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Review of the Hunter 40 by Arthur Boas

Year built 1995  
Location of boat Toronto  
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?  
Owner bought the boat in 1995  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. This is a very well engineered yacht, and all of the systems are installed well. I have spent a fair bit of time working on boats in my past life, and have noticed a lot of thought in the servicability, as well as choice of components. I am pleased by the upwind performance, however the fractional rig makes downwind sluggish without a drifter, or chute.  
Gear that's been added I did not have any of the cruise pack stuff installed, and received a credit of about $38.00. In my humble opinion, this is what factory issue gear is worth, so I wasn't upset. I put in: Navico Speed, Wind, Depth,(highly recommend!!!), Cetrek 780 Pilot, Alpine CD c/w 6 pack, ADS 300 watt power amp, Boston Acoustic Speakers, (below), and good 200 watt waterproofs in the cockpit. The VHF is Simrad with a cockit repeater. The GPS is Micrologic. The Batteries we augmented by 2 more units, and the charger was ripped out, and replaced with a Heart Inverter, c/w Link 2000 Panel. Added a S/L electric windlass 2 sizes larger than factory issue, and an 18" 3 blade Max prop. Also added a new steering wheel approximately 4 inches larger diameter. I also put in a dripless stern tube. A must!!Other electronics are Propane detection with tank shutoff, Autohelm chartplotter.I had a main furling mast installed at Hunter, which is the only sane way to sail this boat. You don't lose much upwind, and it's unbeatable for safety  
Structural or complex improvements The autopilot installation was interesting, as it used a below decks motor system.I totally disassembled the steering system, and machined the rudder tube to close tolerance to free up the steering. It is now feather touch.  
The boat's best features Great engine install, but the exhaust smell, despite repeated service is awful. The electrical work is pretty good by most standards, and certainly better than about 90% of what I've seen.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The engine has smoked and smelled since day one. I'm thinking of relaocting the exhaust. The mast step leaks, but this is due to bad comissioning. When I pull the mast, this will be fixed by installation on an inverted funnell over the wires.  
Sailing characterisitcs Great upwind, sluggish downwind without a large head sail. This is due in part to my furling main, but life in general's a tradeoff.  
Motoring characterisitcs The Yanmar performs well. This boat would not be managable without the 3 blade feathering Maxprop.  
Liveability In a word, excellent. We have 2 small boys, and there's plenty of room for 3 week cruises.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) First class. Always return calls promptly, know about their product. They are not standard issue marine industry "could care less" types. They figured out that they can sell more boats by customer referral than by ads.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any The dealer was great until they went out of business. The subsequent dealer helped out whenever required, and Hunter picked up the slack. Can't complain too much.  
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