Review of the Hunter 240 by Brian Kile

Year built 1999  
Location of boat Trailered/North east Texas  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 5-6  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 1999  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. I traded up from the h23 because was not happy with the h23's mast raising system (what system?), the cabin and cockpit layout or the trailer and its inadequacies to handle the weight of a lead keel boat. I looked at Mac, Catalina and Hunter up to the 260. The enclosed head was the only reason I could justify not getting the 240 and that was not enough for me. The 260 seemed to be a bit too much boat to trailer although I've heard owners rave about its ease of tow, but its price was not for me at the time.  
Gear that's been added Came with: CDI furler, bimini, stern seats and cloth interior, Honda 5 basic Added: > Rigging: proper genoa cam cleats, Garhauer vang which eliminated topping lift, internal purchase on outhaul and led aft to cleat on boom, internal single line jiffy reef led aft to cleat on boom, internal lazy jacks led aft to cleat on boom, velcro sail ties, purchase on rudder downhaul line with auto release clam cleat, purchase on rudder uphaul line, Forespar adjustable tiller extension, Sunbrella UV strips to genoa, PVC shroud and turnbuckle covers and turnbuckles chafetaped to keep them from bending, leather spreader covers, replaced cotter rings with pins and changed to quick pins wherever possible, all pins have safety ties > motoring: easy removeable motor-to-rudder post connection, Honda remote control mounted on starboard sternrail for clutch and throttle > electrical: extra battery, dual solar trickle charger/controller to keep them topped off, 12V accessory sockets in cabin and cockpit, Humminbird Wide-Optic fish finder, 12V pump and switch for galley faucet > misc: extra anchor, cockpit cushions, fishing pole mounts, drains in cockpit lockers led to fuel locker, raised floor mats in all lockers, pop-out level floor boards in cabin lockers so stuff stays upright and stable, interior fans, screen for deck hatch, bigger diameter roller for mast crutch and longer crutch lock pin > will add soon: gear nets in cabin, galley cabinet for kitchen stuffs and radio, latch to secure open the galley table, hinged access hatches for all cabin settee and galley station lockers, companionway cover with both screen/waterproof door and side windows, separate Sunbrella cover to connect companionway cover to the bimini for full sun and rain protection, rain cover for deck hatch so it can remain open in the rain, propane/BBQ system, centerboard 'auto-centering system' for when retrieving onto the trailer, anchor mount  
Structural or complex improvements none required  
The boat's best features > very roomy both in the cabin (can sit back comfortably on the couches) and in the cockpit - very well planned and improved on from the h23 > open transom for easy access to beach or for swimming or for washing it off > easy mast raising system, very safe and entire boat can be done setup and sailed solo if necessary  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. > leak in water tank hose connection > leaking companionway hatch, required routing of drip slot, sanding back edge of acrylic sheet, and adjustment of hatch rubber stop shims > porta-pottie latch assemblies are brittle plastic, didn't last 2 years, no longer latched > trailer brake/flasher light wiring was backward on right side caused very dim flashing only on right side (that took awhile and alot of troubleshooting to find the source - in the light assembly itself) > cockpit lockers collect water when hosing it down or heavy downpour - had to add raised flooring and drain hose/fittings > mast crutch: pin wasn't long enough to keep crutch from rotating in its mount which weakened the entire system, crutch roller is only 7/8" and didn't roll well under the load of the mast, so I added a 2" PVC pipe w/rubber outer core and not it rolls very smoothly > getting many cracks in gelcoat especially on the sink cabinet and around the companionway > centerboard sheave was binding, so I had to take a grinder and shave about 1/8" off of the diameter to allow it to roll freely. I can now hoist it about halfway without the winch > genoa sheet clam cleats are not workable  
Sailing characterisitcs > heels rapidly on puffs but rounds up or stalls before the rail hits water - need to reef above 15 knots and consider reefed main only as conditions worsen. Sails very nicely in low winds up to about 12 knots, then you consider changing the sail plan > downwind and reaching performance is good. Reefing is required on a reach to avoid excessive heeling in higher winds, downwind is slow (some are adding gennakers to improve downwind speed) > upwind perf is fair, again its difficult to keep it flat in high winds even reefed or with the vang tensioned, so I tend to keep it pointed on the safe and high side when it gets rough, therefore my speed suffers accordingly > centerboard should be tended to and adjusted depending on point of sail to maximize perf > genoa sheet clam cleats are not workable - when used with the winches, they bind at the wrong time and are not accessible from the cockpit seat for fine tuning the genoa - most owners are replacing them w/cams or similar, self-tailing their winches, using the jam cleats on the outside rail or adding cams to the cockpit side of the winches > sometimes wish it had a main traveler, but can live without the hassle (an arch design for the trailerables would likely sell very well as it enables the traveler and generally improves the cockpit area and amenities) > trouble getting it to heave-to comfortablely  
Motoring characterisitcs > has a high freeboard so you tend to get blown about in high winds making docking maneuvers difficult > motor to rudder connection is a MUST > wish I had gotten at least the Honda 8HP 4-stroke with full remote, charge and remote start er options looking back. I had to add the remote to mine, but still think the 5 HP is not enough to power through the wind and waves of a lake advisory situation  
Liveability For a weekender up to a week, this boat suits me fine. Needs some extra touches added to enable easier access to the lockers and also to keep it rain and bug proof, yet still allow a breeze to travel through. The rear locker hatch and screen was a good idea. The porta pottie is hard to get to. I moved mine to the port side of the fore berth so that the entire berth doesn't have to be raised to get to it (only half of it). The additions I've made or plan to make will make this a very comfortable boat for my family of 5  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Excellent albeit limited - i've not experienced any of the problems others have talked about. Maybe I'm lucky in that I haven't had any major problems dealing with Hunter personnel and I chalk that up to Hunter selling me a boat without major issues to contend with.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any I've dealt with Richard Cleary of LaVida here in Lewisville since the early 80's and have always walked away happy. He has been great at helping me get through some of the minor issues I've dealt with since purchasing the 240, most of these being problems with my Honda carburator and nothing to do with Hunter!  
Other comments Love my 240, love toiling and customizing it to suit my needs, and wish I could be on it more often to enjoy my efforts.  

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