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Review of the Hunter 33 by David Whitworth

Year built 2005  
Location of boat Port Alberni BC Canada  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2005  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. Except that my next boat will be the 38!  
Gear that's been added We opted for the Hunter “Mariner” package – fin keel, Mast furling, helm winching, arch traveler, 3 blade prop, ST60 upgrade with autopilot, windlass, 29HP Yanmar, folding wheel, oven; fridge & freezer. The only Hunter options we did not get were TV, A/C, and inverter. In addition to that we bought a 22lb Delta anchor with 60’ chain and kept the standard Danforth as a spare; upgraded to gel batteries 4x220AH “golf cart” 6V and an Optima gel 55AH starter battery; Xantrex smart regulator and 80 amp regulator with a Xantrex Link20 battery monitor; Espar hydronic heat; custom made dodger and all-round canvas from local NW coast supplier; Raymarine 2KW radar integrated with C120 plotter/GPS with connection to nav station for laptop; upgraded VHF to DSC with remote mike in cockpit; solar vent fan in head; upgraded to bronze raw water filter; additional fire extinguishers; life sling; whisker pole on mast track; preventer system.  
Structural or complex improvements I relocated the RACOR primary fuel filter to the stern compartment by the fuel tank and replaced the metal bowl with a see-thru plastic one. This was not complex, but to me was important. It is safer and much easier to change filter without a mess. I have also re-routed several hoses in the engine compartment that were chafing.  
The boat's best features Price and value for the money; lots of space inside for a 33; easy to sail; handling under sail or power; economical under power; user oriented design features (eg: all through hulls in one place)  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Above deck: Windlass/rode locker location/design causes jamming of chain when weighing anchor; rub rails are of poor design, hard to keep clean and don’t drain properly; not much room between diagonal shrouds and deck – could be better if they went to cabin sides; vang line should be fed back to cockpit as standard; stern step seat geometry is poor (will be fixed under warranty); swim ladder mounting does not drain properly and ladder constantly rusts. Below: Battery Isolator installed upside down (heat issue); Head bubbles back; minor leakage around hot water heater; arch mounting bolt came loose and leaked; door catches went out of alignment; companionway step location cleat needed relocation; minor gel coat issues – all these were/will be fixed under warranty Engine has suffered from the common overheating problem reported by many users. This will also be fixed under warranty by Yanmar. The RACOR location/bowl and bronze filter should be standard; fuel cut off valve should be below the RACOR; much more care should be taken of hose routing to avoid abrasion and chafing; engine insulation should be better fit and hollowed where it presses on the engine; a digital temp gauge/alarm should be standard; digital oil pressure gauge/alarm would be nice. Other: The documentation that came with the boat could be vastly improved and made more relevant to the options you have purchased. Where to store a dinghy!  
Sailing characterisitcs Great! Tacks through 80 under most conditions ; responsive and stable even in heavy swell. I am more than happy with speed upwind and reaching; downwind is compromised by the angle of the spreaders and the small jib, but I would not trade the advantages of the rig/furling for another knot downwind and our whisker pole setup helps anyway.  
Motoring characterisitcs Other than the (now recognized and solvable) overheating problem, motoring has been just fine. The larger (29HP) engine is really a necessity for our west coast cruising and we are not disappointed. She turns on a dime and reversing through a double “S” into our slip has become easy – but we accept the spontaneous applause from the crowd on the dock anyway!  
Liveability Other reviewers have said this boat is fine for weekends or a week. Two of us have spent three weeks on her (on the hook and moored about equally) and have no complaints. Four for a weekend is fine and the odd single night with six has worked. We plan longish North West coast trips of six weeks for next summer without any concerns.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) I have been unable to get any response from Hunter by e-mail and this is my preferred (actually ONLY) method of dealing with issues nowadays. I have tried to get my dealer to communicate to Hunter that there are people like me with things to say to them, but without success. I even complained of this fact on the survey form they send by snail mail. Fortunately my dealership is superb and I get everything I need – including Hunters responses – via them.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Specialty Yachts in Vancouver have been exceptional. The service department is responsive and yet laid back enough to talk an issue through. Highly recommended.  
Other comments I bought the boat - our first cruising sailboat - for use mainly on the west coast of Vancouver Island for six to eight week trips mainly in summer and weekends when there is a fine day or two in the winter. We had it equipped for that task – heat, canvas, batteries etc. So far we are very pleased.  

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