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Review of the Hunter 31_83-87 by Joe Dickson

Year built 1984  
Location of boat Clear Lake Shores, Texas  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 6  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in Apri  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. Of the boats available at the time we purchased ours, this boat had the others beat hands down. Ours is also a Cherubini Hunter, and I can see why they have such a loyal following. Design elements on this boat, that make such sense, are not present on other boats including the later Hunters.  
Gear that's been added Aside from the standard equipment and the 'cruise pack' items, we have a CruiseAir system (a must for Texas summers), a roller furling, AM/FM stereo, lazy jacks, and auto-helm.  
Structural or complex improvements The core under the non-skid on the port side, in front of the mast, had to be fixed by the seller(improperly bedded mast plate screw). A new head was installed just before we took possession of the boat. On our to-do list is an updating of the freshwater system including new faucets in the head and the galley, a new pump (bad diaphragm), and an accumulator. Additonally we want to update the cooking arrangement by adding a microwave oven.  
The boat's best features The roominess. The cabin layout.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Mostly its little things seem to be the most annoying. The cheap overhead cabin light fixtures (replacing with halogen), the quick-disconnect caps on the waste, water and diesel ports (they simply don't seal well - replacing with threaded caps), the crummy counter edge banding in both the galley and head (they have been re-banded), the slight bulkhead shift on the port side (the head door currently cannot be used to close off v-berth - apparently a common Hunter problem). The emergency tiller is also 'cheesy'. A more defined/substantial/padded handle would be nice. I will probably never need to use it, but as it is, it would be a challenge in heavy weather. We have also replaced the cheesy hull liner/carpeting throughout the boat with a great white marine vinyl that has the look and feel of calfskin.  
Sailing characterisitcs The boat is a joy to sail. Very stable. With the fin keel it turns on a dime. With the roller furling and all of the lines coming back to the cockpit, it's easy to handle alone.  
Motoring characterisitcs We have the 13hp 2GMF Yanmar. Most of the time it offers adequate power. It would be nice to have more horses however. There are some annoying vibrations at certain RPM's, but a slight throttle adjusment eliminates most of it. The manual even acknowledges this as a problem as well.  
Liveability I could not imagine this boat as a liveaboard. It is a very spacious boat for short term accomodations, but at a minimum without storage and refrigeration modifications I could not see it as a liveaboard...  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) The few contacts I have had with Hunter have gone well. They have been very helpful...  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any We purchased ours through a broker. All-in-all it went well, however minor details about the logistics of closing, surveying and filing paperwork could have been communicated better...  
Other comments I love it!  

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