Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 44DS by Frank Cook

Year built 2004  
Location of boat Stamford, CT  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Racing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 5-6  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2004  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes  
Gear that's been added Air conditioning,dodger,bimini,bow thruster,cockpit cushions,quiet flush heads,TV antenna,furling mast,Awlgrip hull,Raymarine 7000 autopilot, GPS,Radar, Plotter,ST^) wind, speed, depth, multi,inverter,Boase 3-2-1, LCD TV,supreme shades,VHF remote, folding prop, spinnaker gear, dripless shaft seal.  
Structural or complex improvements provided support for the bow thruster motor which was not provided by the factory.  
The boat's best features The room and ease of handling the boat. It can really take lots of gear and store it all.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Problems have been mainly with what Hunter has purchased such as the compass, VHF, GPS. Had a fiberglass gelcoat blow out repaired by the dealer. Shower door tracking pins falling out. Saw cut in the corian counter. Mismatched wood. Some trim missing.  
Sailing characterisitcs Fantastic boat in light air. You have to start to think about reefing around 15 and have it in by 20. Cuts the waves and gives a great ride. Easy to tack. Goes to weather well. Would like to be able to get to the main sheet from the helm without releasing the helm in a knock down to spill the wind. But being mounted on the cabin top is impossible.  
Motoring characterisitcs The standard prop created a hard pull to port at speed. The boat will do 7.25 knts at 3200rpm. Went to a folding prop to improve performance.  
Liveability Fantastic space. Spend many 2 and 3 day weekends on the boat and never get tired of it.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Have had several e-mails with Hunter. The easy questions are answered fast and the tough ones only ocassionally. Over all they have been very good.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The commissioning period for the boat was very frustrating. It seemed that the same issues came up most every week and got longer the more we looked at the boat. It was a small dealership with a lot of new boats coming in and I suspect that was the reason. Ultimately, everything was taken care of in a fashion and the boat delivered.  
Other comments Enjoy it every weekend and will miss the experience over the winter. It was a good decision to move up to the Hunter.  

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