Hunter Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Hunter OEM Parts
General Marine Parts
 
 

Review of the Hunter 30_74-83 by Patrick Coakley

Year built 1983  
Location of boat Ruskin, FL  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1996  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes I would. I bought it in fairly poor condition cosmetically and have had some mechanical problems such as transmission, fuel pump, water pump. I have slowly been  
Gear that's been added I added a new radio antenna. I have a long wish list. I need to reupholster, put new ports in, roller furling, sails, auto pilot, stove, etc etc etc etc.  
Structural or complex improvements I derusted and repainted the base of the mast post located in the bilge where it was highly rusted. Added backing plates on several of the thru hull bolted items.  
The boat's best features It's a good sailing boat for a shoal draft and fairly fast. It seems to handle 15-20 knot winds comfortably and has a decent amount of liveaboard room for extended weekends. It has a comfortable v berth for a couple.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The origo alcohol stove is a pain and should be changed to a propane stove. The galley is poorly laid out and doesn't provide very good storage. It needs to be converted to some form of L shaped galley. Ports are leaking and breaking but that's to be expected for this age boat.  
Sailing characterisitcs It seems to be a good sailing boat judging by its performance compared to other boats I've owned and have sailed with and against on Tampa Bay. Backing is somewhat unpredictable.  
Motoring characterisitcs Engine room is soundproofed and noise is fairly comfortable. I have the 2GM13 engine which pushes the boat with a clean bottom comfortably at approximately 6 miles an hour. Backing as mentioned above is sometimes fairly difficult or somewhat unpredictable.  
Liveability Comfortable for an extended weekend or day sailing. Again, galley and storage is not well laid out.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Hunter was somewhat reluctant to claim this boat as it was produced prior to their ownership and they stated that there was not very good quality control during these production years. They also stated that they had no paperwork on the boats - that recordkeeping had been very poor and they weren't able to provide exact measurements and statistics regarding the boat.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any na  
Other comments