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Review of the Hunter 326 by Don Erickson

Year built 2002  
Location of boat Seattle, WA  
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 2002  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Definitely! Having previously owned a Catalina 30 we wanted tomove up to somehing more comfortable with modern amenities like hot/cold water, shower, refrigerator and corian counter tops. We also wanted something easy to sail and found it with the furling in-mast main. Also, since we are both in our 60's safety was a big issue. With the rear swimming deck access to the runabout is easy and if anyone falls overboard retrievability is a breeze once the person is alongside. We lovel this boat for its comfort, nice look both outside and inside, handalbility, instrumentation and electronics.  
Gear that's been added Have added Garman 6" color GPS, chain rode and electric windless. These latter improvements made gunk-holing much more enjoyable, as we spend many weekends exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Would like to add radar in 2006. For extended winter cruising will probably add heating system for those cold mornings up here.  
Structural or complex improvements No.  
The boat's best features Comes as a pretty complete package. Probably my favorite is the furling in-mast mainsail and B&R rigging. My wife likes the kitchen with it's corian counter-tops, stainless steel range and microwave. The 6'3" headroom in the salon is great as well! The large cockpit is great for entertaining, easily accommodating 6-7 adults for those tailgate parties.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Factory could have done more to remove fiberglass dust that one runs into if rewiring or inspecting spaces between inner liner and outer hull. (Wear gloves and vacuum well beforehand is my advice.)  
Sailing characterisitcs This boat is a joy in a brisk blow. 8 knots while heading up close hauled is easily achievable and she is very steady on her feet. Downwind not as exciting because B&R rig keeps boom from reaching 90 degrees perpendicular to hull.  
Motoring characterisitcs The 18 hp Yanmar is very reliable but feels a little underpowered when powering through channels with 3.5 4.0 knot currents. Something in the 20-24 hp range would have been ideal for this sized boat. At 8,500 rpm she easily manages 5 knots. Pretty noisey down below but acceptable above in the cockpit.  
Liveability The only drawbacks are the 5'8" cabin door height to the forward cabin and claustrophobic main cabin. Entryway here gives standing room but height above queen sized bed is probably only 32". Small port windows help out a lot and raising outside bench reveals sky above through a large escape port. Port windows in salon add to livability by making it possible see surroundings while seated here. This is especially nice when dining below.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Signature Yachts in Seattle were very helpful in putting together package we wanted with trade-in of our 30' Catalina. I would say this was a good experience.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any As suggested above, this a good experience. Do miss the camaraderie that existed when we owned the Catalina. The Hunter fleet up here is much smaller, but growing.  
Other comments Great value for the money and a fun boat for both sailing and cruising!  

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