Hunter Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Hunter OEM Parts
General Marine Parts
 
 

Review of the Hunter 31_83-87 by Ross

Year built 1985  
Location of boat Anacortes, Washington  
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?  
Owner bought the boat in 1998  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, I think we would buy this Hunter 31 again. It was in quite good shape and the size is right for us. And, very importantly, the price was right. There are alway better, faster boats but it appears that that they cost considerably more.  
Gear that's been added We have auto steering which turns out to be very useful. But mostly it is stock.  
Structural or complex improvements None  
The boat's best features It is very roomy for its length. And for a somewhat tubby boat it sails rather well.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. There have been some problems in getting bilges to drain properly but minor surgery seems to have fixed that. I wish the main winches were a bit bigger (or perhaps it is that I am getting older). For our purposes (relatively long range cruising) we would prefer greater water capacity. The tanks are small we carry a number of extra water containers. We did have to replace the head because parts were no longer available but it was not particularly expensive.  
Sailing characterisitcs We mostly sail in light winds here in the northwest but we have been over 30 knots and under double reefs the boat did fine.  
Motoring characterisitcs With the very light conditions we motor a lot. The little Yanmar does amazingly well on about a half a gallon an hour. We generally run between 5.5 and 6 knots which seems very reasonable.  
Liveability It is very livable for two of us. We got out for several weeks at a time and do very well. We have cruised with another couple and then it begins to get crowded.The bunks are comfortable and the galley works fine even though I would prefer a propane stove to the alcohol model we have.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) No exerience  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any We bought it from a broker and it all went very easily.  
Other comments