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Review of the Hunter 27_75-84 by Bob Bach

Year built 1980  
Location of boat Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake  
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? Yes, but if I could go back to 1980 I might have specified a 10 hp diesel. The mast height and sail area are more than sufficient when under sail.  
Gear that's been added I replaced the bow hatch with an anodized aluminumhatch from Bowmar because the old one had cracked withage. We added a stereo to the nav station.We installed a deck pumpout fitting and a holding tankto avoid direct discharge. Other than that the systems are quite sufficient.  
Structural or complex improvements Jeez, where to start.Upgraded the water pump to a 3.5gpm capacity.Replumbed the galley. Barrier coated the bottom.Rebuilt the head. Replaced alot of shiv's and fittings that had just worn out. Not really structural or totally complex, but be advised that this series of the 27is in need of some mid life TLC.  
The boat's best features The hull is strong and sound as is the lead keel.There is sufficient sail area. The living space below is great for two or three. I've never tried 4 for an extended weekend, butit shouldn't be a streach. Plenty of water and fuel for long weekending.Never felt "really" scared in a Chesapeake storm and have had it out in the Atlantic several times for some overnight passages.The shoal keel is great for the bay.I love sailing it too much to be completely unbiased.The best feature is probably the first mate! I thought the 8hp Renault would be a problem but they are easy to get parts from and the design is very simple.It's still a little underpowered at 8hp.Poor Dick and his 6.5hp....  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The mainsheet is of poor design for upwind sailing. It may be as fast (or faster) as the Catalinaor Pearson, but it doesn't point as well!Nothing can be more frustrating than watching someone else point where you can't!The Bow Tankage for fresh water is great at 35 gallons,but it needs a quiet anchorage or it will slosh you awake.The original hatches should be looked at carefully.It is easy to replace them but they cost around $200a shot for the main hatches. Bowmar is making these now.This boat was well maintained and the portlights are fine, but I've seen 27's where this was not the case!The wheel brake is no longer made, so if you need oneyou'll have to install an Edison.  
Sailing characterisitcs As stated the boat will not point.Our first season was spent on the Barnegate Baywhere the winds, in retrospect, were "magic" winds!There we sailed frequently under storm jib and reefed main.. On the Chesapeake we rely on the 150 Genoaand full main. I wish on those light air days that the main was a littlelonger afoot but don't really think it would matter a hill of beans.It's a heavy boat and its quite forgiving. It doeshave a tendancy to round up but you develope a natural reaction to gusting! :}  
Motoring characterisitcs Motors fine on a calm day but could usea few more horses when going against the wind and the tide in a gale.No problems reversing a 27....  
Liveability We love weekending aboard it. The only problem we have is that the headroom is 6'1" and the Bunks are the same.This is great for the wife, but sometimes I (6'3") can get a little cramped. This isn't so bad when the weathers nice but we've spent some weekends holed up in the cabin an anchorage out of the storm and it can be a bummer. I have 5 more inches of bunk space on my wish list!  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Hunter has been great as has Renault.Remember that unlike cars, boat manu's are not required to stock parts. This is unfortunatebut its the way it is. The Hunter guys always tryto point me in the right direction for replacements,and Renault has always had the parts I need in stock.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any By privately save your money!  
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