Hunter Owner Reviews

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

Review of the Hunter 33 by Gregg

Year built 2004  
Location of boat Long Island, New York  
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? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2004  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? So far, absolutely.  
Gear that's been added Factory options were windlass, furling main, bimini, dodger (done locally), traveler, ST-60 spd/depth upgrade, ST-60 wind, autopilot, remote VHF mic, cockpit cushions, aft sheeting, larger engine, refrigerator, oven, and CD/stereo. I added and connected to the autopilot a Garmin 182C GPS/chartplotter.  
Structural or complex improvements No.  
The boat's best features The bright, roomy interior, liveability, and sailing. The forward cabin has a full length v-berth, room to stand, generous hanging locker and a dressing chair. The saloon is very roomy. Moving the post into the forward cabin opens up the table nicely. A real galley for cooking, although the refrigerator is very small. The aft cabin also has room to stand, a triple hanging locker, queen bed, and a ventilation hatch in addition to the opening port. Nice woodwork throughout.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. To make this a roomy boat, something had to give, and that's the head. Very small even for an average sized person. The vanity doesn't hold much, and the sink is tiny. Try washing your face without getting water all over. The sink faucet doubles as the shower hose. You can't change the spray pattern from shower spray to regular faucet flow, and the shower hose is too short. The only ventilation is a clear plastic vent through the coach roof which doesn't do squat. Ventilation throughout the boat is not the greatest, with only *2* opening ports (galley and aft cabin), but with 3 hatches. Really need more opening ports. The battery charger is sandwiched between the back end of the stbd settee and a removable panel - you can't see the status lights or adjust charge times without removing the panel. Galley storage is minimal - if you want to provision for a week, you will be challenged finding places to put your supplies, pots, etc.  
Sailing characterisitcs This boat loves to sail! Even with the furling main, performance is outstanding. We moved up from a 290, and the difference is amazing. From close hauled to broad reach, the boat moves. 15 knots of wind on the beam yielded 7.1 knots SOG, and I'm sure someone who knew what they were really doing could wring even more out of it. Haven't tried wing and wing (main will take a beating on the aft swept spreaders) and don't have a spinnaker yet.  
Motoring characterisitcs Had the 18 hp Yanmar on the 290, and wanted the optional 27 (now 29) hp engine on the bigger boat. It was a wise choice. 3000 RPM will yield 7+ knots in calm water. The engine is quiet. Something I didn't have on the 290 - as power is increased, there is a strong pull to stbd. Don't take your hands off the wheel to do something else, because you will make an immediate right turn. More a result of engine torque/prop wash than a problem, I think. I noticed the same thing on a new 44DS. So far, fuel burn is about .65 gph at sustained 3000 RPM. Pretty economical.  
Liveability This is not a liveaboard boat, unless maybe you live alone. However, we just came back from a 4 day mini-cruise. Plenty of room for 2. I think we could have done 2 weeks without a problem. As for number of adults, I'd say this boat can comfortably cruise 2, eat 4, daysail 6, and drink 8.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Called today with questions about warranty cards -friendly and helpful. Haven't come to them yet with a real problem.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any It pays to be around a lot during commissioning, and getting to know everyone from owner to yard gopher. My dealership is a small, but busy one. They could use more help. Took about 6 weeks from delivery to dealer to delivery to me. There were about 5 new boats going together before mine, besides the regular yard work. But things went well. Be patient, but be around.  
Other comments No more difficult to handle or maneuver than the 290 was, but a whole lot roomier and faster. I love it.  

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 |