Hunter Owner Reviews

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Review of the Hunter 45CC by Howard Hirschmann-Trustee and Budget Director of T

Year built 2006  
Location of boat Port Washington, NY  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Multi-week coastal cruising  
Normal wind strength less than 10 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in Sail  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. I took delivery about a month ago and have spent nearly 3 weeks on the boat. It is extremely comfortable with plenty of storage space. It has sufficient fuel, water and waste capacity.  
Gear that's been added The Mariners Package;15" falt screen TV in Aft Cabin;Cockpit & Stern Rail Cushions;AC;Genset;bow thrusters;ST90 w/pilot & wireless remote;E Series 120 and 80 with GPS;Dynaplate;fans in each cabin;spare halyard;spare propane tank;upgraded fabric;tri-lite on mast head;burgee lines port and starboard;spare Fortress anchor and 300'chain/rode;Max2 spare Raycor filter w/switch; preventer;Seagul water filter;raw water deck washdown;hailer and hailer horn;radar reflector;davits;Full cockpit enclosure;Caribe rigid bottom 10' dinghy with 15HP 2 cycle engine.  
Structural or complex improvements Only what was described above. The bow thrusters and davits are the primary ones.  
The boat's best features The interior design is the best we have seen giving us more comfort and more storage;the glass enclosed showers forard and aft;the MicroBrew;the front load freezer/refrigerator with extra top load convertible unit;access to all sea cocks;the AGM Batteries;the in mast furling;the arch over the cockpit with traveler on top.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The cockpit should be about 12" longer so that the cockpit table can open in the length instead of the width;the circuit panels should be more accessable;the water tanks should be about 50 gallons more capacity; The fuel tank should be closer to 100 gallons; the aft holding tank should not be under the galley;the toe rail should be about 2' wider at the gates and 4-6" lower so that it can be used as a step up; the aft head should have a couple of towel bars and/or hooks; oscillating fans in each cabin should be standard; a water purifier filter should be standardthe instructions for use of each piece of eqipment should be clearer; the maintenance instructions for each piece of equipment should be a manual of maintenance and more extensive; the toilets should have an optional manual control;a TV cable line should be standard for hook up at docks. The sheets provided for the V Berth do not fit properly and almost impossible to put on unless you are an acrobat.  
Sailing characterisitcs The boat is very comfortable to sail. The main sail works very well in both letting it out and taking it in. The boat does not do so well sailing down wind because of the swept back spreaders. It also makes sailing wing on wing very tricky.The Bimini should have a second window so that you can see the main luff and the traveler form the cockpit.  
Motoring characterisitcs The Yanmar 75 is quiet and works well when you have an 18" prop. Can the boat handle a 20" prop and will that improve the speed?  
Liveability The memory Foam mattresses are terrific. Storage space is plentiful. Closet space on the starboard side forward and aft is difficult to use. The space is slightly too small in each. The galley is very well designed. The settee around the table should be a more complete "U". It is a few inches short making the aft side of the table difficult to use. Thebench seat is a great idea, however when filled with bottles, it is difficult to move. A better slide would work. A place to store the removable center panel of the table would be advisable.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Not enough time yeat. The parts department was very responsive. I have a problem that I tried to resolve through the sales department and that has not been resolved yet to my satisfaction.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The boat was purchased through Sailing Specialties. These are very good dealers. I have found them to be very reposive and easy to deal. They ran a Hunter Rendezvous that we joined and learned a great deal. It was handled very professionally. The only negative comment is the length of time it took to deliver my boat. I placed a deposit on a show boat that was in the water in late December. I put an additional deposit of over 50% in early February and paid the balance at the beginning of March. I took delivery on June 23rd.  
Other comments So far overall my experience has been excellent. Based on what I hear, I expect that to continue.