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Review of the Hunter 41DS by Bill Chisholm

Year built 2005  
Location of boat Hamilton, Ontario  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
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, the boat is roomy well ergonomically designed and sails very well.  
Gear that's been added Radar, GPS, chartplotter, asymetrical spinnaker  
Structural or complex improvements  
The boat's best features light and airy interior with lots of room and creature comforts. Cockpit is very large and can accomodate several guests at a time. The boat sails very fast. We have made long sales with speeds averaging near 8 knots and have maintained speeds over 8 knots for hours while towing a large dingy.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Hatches are a very high profile and jib sheets can catch them easily. Shower discharge is so high that if you are using the shower while at dock and someone walks by they are going to get soaked. Some of the vaneer on the interior doors especially on the chart table are so thin that you eventually are going to get small chips.  
Sailing characterisitcs the boat is very manouverable around dock, put the high freeboard makes it a bear in cross winds, the bow will fall off very fast compared to the stern making me wish for a bow thruster. . I have found we sail this boat a lot more than previous boats since she goes very well in light air. Down wind you must definitely have to have a asymetrical chute for this boat to move. She points and tracks well and I almost alway have autohelm doing the work. Only in very difficult downwind conditions the autohelm will give up. Beam and broad reaching this boat flys and we have had many long sails in which we have averaged 8 kts. Our best speed (GPS)has been 9.3 kt burst, but have regularly sailed this boat pulling a 11' rib with 10hp motor and managed 8 plus knots of boat speed. She does however like to be sailed flat and you need to reef early, if allowed to heel too much the boat does not sail well and you will loose a lot of speed.  
Motoring characterisitcs The boat motors very quitely and comfortably at 7 kts with little noise and excellent fuel economy  
Liveability We installed the air and that is a blessing on rainy days in which you cannot open up all the hatches which are plentiful. The boat is great for two couples and we actually prefer the forward cabin for the master, especially since sailing with the kids. We can leave them to watch movies etc. and go to sleep while they stay up and have the ability to go into the cockpit and not disturb us. The fridge is a little on the small side, but overall storage is excellent and we have made several two week trips in which except for milk and bread have everything we need on board.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) We have never had to deal with Hunter directly, but I must say I would never have bought a Hunter 10 years ago, but the new designs and quality are so much better!!!  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Mostly negative!!! The sales staff and management were great people, knowledgeable and patient. They let us test sail several boats, never pushed when we were indecisive, but met us at the boat show in Toronto and when we saw the new 41DS the decision was made. Getting the boat commissioned we encountered delays and had to return the boat several times to get it right. After almost two years we still have problems that haven't been taken care of and you have to bug them like crazy to get anything done. The people who actually do the work are great though and in a pinch when we were going to leave on a sailing vacation, they did come by and fix the important things so we could enjoy our holiday.  
Other comments Great boat and great design. I'd like to see an improvement in the interior joinery, more solid wood so that you can get the longevity you would need for living aboard.  

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