Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 26 by Walt Remele

Year built 1994  
Location of boat Princ William Sound, Alaska  
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?  
Owner bought the boat in 1994  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Definitely. We looked at both Santana and MacGregor before settling on the H26. The H26 is a superior boat in construction, size, and weight.  
Gear that's been added Stern pulpit seats. Dual batteries, switchable. External battery charging from either 110 VAC or 12 VDC. Wallas 3000D diesel forced air heater. Suunto compass. Magellan GPS. Furuno 1621 radar w/ GPS interface. Autohelm BiData KM/DM. Scream Meter. (actually it's just an inclinometer, my wife calls it a scream meter) Furlex roller furling. VHF w/ mast head antenna. Windex on mast head. 4 cam cleats. Extenable whisker pole and snatch block. Bow mounted anchor holder/roller. 35 pound Bruce w/ 25 feet of 3/8 chain and 250 feet of 1/2 twisted nylon rode. Original anchor and rode carried as backup. Man overboard pole. Horse shoe type flotation device w/ 150 feet polypro line mounted on stern pulpit. 8 1/2 foot inflatable w/ 4 horse longshaft Yamaha. (get home motor) 2 survival suits. Manual bilge pump. Extension to pop top to keep the rain out.  
Structural or complex improvements Adding second battery area. Stern pulpits. Diesel heater.  
The boat's best features Very easy to trailer. Doesn't require a slip. Cheapest moorage is dry storage. Easy to set up and take down. Tough and reliable. Provided rigging, mast, boom is beefier than other boats of same class.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Minor items. The keel clunks (up or down) at anchor in a seaway. Keel attach bolt weeps under the head of bolt. One small leak by the mast in the cabin.  
Sailing characterisitcs Sails best at twelve knots of wind and heeling 20 degrees. After 12 knots 1 reef is automatic. Sail area is reduced via roller furler and second reef as wind builds. It is a tender boat and must be treated as such. Very seaworthy. Doesn't pound going to windward in rough conditions. Points very well upwind. Recovers very quickly when depowered. Easily balanced. Exhibits a strong weather helm when overpowered.  
Motoring characterisitcs 5.5 knots w/ 9.9 Yamaha burning less than .4 gallons/hour. Can be a bear to handle docking in gusty conditions. We have had to back into dock space on occasion to maintain control.  
Liveability Works well for two on extended trips. We typically are out for 5 days at a time. After the near shore snow is gone ice capacity is a problem. The room below is a definite plus over other boats of same class. One of the biggest berths we've slept in. Gear, water, extra fuel stowage can be a problem especially if you desire to keep the weight near the center of the boat.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Good support.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Handled us very nicely. Great support. Boat was purchased 1,200 miles from its home port and the dealer helped out with all aspects of the sale and transport.  
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