Hunter Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
Hunter OEM Parts
General Marine Parts
 
 

Review of the Hunter 36_80-82 by Rardi

Year built 1980  
Location of boat San Francisco Bay  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 16-22 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? Certainly would.  
Gear that's been added * Modified/improved the stock mainsheet system. * Small solar panel with charge controllers to keep the batteries topped when boat is not used without connection to shore power. Zincs last a long time! * Backstay "cincher" type tensioner. * Boomvang * Cunningham * Replaced the original aging toilet with an electric flush and MSD type porta-potti * Autopilot * GPS * Extra bilge pumps * Converted interior lights to LED. * Added a "forgot to open the cooling water seacock" alarm. * Other stuff done, but not consequential enough to mention.  
Structural or complex improvements * Boat is solid. Its a CHERUBINI Hunter. It's retained its structural integrity over the 30 years. I have found no evidence that PO's ever made major structural repairs. Exception is that the steering quadrant and rudder post had been changed out at some point. * I am expecting that my first major structural repair will be putting in a new mast compression post between the deck and the keel.  
The boat's best features * Cherubini design looks good ... classic style * Comfortable interior with 6'5" headroom and lots of cherry stained teak. Lots of cubby holes and cabinets and even a nice closet. * Sails fine even with my old sails * Solidly constructed.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Most everything works as designed without modification from the original design. The main inconvenience has been leaking of rain water or wave water into the cabin through the hull/deck joint (toe rail)and a few other places such as chain plates. Tightening the toe rail bolts eliminated the hull/deck source. Tracking down and caulking has eliminated the others. Also, if water does enter between the hull and the interior liner, there are a few spots were the water doesn't flow down into the bilge. Instead gets dammed up somewhere and then diverts on the cabin sole or underneath a seat cushion. I have found a couple of these and have corrected by drilling drain holes so the water will make its way to the bilge. As above a weak point is the mast compression post. Essentially, Hunter used a galvanized 3" standard plumbing pipe and it interfaces at the bilge with soft steel. If the bilge has standing water, these materials rust and break down. For now, I'm keeping my bilge totally dry.  
Sailing characterisitcs Very predictable in protected waters of SF Bay. As with most boats, weather helm develops in stronger winds. Dropping the traveler and/or inducing twist helps. Then reduce the sail plan by main or roller reefing. The boat performs nicely in 25-35 kts winds with a second reef on the main. The boat doesn't seem to really closehaul (point) into the wind as other boats of similar size. This probably is mainly due to my very tired (but still serviceable) sails. But also the relatively shallow 4'11" draft and shallow keel also play a role.  
Motoring characterisitcs The Yanmar 2QM20 engine does well in protected waters moving the boat at up to 7kts when the hull and prop are clean. The 22HP however, probably a bit slight for choppier conditions and into the wind. The 2-cylinder engine vibrates a lot. But at certain rpm's, the shaking settles down. By all accounts, the 2QM20 engine by all accounts is a solidly built workhorse. Mine is performing flawlessly with no smoke from the exhaust or any oil consumption between changes. My main concern is lack of certain spare parts (such as the exhaust manifold casting) since Yanmar is no longer supporting the engine.  
Liveability Mainly we do just day sails and the occasional over-night. However, for two folks the interior is very comfortable. Doesn't feel claustrophobic at all.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) I've had no contact with Hunter. Considering I've got a 31 year old boat, I wouldn't expect too much anyway.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any My brokerage firm is no longer in business. But the individuals that handled the transaction were professional and helpful. After the purchase I had the boat on the hard at the same facility as the broker's offices. Both of the people in the office gave me a tremendous amount of great advice on improvements/repair and cosmetic redo's.  
Other comments Although older, the construction is robust with solid fiberglass hulls. These Cherubini Hunters shouldn't be confused with the next series that Hunter manufactured starting in 1984. They are a totally different animal. From four years now on the Cherubini Hunter forum, I've only seen people who feel great about their boats.  

Contact
About
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Limited Liability
Advertise Here
Copyright 1997-2024 SB Owners, LLC
All rights reserved.

Other Sailboat Owners web sites:
CatalinaOwners.com | HunterOwners.com | MacgregorOwners.com | OdayOwners.com | SailboatOwners.com | 10,000 Boat Names |