Hunter Owner Reviews

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

Review of the Hunter 42 by Chris Oldham

Year built 1994  
Location of boat Cape Cod, MA  
The boat is sailed on Open ocean  
How the boat is used Blue water, extended passages  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1994  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Absolutely! This is a very well conceivedvessel - for the liveaboard,the spiritedsailor and the serious passagemaker. There'splenty of roon below, acres of stowage ifyou are creative, has a good sailplan andsails well - if you don't like going downwindthat is! This is the perfect boat fora liveaboard who wants to move his/herhome around a bit for a change of view!  
Gear that's been added Lots and Lots of stuff for extendedblue water cruising:-Watermaker,Northern Lights 6 kw generator,Raytheon GPS(2),Differential Beacon,Plotter,Radar, FurunoSSB, Weatherfax with Navtext,Sternpole/Nav Tower, Viking 6 person Liferaftin cannister,Storm Jib, Baby Stay, Assymetric Spinnaker,Furlex Behind the Mast Reefing/Furling,Lewmar Rope Clutche(2x4), 2 winch feeders,Cabin Fans (5),CO Laptop for Nav,CockpitTable,On deck Fuel Stowage,VHF1/2 switching,Raytheon 201 VHF2,VHF Intercom, Cable  
Structural or complex improvements Added bilge access for stowage in Salon,to port fwd and beneath table.Built stowage lockers to port in salonbehind settee.Created access to starboard lazarette fromaft cabin.Built adjustable book rack above cabinetaft and alongside Nav Table  
The boat's best features Incredible space below - all useable, practical, liveable space. Delightfulsailing characteristics and spiritedperformance.Excellent thru ventilation below.Reliable auxilliary and other systemcomponents.Acceptable seakindliness consideringD/L ratio.Ease of shorthanded operation.It's a breeze to back up under power!General aesthetics and appearance.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The Isomat Single Line Reefing System!Horrible! Poorly designed. We changed itout for a Furlex Behind the Mast Furling/Reefing system with Rodkicker Rigid Vang.Other than that the boat has been incredibly reliable.We needed to re-run the steering cablesup the pedestal - they jammed and snagged.  
Sailing characterisitcs We've had it all from placid Lazy BaySailing in San Diego Bay to 27' Seas and50 knot winds off Hatteras and Honduras.(75 Knots in Hurricane Edouard!)Maximum angle of heel was about 25 degreesand we never had a knock down thankgoodness. We've taken green water inthe cockpit and pounded through headseas for days. We've made 8 knots underbare poles, and seen the mainsail shred.The boat did great while we suffered a bit!We have over 8,000 miles in our 42 -6,500 miles of which were done in a six month period!  
Motoring characterisitcs 1200 hours in all under motor. The Yanmarloves to be opened up and hates beingthrottled back. It's a good power set up for the 42. We've never had anyproblem at all with the engine, but weservice it every 100 hrs - sometimesevery 50.Bats along well at about 2300 rpm and fliesat 2700.  
Liveability Excellent, but we've found you reallydo need lee clothes when under way - and they are difficult to configureon the 42. In the aft cabin we fitteda post to the foot of the bed, andstrung a lee cloth back to the rudderpost.The 2 best places to sleep in a seawayare on the galley floor, and wedgedon the port settee with the table partlylowered.We needed the extra cabinets we built,and were really glad we opened up thebilge for some additional space.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Fabulous. They have been with us all theway and have provided a level of servicethat is second to none - and perhapsunexpected from a large productionbuilder. They took care of a couple ofthings that were way out of warranty - a leak from the port side lexan windowpanels, and yellowing of the anti-skid,at no charge and with a smile - 3,000miles from my selling dealer!  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any It was good. H  
Other comments  

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 |