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Review of the Hunter 430 by Claudio

Year built 1995  
Location of boat sold  
The boat is sailed on Open ocean  
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 1995  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? The boat was right. My circumstances were another matter. The 430 was a pleasure to sail, Well behaved, fast and felt safe even in very rough waters.  
Gear that's been added If I had kept it longer I would have loaded it up with autopilot, navigation equipment, etc.  
Structural or complex improvements No.  
The boat's best features Balance, speed, predictability or responsiveness. I have seen many more expensive boats. I believe the Hunter interior design team is one of the best. They tend to use space exceptionally well. The boats look good, feel good and are very practical in their use of interior space. As a matter of fact, that was one of the reasons we bought a Hunter. Other builders do not have the gift of distributing space proportionally and still be aesthetically pleasant. It is very important that functional beauty be incorporated into a design. The arch for example not only looks good but clears the cockpit and acts as a barrier between your family and a falling boom (God forbid!).  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Some of the parts are a bit plasticky and tend to break easy. Although not expensive to repair or change they give the impression that if you are leaving port for a while you better take a few new items with you to replace. The mainsail on my Hunter 430 showed small ruptures were the Dutchman monofilaments run through. Although not a safety issue at the time I thought that it was a bit premature for a mainsail to have any ruptures.  
Sailing characterisitcs We sail around the Channel Islands of the coast of California. This area is considered the training grounds for offshore passages because it incorporates many changes quickly and it can get very rough. We were out for a week cruise during the El Nino weather. I was determined not to let El Nino ruin my time off... so we got hammered. Nevermind. We had a great time. The boat was wonderful. We encountered occasional 40 mph wind gusts and 10 ft waves at times. I had four kids aboard and one other adult. I was more afraid than the kids were.  
Motoring characterisitcs The Volvo Penta was fine. I do not like noise. I would like Hunter to work on reducing noise levels from the engine in the near future. In terms of docking or moving through the waves the boat performs predictably ans esily. No complains here.  
Liveability I like the open design of the 430. I compared to other models and center cockpit arrangements and I found them to packed with little compartments and rooms of every kind. My next boat will certainly have an open, very few walls design to it.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Exceptional in every respect. Dan Stewart came all the way from Florida to fix a small chip on my Corian counter that nobody here could figure out how to fix. Certainly, it is cheaper I believe and gives a better impression if the builder sends someone who knows what to do than to pay stragers large amounts of money for doubtful performance. In addition, to changing the counter top Dan incorporated a minor design improvement into the repair that will benefir other owners no doubt.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any I frankly prefer to deal with no dealer. My experience was a mix bag. I realize they do the best they can in a difficult business. Still I would prefer to buy without a dealer around. That is one of the reasons that my plans for the future do not include a dealer.  
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