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Review of the Hunter 45 by James R. Machin

Year built 1988  
Location of boat St Clair Shores, MI.  
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 2006  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, at this time in our life I would definitely buy this boat again. Unfortunately for us, my wife and I still have to work full time on the weekdays. But this boat provides us with the best boating solution and $$ value right now since our present 'sailing world' is confined to sailing the Great Lakes here in Michigan and/or just getting away from it all on the weekends on this wonderful "Dock-side Condo" we call our boat.  
Gear that's been added We've replaced all the existing electronics, GPS, stereo and VHF radio equipment with all new updated 2006 components. Inside we have replaced both heads and removed the overboard waste hand pumps. In the salon we've replaced all the settee seats & cushions, as well as having custom mattresses made for both cabin berths. We ordered and mounted a clear plastic sink splash guard in the Galley after seeing it on a brand new 2007 Hunter 49'. It fits perfectly on our boat, adds a touch of class and protects the new seats and cushions from accidental spills and splashes from the Galley area.  
Structural or complex improvements The most significant improvement we've made was to increase the size and capacity of the House Batteries by increasing them from the original 180 Amp hours to 360 Amp hours. This was done by cutting and adding space (using fiberglass resin & cloth) to the original battery box. It's a tight fit, but the benefits are worth it.  
The boat's best features In my experience the best feature of this boat is its LWL: 39' 7". It translates into a higher hull speed. However, at 25,000 lbs (empty) in light air, it seems like anyone holding up a 'hanky' on their smaller boats will sail right past us. Right now we only have the standard Main & Jib sails that came with the boat. Secondly, the 5Kw AC Generator is a great feature. My wife and I prefer to drop anchor and 'live on the hook' 80% of the time when we are out cruising the Great Lakes for more than a day. Being able to charge the House Batteries, run the Microwave, power my Wife's hair 'blow-dryer' AND,…make my Coffee in the morning!, are just a few of the luxuries we could only dreamed about on our old 26' Ranger. Finally, having all that 'living & storage' space is great. My daughter use to say that our old boat made her Closter-phobic, not any more.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Three (3) of the six (6) fixed windows running along the main cabin (there's three on each side) all leaked when we bought the boat. Since this boat is going on 20 years old, it's to be expected. Two of the 'opening' six portals also leak. Old seals, plus the way they are designed traps water in a pool at the bottom of the portal frame. So, whether they leak or not, you'll let water in below if you open it while water is pooled in the frame. The layout of the anchor, anchor locker and head sail furler on the bow is a real pain. Hauling the anchor in or out is a major operation because the shank of the anchor has to slide under the furling drum. I just lost the 'black & blue' fingernail off my right pinky after having to deal with this anchor problem in a Storm (Gale-force winds @ +45Kts) two months ago. Ultimately, I expect that I'll have to replace the single line furler with something that provides me more room to emplace a more reasonable anchor configuration. We had to replace the rudder which had extensive de-lamination around the bottom half. I suspect the cause was that water must have gotten into the interior of it and then frozen over during the cold winters we have up here in Michigan. The capacity of the original House Batteries are inadequate for a boat of this size. Which is why we doubled the capacity on our boat. The refrigerator isn't much better than a large portable beer cooler. At it's best (w/aux fan running inside) it only cools down to ~42 F degrees. The problem is the volume of the refrigerator is too large for the single cold plate to handle the load effectively. Thus, my wife & I usually throw 2-3 7lbs bags of ice in it when we go on extended trips, rather than run it continuously on the 12V house circuit. Another project for our attention in the future. The cockpit area of the this boat is rather restrictive considering its overall size. It's difficult to move around the wheel and helm at anytime. And you have to climb over the seats if you set-up and use the removable cockpit table.  
Sailing characterisitcs In 10-20 knot winds, on a close reach, nothing beats this boat, it's really fast and exhilarating! But,...when working beyond a beam reach, you'll need a larger Jib or Spinnaker, if you want to keep up the pace as you head down wind. There's some weather helm, although I've managed to balance some of it out via sail trim, when on extensive cruising using the 'Autopilot'. I thought the boat was very stiff (B&R rigging) and was impressed by the way the boat charged through the waves. However, plunging through some of the bigger waves out on Lake Huron we've experienced some pounding and have identified that the forward 120AC outlet (in the anchor locker on the bow), will flood the bow compartment below when actually plunging through the waves themselves (i.e. submerging the bow). A little silicon caulking should fix that problem. In lighter air, 5-9 knots, performance is adequate, but once again sailing on anything over a beam reach will have you out pushing. The swept back spreaders just don't give you enough room to let the boom swing out much more than 45 degrees.  
Motoring characterisitcs My boat still has the factory 18" two blade fixed prop. Some day I'll replace it with a feathering three blade, but for now I have no major complaints with the existing prop and the motoring characteristics. The boat will turn 180 degrees about in not much more then a boat length or so. Which is great for maneuvering in close quarters. Yes, it pulls to the right when motoring. But it will still move the boat through the water at ~7.5 knots (@ 2300 rpm) without much problem. Backing up is straight and easy. Stopping the boat in case of a problem or emergency is a piece of cake. My only complaint is that the placement of the transmission shift lever is very awkward and a potential safety hazard if you need to operate it quickly. Operating it forces you to reach through the spokes of the wheel, near the hub in order to push it down (forward) or lift it up (reverse) in a motion that is perpendicular to the long axis of the boat and difficult to accomplish if have to steer while you are doing it too.  
Liveability The boat's livability is wonderful. The interior is bright and airy and easily accommodates a crowd of 6-8 people in the salon area. My wife and I usually spend the weekend onboard regardless of whether we actually pull away from the dock. The rear berth is a bit cramped head room wise for most people. But, I actually like it because it reminds me of the 10 years I spent riding inside a Tank when I was serving in the U.S. Army. Storage wise, you can't beat the amount of room you have available. Even with four people on board, there's plenty of room to pigeon hole just about everything you might want to bring along including, food, clothes, spare parts, books, bags and creature comforts. I do wish that they would have designed a 'sub-well' in the main bilge that was lower than the rest of the bilge so, that the bilge pump could sit in it in order to drain 'ALL the water out' of it. The two (2) shower sumps, the aux motor and the refrigerator all drain into it. So manually pumping & sponging out the last 1/2 inch of water after anyone has taken a shower, is never going to be my favorite chore.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) N/A  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any We bought our boat 'Used' via the "Anchor Bay Yacht Sales" folks here in Harrison Twp., MI. They've been exceptional in providing great customer service, as well as, just plain taking care of us in spite of the fact that we bought a Used Boat.  
Other comments This '88 Hunter 45 has its share of strengths and weaknessess, But overall, my wife and I both love this boat and look forward to sailing it for many years to come.  

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