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Review of the Hunter 33.5 by J. C. Dorman

Year built 1989  
Location of boat Clear Lake Shores, TX  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1989  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes/No. I would be willing to buy again if I could be assured of better quality at delivery and of good service from the dealer and manufacturer. On this boat I was disappointed.  
Gear that's been added 1) A comfortable helm seat. 2) A pressure regulated dock water hook up.3) An auxilliary 110 volt electrical circuit.4) Extra 110 volt electrical outlets.5) Flourescent 110 volt lighting.6) Heat and air conditioning (110 volt).7) Gimballed oil lamps.8) 12 volt DC fans.9) GPS (2 ea).10) AM/FM/Tape Player.11) Teak video tape storage racks.12) Teak grab bars in the head and vee-berth.  
Structural or complex improvements Replaced unsatisfactory gel coat with epoxy below the water line. Also replaced the plastic stuffing box with a good bronze stuffing box and replaced the stern tube which was found to have a casting defect.  
The boat's best features 1) Inside head room.2) Extremely meneuverable (will almost turn on its own axis).3) Handles very well in light air.4) Easy to single hand if necessary.5) Good liveaboard boat.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. 1) The PLASTIC stuffing box was completely unsatisfactory.2) The stern tube had to be replaced due to a casting defect.3) The welded aluminum water tank failed twice before being replaced with a bladder tank (cracked welds).4) The helm seat was a torture to sit on and a comfortable seat had to be installed.5) No fuel gauge.6) Cabinets in the salon and the nav station sagged and had to have support legs installed to hold them up.7) The vee-berth sagged in the middle and had to be completely rebuilt.8) DC wiring problems with bilge pump and interior lights.9) The 16 HP engine is underpowered.10) Poor access to engine for maintenance or even to check the oil.11) Battery box hold-down clips broke (plastic).12) PVC pipe nipples screwed into the hot water heater cracked.13) Overhead skylight in salon leaked.14) Wooden brackets for storage covers under the setee broke loose.15) Hold down screws for steering pedestal pulled out of the fiberglass deck.16) The spigot on the galley sink faucet had to be replaced because it was over the back edge of the sink and would flood the cabinet when used.17) The shower hose was too  
Sailing characterisitcs The boat sails quite well except for having too much weather helm and being over powered in strong winds. The bulb wing keel makes the boat very stable while under way.  
Motoring characterisitcs The boat motors well except for being underpowered by the 16 HP Yanmar. The engine itself has given no problems in over nine years.  
Liveability The boat has been comfortable as a liveaboard except for not having enough hanging locker space.I have high praises for the Origo stove in the galley.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) After three years on the boat, hull blisters necessitated contacting the manufacturer who refered me back to the dealer. The dealer who sold me the boat had gone into chapter 7 and the new franchise dealer refused to discuss the hull blister warranty and refered me back to the manufacturer. After numerous phone calls I got no satisfaction. I was told by the manufacturer that the person who handled hull blister warranties was out with a back injury and would be out for some time. Unfortunately, the boat was already hauled for a bottom job when the blisters were discovered and there was no time to wait several weeks for someone return from sick leave.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The dealer who sold me the boat (Lone Star Yacht Sales) performed very poorly in commissioining the boat and I ended up re-doing most of their work myself.  
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