Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 27 by Doghouse

Year built 2005  
Location of boat Hampton Roads VA  
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 2005  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes and no. If money was no option, I would opt for a little larger. That being said, I cannot beleive how wonderful this boat is. It is small enough that I had a great striper season, fished almost every weekend. Yet it is large enough to have the little niceities that keeps SWMBO happy. She has already decided we will upgrade eventualy, but I love having a shallow enough draft that when everyone else is stuck inside I cruise over the shoal and enjoy the day.  
Gear that's been added Heat & Air, Folding wheel. I am in the process of re-designing the port locker and radio pod into a Nav station with more usable storage.  
Structural or complex improvements Not yet, give me time.  
The boat's best features Great shoal draft! Comfortable design and very fuel efficient.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Pedistal and traveler are very close together. You could run into problems if you were not careful. The bow roller is too short. A claw anchor works fine, but a danforth will chip your hull. No good storage location for the fenders.  
Sailing characterisitcs She is very stable considering the wing keel. I have not had enough time to give a complete report, but she runs about 6-6.5K in a good breeze. You cannot get a weathered helm with this boat. The massive main leads to a lee helm most of the time unless you reef the main way in. (I may not be used to the rig yet.)  
Motoring characterisitcs Motors very true, but requires a lot of power reverse. I would not go with the outboard option.  
Liveability I have friends that lived aboard a 27 for 10 years. I am not that type of a person so...  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Not yet, buy I will if necessary.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The dealer is going a good job so far. Just like most dealers I have to keep on top of them.  
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