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Review of the Hunter 42 by John Faro

Year built 1996  
Location of boat Key Biscayne, Florida  
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? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2001  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes - unquestionably the best outfitted cruising boat for the money  
Gear that's been added One potential problem that has been resolved is the adaptation of a Garmin 232 Chartplotter to the standard Raytheon Autohelm 6000 autopilot. In adding the Garmin, you cannot disonnect any of the existing instruments without "termination" of the Sea Talk network. This simply means do not disconnet anything that is presently on the network. Do not concern yourself with multiple GPS inputs, the system is design to accomodate that.  
Structural or complex improvements Only "knock" on the boat is an air leak in seal for freezer. When I purchased replacement seal from Hunter, it was obvious that replacement seals were noticeably larger than original. While this is not complex problem, it was a waste of time to try to fix the problem with the foam tapes that are available from West Marine  
The boat's best features "Afterglow" is the best turned out boat in the Marina when it comes to cruising boat utility. Quality touches in both design and finish. Oil teak finish is strong point in ambience in the boat's interior. What is unique about the boat is the layout and the detail touches that anticipate the boater's needs. A simple feature like a cockpit light that can be turn on or off from either the cockpit or the electrical panel provides both convenience and safety when entering or leaving the boat after dark  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The only thing that was annoying, and fixed, was the placement of the raw water filter below the AC cooling pump. When the filter was removed for cleaning, the water would drain from the pump and loose its prime. I placed a "T" fitting, with a removable plug, in-line on the upstream side of the circulation loop and the problem is not longer a problem. After the filter is cleaned, I simply open the air bleed before starting the AC and the water simple rises from the through hull, and fills the filter. When the filter is full, I start the AC, and allow the sea water to stream from the bleed. When the flow from the open bleed is steady, I close the plug and the system rums without interuption.  
Sailing characterisitcs The forward visiblity was poor when sailing upwind. Accordingly,I have had the genua cut, at an angle from the tack to the clew - the angle was determined emperically to afford improved visibility when sailing upwind. The angle of cut removed two (2) feet of sail from the clew. The Genua is now a Yankee, boat is more controlable, less heel and no discernable change in performance - which has probable been improved  
Motoring characterisitcs Very powerful and reliable - so far - 250 hours Afterglow was purchased in NY in August 2001, and brought down to Florida, from NY harbor to Norfolk, through ICW to Beaufort SC and then outside the rest of the way. The wind was either directly off the stern or directly on the nose, so the boat was motored to permit a direct course to our destination. The engine was run continuously (only 80 hours on Hobbs meter at departure) at 2800 RPM. The segment of the trip from NY Harbor to Norfolk, with a trailing & rolling sea, took under 36 hours for approx 300 miles, on a little over 38 to 40 gal of diesel  
Liveability Unparalled comfort and convenience in a boat of this size. The heart of the boat is the salon/galley, which can accomodate 6-8 people in comfort. The aft cabin with a centerline queen and settee on the port side provides both privacy and yet line of sight access from the aft cabin to the forward cabin Hunter took the best of a Moody 425, and increased the interior volume and reduced the number of berths. The cockpit is substantially improved over the Moody and the cost is about 25% less, if you can find one that has not been chartered or with a deep draft keel  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) First rate - assistance is prompt and responsive. This is in contrast to the "beach boy" attitudes of the Catalina Customer Service, who are always out to lunch  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The boat was purchased in a private sale, however, Florida Yacht has been helpful with suggestions when asked. Florida Yacht recommended the delivery captains that assisted with the ferrying of the boat from NY to Florida - both had extensive experience with the P42, and thoroughly checked out the boat before departure and assumed responsibity for provisioning.  
Other comments The boat has exceeded my expectations If a toilet option is available that would permit the electric heads to also operate manually, this would put less demands on the battery banks when at anchor, and permit their use in the PM without disturbing other passengers  

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