Hunter Owner Reviews

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

Review of the Hunter 260 by Tom Myers

Year built 1999  
Location of boat Rocky Fork Lake - Hillsboro Ohio  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength less than 10 knots  
Average size of crew 5-6  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1999  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, definitely. We spent a good deal of time evaluating many manufacturers and models. The 260 was the overall best fit for all of our needs.  
Gear that's been added Several items added include: roller furling (CDI - great), companionway canvas with screen, bimini, stern rail seats, Honda 9.9 hp 4-stroke, fabric cushions (good idea), compass.  
Structural or complex improvements Not quite yet but planning to add second battery, cigarette lighter power, inverter plus vhf and depth/speed.We have tiller now. While we like a tiller we may add wheel steering with outboard motor remote controls. Docking is rather interesting as you absolutely cannot see the bow.We did replace the jib jam cleats with raised cams to ease handling.  
The boat's best features Wow, hard to say there are many. While we prefer the more asthetics of a more traditional design, the boat is beatiful. The large cockpit easily handles our 4 kids plus us. The cabin is large as well and we can sleep over easily.The enclosed head and stern rail seats and the open transom/ swim ladder are great. Under sail,the roller furler allows one of us to deal with the kids while the other handles the lines.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Not many things. Our dealer, Strictly Sail in Cincinnati, has been very helpful.In terms of design, docking is a problem with the tiller since you cannot see the bow. This is for those novices like us who dock under power. Docking under sail, this would not be a problem.The battery was not fully charged, no big deal. The water line fitting in the head was cracked and needed to be replaced. The only other issue I have is that I sure could use additional docking cleats (one extra bow and stern on both port and starboard).  
Sailing characterisitcs The first couple of weeks (we're totally new to this) we had very light, shifty wind. The last week wonderful breeze - the boat has really taken off. Occasionally, the jib sheets have snagged on the mast step when trimming.  
Motoring characterisitcs The Honda 9.9 hp 4 - stroke is wonderful. Quiet and powerful. Reaching down to the throttle, it is impossible to see the bow which causes docking to be a concern. Still new at this but don't see how I can dock her alone without wheel.  
Liveability That's the reason we chose the boat. A 2 burner stove would be nice but otherwise everything's good for a weekend for 6.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) na  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The dealer has been very responsive. This is a very busy time for any dealer. When we received the initial schedule to bottom paint/ commission and get her in the water, we thought we were  
Other comments  

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 |