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Review of the Hunter 450 by Shawn Severn

Year built 1997  
Location of boat Seattle  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Blue water, extended passages  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard?  
Owner bought the boat in 1997  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes! The following is an update to our previous review of the boat. We have sailed just about every weekend since getting the boat and have been out in a wide variety of winds conditions in Puget Sound. Bottom-line --- This is a fast quite boat that likes to be sailed. With the proper sails up the boat is quick and responsive. My wife and I live on board so interior comfort and storage space is a major consideration. We continue to be very impressed with the accomodations. We have found that couples find the front bed a little cozy and if the table has to be used as a bed, storing the extra cushions can be a bit of a problem. The only down side is the fridge/freezer. It has been a problem from day one. It has been fixed but we remain very unhappy about the amount of condensation, frequency with which the fridge needs to run and the inability to operate the fridge under anything but calm conditions, preferably at the dock or at anchor continues to be a problem.  
Gear that's been added See previous review for intial additions. We are in the process of adding a balanced water system heater. We will also be adding a radar unit which will go on a pole at the back. We are also planning to add a dodger this fall.  
Structural or complex improvements No  
The boat's best features Sailing ability, quiet motoring and live-aboard space.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Fridge/freezer, we continue to be very disappointed in Marine Air's in ability to solve these problems. The workmanship of the fix on our boat was of poor quality and a discredit to Hunter. We also continue to have problems with our electrical system. There is a problem with the Inverter and the way it is charging the batteries at the dock (never brings them to a full charge). The problem seems to disappear when the generator is used to charge the batteries. It also took a long time for Hunter to deliver parts that we have been waiting for, e.g., spiniker blocks, pump for fridge, hydraulic arm to hold open the freezer door.  
Sailing characterisitcs As mentioned this boat is a delight to sail. The boat sails on the wind extremely well even in light winds. It also powers up on all wind angles except in a very broad reach which a spiniker should improve. The boat can be over powered when the wind starts to get in the 17 to 20 knot range but a reef in the main will settle the boat right down. In general the boat is extremely easy to sail and can be sailed single handed with little difficulty even by the less brawny members of the crew.  
Motoring characterisitcs We have the 78 hp Volvo. The engine pushes the boat quite effortlessly. Although 8.5 knots can be achieved at 3400 rpm, we tend to motor at speeds around 2800 to 3200 rpm and move along at 6.5 to 7.5 knots. On deck the engine noise is minimal although we have found the back cabin can be a bit loud when motoring at higher rpm.  
Liveability Being live-aboards, we had pretty high expectations. The P450 more than meets these expectations. We need to add some selves and do some cabinet construction to deal with the lack of a good pot holder space, open up some inaccessible locker space but these are failry minor and to a large extent based on my wife's and my preferences.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Hunter has been generally good to deal with but I have found it very helpful to go armed with a lot of information before I deal with them. The shipment of parts has been slow but, with the exception of the fridge have been very satisfied with the Hunter willinginess to handle warranty items.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any It has also been generally good. The boat is going in for its 6 month check up next week. Marine Servicenter has been good at identifying the problems and fixing them. The quality of their work has been generally good especially when they have some schedule flexibility. They have also been quite willing to come to my marina to perform the minor work.  
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