Hunter Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
Hunter OEM Parts
General Marine Parts
 
 

Review of the Hunter 460 by John Rollins

Year built 2000  
Location of boat Alameda, CA  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew solo  
Liveaboard? Yes  
Owner bought the boat in 2000  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? I intentionally have waited two years to write a review because I really wanted to evaluate this boat. I believe I would. Considering the cost of boats this size, I feel now as I felt two years ago that you get a lot of boat for the money with a Hunter. I realize that this is a production boat, but I would have liked the opportunity to upgrade many of the features.  
Gear that's been added 1. Self tending jib. My thanks to UK sails and Harken for making this happen. 2. Crusing spinnaker with winches. Again thanks to UK sails. 2. Espar heater. 3. Transom arch to accomodate two 120 watt solar panels(Kyrocera), wind generator{Rutland), two brackets to hold 5 gallon fuel containers, 2nd VHF antenna, SSB antenna. 4. LectraSan (forward head)  
Structural or complex improvements In the galley area, I removed and shortened the cup and plate rack and placed it over the sink area. I then built cabinets where the plate rack use to be. Installed a second VCR and DVD system with surround sound. Changed the port quarter berth somewhat to accomodate a computer and multifunction machine. Added a few lights and several electrical outlets.  
The boat's best features In mast furling. Shore water inlet. Washer/Dryer. Roomy cockpit. Easy companionway ladder. Refrig/freezer (althought it should have been DC.) Seperate shower and head in V berth area. Adequate galley area and roomy salon with plenty of lights and windows. I am not an interior designer, but the "captains chairs" on the starboard side of the salon are quite comfortable. I think I would have placed the TV/VCR on the port side of the salon so that I could take more advantage of the chairs to watch movies or whatever.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. 1.LectraSan has been giving me fits for about a year. I finally blew the control board and simply replaced the whole unit. I discovered a couple of dealer installed flaws. 2. Heart inverter died. It was covered under warrantee. Recently I had a bad cell in one of my house batteries. The inverter did not know this and kept charging the batteries until they were cooked to death. I replaced them with 2 AGM 8D's. 3. Water heater developed a leak. I replaced it with a Raritan 1700 series.(5 year guarantee) 4. Shore water hose came apart under the floor under the washer/dryer. That was really fun to fix. Turned out the coupler was installed backwards. 5. A real annoyance for me are the rub rails. What a hassle to keep clean. The air polution just sticks to them. These are not really design or structural problems. Just petty boat problems.  
Sailing characterisitcs I did sail from San Francisco down to Ensenda, Mx. and back. The boat sailed quite well and was easy to sail. Aside from that trip I really have been to involved with boat projects to really take her out and sail. Consequenlty I hesitate to really make an intellingent comment on her sailing charms.  
Motoring characterisitcs Motoring was fine. I have discovered the sweet spot for the Yanmar seems to be around 22-2400 hundred rpm. I was a little disappointed with the fuel economy, however I am not really sure what I should expect. That is how I discovered that more rpm's does not really increase boat speed at the sacrafice of fuel economy. I think my next project will be to install a 3 blade Martec feathering prop. I need all the help I can get in backing into my slip.  
Liveability First I am a livaboard, 2nd I am a sailor. By this I mean my primary purchase decision was based on getting a boat that I could live on. The 460 has accomplished this quite well. The shore water inlet has been a real nice feature. No more filling the water tanks every week. Lots of storage, there seems to be holes everywhere to stuff things. Requires organizational skills that I am still working on. All things considered I really like my 460 as a livaboard. My office area really is working out quite well, the beds are comfortable. What I really like is the seperation of the different areas. i.e. office from salon from sleeping quarters from heads and showers.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) The few occassions that I have called Hunter have been quite pleasant. In all honestly I really have not had a need to call them other then for a few parts and a little info.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any A delicate subject for me. I am not a good buyer and I am not a negotiator. I traded in my H380 for this 460. I believe that I got a fair price. However, I will never buy a boat for the "boat show specials" again. I had to buy a dingy and outboard that I really don't need. I paid for a trisail which was removed to accomodate the self tending jib. I had to buy a second rate dodger. There was no deal with the Raytheon auto pilot, radar and chart plotter. I paid full sticker for these items. There were a few other items that don't immediately come to mind. I was not and am still not all that savy when it comes to boats. If I could do it again I would have prefered to have ordered the boat and have been given the opportunity to upgrade certain items. i.e. a better water heater(what comes with the boat is the cheapest that Seward makes), a true Sine Wave inverter, a DC refrig/freezer. How about running some copper foil for the SSB(a real chore after the boat is built). I am sure there a many things that could have been improved upon for not that many more dollars. (relativlely speaking) I really needed someone to explain the many alternatives. The commissioning crew is the best in the area. They were quite accomodating and put up with me hanging around for a month while they put things together. I must comment that when I bought this boat in July of 2000, everybody was selling boats, the economy was still really hot. In short, I was and am pleased with the dealer, but it was a bit like buying a car rather then a $300,000 dollar yacht.  
Other comments I am quite pleased with the boat and with Hunter. I could have spent twice as much money for the same size boat and still spent much more for upgrades and customization. Pictures to follow as soon as I figure out how to get them on the Web.  

Contact
About
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Limited Liability
Advertise Here
Copyright 1997-2024 SB Owners, LLC
All rights reserved.

Other Sailboat Owners web sites:
CatalinaOwners.com | HunterOwners.com | MacgregorOwners.com | OdayOwners.com | SailboatOwners.com | 10,000 Boat Names |