Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 280 by Ted Hall

Year built 1997  
Location of boat Lake Champlain  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
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 1998  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes  
Gear that's been added 2nd battery and 2nd anchor  
Structural or complex improvements no  
The boat's best features We liked the fact that it came equipped ready to sail away. We live aboard during the summer and find that there is plenty of room for two, our gear, and food etc. to last at least a week between shopping trips.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. I am a bit concerned with the little things. Several hinges have fallen off, screws have fallen out, the door to the head jams, the bilge covers are so tight that I must pry them up. None of these things hinder performance but they are a nuisance.  
Sailing characterisitcs Sails very well to windward. The steep rake of the speaders, due to no backstay, prevents pushing main out very far on a run. I recently ran wing and wing for about 20 miles in 15-20 kn breeze. We rolled quite a bit, my wife was seasick, and I did have one accidental jibe. The good news is that several times I exceeded hull speed going down the long rollers. Knotmeter showed 7.2 as max speed at the end of the trip.  
Motoring characterisitcs We have run the engine for about 10 hours total in the past three months. It has given us no trouble and runs very smooth. Other reviews of the Yanmar 18 seem to suggest that this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.  
Liveability We are teachers and use our boat as a summer home. We are quite content with the layout and space for the two of us. We do have the advantage of toilet and shower facilities at the marina when docked. Our longest trip away from our marina was 8 days and we had all that we needed except we stopped once for water and ice.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Purchased boat from Boats'R'Fun, in Willsboro, NY and they have been wonderful. This was a new boat and they launched it for us exactly when we wanted it. ( The first boat in the watar at their marina) They also gave us dock space, shore power, lessons, and much advice before we left them to sail back to our marina in Vermont. They still respond to E-Mail questions and have hosted us when we have returned to thier marina. Doing business with them has been a delightful experience.  
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