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Review of the Hunter 290 by john konyndyk

Year built 2000  
Location of boat muskegon MI  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
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 2000  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? yes I would. It has been the perfect boat for us. Whenever I go to the boat shows I can't find a boat in this size that I would replace her with.  
Gear that's been added claw style anchor, more anchor chain. cruising spinnaker. 12v DVD entertainment system.  
Structural or complex improvements none  
The boat's best features This rig is very easy to handle solo. I purchased the autohelm and raytheon series instruments which are a big help to sailing solo on this boat. you can set the autopilot to steer a course, steer to a GPS waypoint or steer a wind angle, plus it can auto-tack the helm! This boat's rig is probably the best feature about it. Most of the power and sail area is in the main sail making it easier to tack and handle sheet loads on the jib in a snap. the boom is sooo high off the cockpit you don't even think about it, and without a traveler in the cockpit there is a lot of space to be comfortable.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. leaks leaks leaks. it is a boat but man do I have some leaks, there's one that comes down the side of the cabin I haven't been able to figure out yet. the swing down transom was not properly installed, the hinges were put on with wood screws instead of through bolted, it of course didn't last. It was difficult to do but I did re-bed them and used through bolts- no prob since. the inspection hatch on the cockpit floor (big one to get at steering cables) needs to be re-caulked everytime you pull it up- could have been designed better. sailbag hard to open or close because boom is so high. the ice-box/refrig lid is heavy and needs some sort of latch system to keep it open (I see the 306's have this improvement) Bildge pump wiring was not sealed properly leading to failure of the switch, pump ran continuously and burned out. Some of the engine hoses were too close to the removable inspection doors and were rubbing through- good thing this was caught in time-look at these hoses if you are buying used or if you own one of these boats and don't poke around in the engine much.  
Sailing characterisitcs sails like a tub- well she is a tub- it's a wide boat with a little mast it isn't going to break any speed records. the boat is real real stable- I've been out in nasty stuff and never felt unsafe. She sails at about 4 knots in an afternoon breeze. The reefing system is great as reefing the main can be done without leaving the cockpit. I installed cruising spinnaker hardware and I use a 450 sq foot asymmetrical spinnaker on light to moderate days. I really recommend a spinnaker to anyone who is going to rely on the wind to move this boat from port a to b on most 10-15 knot days. I LOVE this boat, and have put 300+ engine hours and 1000 or so nm on her in the 4 years I've had her. We take 3 weeks extended cruises on her in the northern Michigan and Wisconsin areas and have had her out in the WORST of conditions and she has performed wonderfully every time.  
Motoring characterisitcs motors fast, too fast. my wife always wants me to crank up the engine on calm days to get us there. I can get about 6 knots at 2800 rpm. (boat sails at 4 knots in light-moderate wind) vibration at some lower rpms. yanmar starts like a champ everytime. powers into current waves wind etc.... very well.  
Liveability there is too much space for a 29 footer, this is really the marvel of this boat. Very comfortable for small families. It's just been the two of us for all the years we've owned this boat, we just had a baby, and I don't think that's going to be problem. the dinette berth is just too small for adults but would be ok for young kid(s). I have no complaints about the pressure water system of the shower head, mine seems to work flawlessly.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) n/a  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any dealer was nice, accomodating. took care of problems promptly. a lot of the "malfunctions" listed here occured after the first year of use, so I fixed most of those myself.  
Other comments  

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