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Review of the Hunter 25.5 by gary mcrae

Year built 1986  
Location of boat yacht basin marina-helena.mt  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 23-30 knots  
Average size of crew solo  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2007  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? absolutely, great boat as a second boat since my sailing started 4 yrs ago. had an entry level rl 24 australian boat to start.  
Gear that's been added new ipa ironwood sole to replace plywood sol as original equipment. sole was mushy from diesel spill and extended use. the ipa resembles teak,was built in off season and is very stout. hard to work with wood as it is very hard and brittle. use marine varnish as oil will not penetrate the wood. i learned by oiling mine, replacing ot and several days later the oil was still sitting on top. deck wash and 3 coats varnish made it shine,many more hours of work though.  
Structural or complex improvements none necessary in my opinion. my boat was on pearl harbor in 1989,and had the original sea level prop. it would not run at 7000 feet,where i first tried to sail .it loads up under use and you have to over rev in neutral to clean out diesel. i switched to a prop for this elevation and have had no trouble. it will not get up past 2 or 3 knots so i may have gone to far the other way.  
The boat's best features stability,roomy in all areas, safe boat in all areas. needs to be rigged so all controls can be reached from cockpit. only trouble i have had is boat has alot of freeboard and as a solo you really risk disaster if you leave the cockpit to reef the main. the wind will catch this tall wide boat and sail it away if you leave the tiller. i will rig reef system and accessories so i can stay in cockpit with tiller under control and be able to reef main from there.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. nothing, all is well. the factory bilge was non functional so i replaced it with a small electric wired into elec. panel with a breaker start. works great if any water gets in.  
Sailing characterisitcs very stable in gusty winds as we have here. enjoy the roller furling . have not had experience crew on board so have not experienced the speed other reviews speak about. in my opinion this boat was built for comfort,safety,and stability. not into racing yet, maybe this year. am enjoying the quiet so far.  
Motoring characterisitcs once properly driven with high altitude prop, yanmar is unbeatable. it uses 5 gallons of fuel a season.  
Liveability like camping in an rv. fun for a while but am older and do not stay on her more than 2 days. probably could but have not much yet.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) i went through a CLUB NAUTIQUE school in the bay area and was impressed with the dealership at the marina. as the CN flagship for all activities i got to see alot of their boats.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any found the boat in another marina in january. since the owner and broker were both in mexico for the winter, i did all i could to get the boat bought before the owner woke up and priced it where it should have been.  
Other comments am looking for a 88 to 90 30 foot or slightly longer as another boat. the big lake is 3 hours away and i want a larger boat for that lake. will keep my 25.5 close to home for mid week therapy,only 45 minutes from home.  

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