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Review of the Hunter 170 by Glenn Basore

Year built 2004  
Location of boat Castaic, California  
The boat is sailed on Open ocean  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
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? yes.......very nice lines, not the traditional day sail boat style, large open clutter free space with lots of seating space, you can really stretch your legs out, plenty of head room. don't have to duck to avoid the boom.  
Gear that's been added fender locks on both sides of the boat. Quick release pin on the gib. tiler tamer  
Structural or complex improvements After having the boat "turtle" on me, I added foam to the mast. this was simple to do..remove the top cap by drilling out the rivets. tape the 1 inch dia hole thats in the bottom of the cap. tap the cap back into place but leave room to add the foam can attacment straw throung the small hole or cut out at the bottom of the cap. incert foam canister straw into the mast (make sure you have the mast top on the ground and the bottom of the mast up high enough to keep the foam down at the top of the mast, use a ladder or the roof of your house !)Add foam, the foam will expand upward into the mast, when the can is empty tap the cap all the way back into place and re rivet. Follow the foam instruction. if you capsize the foam will prevent the water from rushing into your mast. I left the bottom of the mast open so that if any water does get in the mast it can drain out.........It would have been nice if the mast was design to be water tight. The capize was my fault, a bad Gibe, the boat turtled almost immediately !.........lots of work and help to right it. ***REMOVE THE MAST COMPLETLY FROM THE BOAT SO THAT THE FOAM DOES NOT GET ON THE BOAT.  
The boat's best features for a small boat that I can tow easily and store in a small carport area, it has lots of room inside. Its simple to maintain, other than washing it down from time to time there is nothing that is requiring me to be a slave to this boat, no sanding, painting........ I don't pay for a boat slip or dry storage, that's a big plus, I can enjoy the boat when I'm not using it just by knowing that I don't have to pay monthly fees for a boat slip or storage !  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. I find the small "key ring style" pins that hold the fasteners on are tedious, especially for my old aching hands, I'm switching over to the quick release type, much easier....... the small bun gee cord that holds the center board broke when the boat capsized...I'm working on a better design.....  
Sailing characterisitcs Very stable and fast, heads into the wind good..very quick on turns......WATCH your gibe turns, make sure you pull the main in tight before making your gibe........if you don't,....."SPLASH".......now your in the water and your troubles realy begin ! you can't reach the center board, its 4 feet above your head and the boat is now turtling, stay with the boat until you get help, your going to need it. This is my first sail boat, I looked at a lot of them, they all looked about the same...THE HUNTER 170 STANDS ABOVE THEM ALL......NICE WORK HUNTER, YOU HAVE A WINNER!...I learned to sail on a Caprie 14-2, it was fun to learn on, but the hunter feels like a luxurious boat with all the on board room. every thing is where it should be.  
Motoring characterisitcs I have a 2hp Honda, plenty of power to get in and around the dock / boat slips........It holds its own fuel and is a four stroke....no oils to mix, air cooled........NICE WORK HONDA.  
Liveability N/A  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) GREAT ! CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT SAILING OBSESSIONS AND DENNIS. What a guy, he even put me in contact with a 170 owner ( DANNY HARTZELL ) in my area so that I could take a ride on his 170. Dennis lives some distance away from where I live, we have become friends and have started a WEST COST HUNTER DAY SAILORS GROUP. check his web site out, SAILING OBSESSIONS.COM Danny wrote and artlcle or two on the 170....these two men were a big help in getting me into the wonderful of sailing, they have become good sailing friends. They have a lot of boating knowledge, and sailing experiences which made it easy for me to buy a Hunter 170..... Thanks guys..........  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any READ THE ABOVE .........  
Other comments NICE WORK HUNTER, YOU'VE GOT A REAL COMPETITOR FOR THE OTHER WEST COST BOAT MANUFACTURES IN THE 170 CLACSS......... Happy sailing.......... Glenn  

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