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Review of the Hunter 26.5 by Mike Dumke

Year built 1988  
Location of boat West Basin Marina, St. Joseph, Mi  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1995  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes; the price, size, quality, and amenities were what we wanted when we purchased the boat and remain so today.  
Gear that's been added GPS, 155% Genoa head sail, whisker pole and hardware, reworked a material portion of the running rigging, lexan hatch cover, shore power, and lots of internal furnishings (wife involved here).  
Structural or complex improvements None  
The boat's best features The boat is a nice two person weekend boat or for the use of 2-6 people on day sails. It gets to speed quickly and is easy to handle under sail even if only one person is a sailor. We have enjoyed the open cockpit, swim ladder, and the way the boat has been rigged, other sailors from the marina use the design ideas from our boat as the modify their boats.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The water system has had some problems, but was finally repaired. The outboard (Nisson 9.9) needs to be babied and serviced more frequently than other outboard we have owned.  
Sailing characterisitcs The boat seems to sail well to all points for us. In gusty conditions or in higher winds the boat seems a little soft. The solution, for us is to depower the sails more than I would have expected. All in all this has been a grat boat to sail.  
Motoring characterisitcs With the cockpit controls the boat motor quite well. We have motored more than 20nm on several occasions and been quite happy with the performance and fuel consumption. The only complaint I would have is that because it is an outboard the propellers breach when the waves begin to exceed three feet on Lake Michigan.  
Liveability We have spent many weekends on board and have found the boat comfortable. Because of the size it might become close if wheathered in for any time or on a trip longer than 3-4 days.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Have talked to them several times and they have been most helpful every time I have called.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The transaction was exactly as I expected.  
Other comments  

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