Hunter Owner Reviews

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

Review of the Hunter 326 by Bob

Year built 2002  
Location of boat Orange Park, FL  
The boat is sailed on Rivers  
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 2002  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? We actually had our heart set on a 356 or 386 but our wallet would only allow for the 326. That said we are very pleased with the boat. It is very light in the cabin, looks great in the water and sails nicely.  
Gear that's been added The 326 we purchased was a used 2002 only 6 mos old and the previous owners added several items that we really like. The bimini is one of the best we've seen. Also added was a windless, Raymaine electronics, Sony CD player, Heat pump, refrigeration and factory in mast furling. The only thing I want to add is the auto-helm.  
Structural or complex improvements none  
The boat's best features Easy to sail. We are first time sailors and the in-mast and roller furling system makes handling the sails a snap. Although the aft stateroom is confining, the boat is well designed for long weekends and vacations. The galley is nicely laid out. The head however is to small. We've yet to use the shower in the head.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The A/C heat pump short cycles. The screws in the salon table pulled out. We feel the table is also to big for the space it is in. We are contemplating having it cut down or replaced with a smaller one.  
Sailing characterisitcs Sailing close hauled to close reach the boat is fast but is slow while running with the wind.  
Motoring characterisitcs Excellent fuel economy. When we took delivery the fuel guage read 3/4 full and seemed to never budge even though we were motoring quite a bit. I even did a visual check of the fuel tank to verify if the guage was accurate. It was. We have only run it 2700 rpm max and speed depending on current would be 3.7 to 4.5 knts. A bit slow. I do believe the boat is somewhat under-powered.  
Liveability Long weekends and perhaps a week and a half tops before the close quarters will begin to affect you. For short stays the 326 is very comfortable.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) During the purchase process we had occasion to speak with a couple of Hunter reps and were very impressed with their helpful attitude.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The broker we dealt with is a Hunter dealer and the boat we bought was a trade-in. They were extremely helpful and knowlegable. We liked our experience with them so much we decided to keep our boat in a slip at their marina instead of going to St. Augustine as planned.  
Other comments We looked at a lot of sailboats 32' to 38' both new and used, O'day, Catalina, Morgan, Irwin, Dufour, Island Packet and Beneteau. Early on we realized that Hunter offered the best value. Once we decided that Hunter was the manufacturer for us then we concentrated on them until we found this slightly used 326 that had been maintained like new with most of the extras we wanted already on it. The decision was easy.  

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 |