Hunter Owner Reviews

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

Review of the Hunter 35.5 by Art

Year built 1994  
Location of boat Lake Superior  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 1994  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? no  
Gear that's been added Dodger, Autohelm, Link 2000, Larger alternator, Battery isolator, House batteries seperate from starting battery, Loran, Three blade prop, Refrigeration system. Nicro solar vents.  
Structural or complex improvements In aft state room I cut out the rear bulkhead on the port and starboard side to gain access to the lower part of the lockers. I put latches on the wood that was cut out and replaced them into the openings. I also had a drain plug put in the bottom of the oil pan to drain the oil from the engine. All new interior cushions with new upholstery.  
The boat's best features Ease of sail, very fast boat, A lot of usable space for this size boat.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Upon delivery the deck was cracked around the anchor locker, Water poured in around the mast and down the port and starboard interior walls. The aft state room was soaking wet. In general the hole boat was wet inside when it rained. this problem started the very first night I had the boat. After one summer of complaining and several calls to the dealer and also Hunter Marine, Hunter decided to pull the top of the boat off and reseal the area around the toe rail. As a rusult of the leaking water the port interior wood wall buckled about three months after the top was resealed. The roller furling was not properly attached at the bow. It was only found because the mast had to be removed to repair the leaking problem. It was just luck that the mast did not come down on top of someone do to the worn parts that connect the roller furling to the pin. Well leaving the marine the cable for the steering came out of the pullys. The pullys where not alined properly which caused the edge of the pullys to wear down. This allowed the cable to slip over the edge of the pully. Ever motor around a marina with no steering. Not much fun to say the least. These are just some of the many problems I have had in the first year of owning a new boat. I could go on and on but I think anyone reading this will get the idea. I have had to spend several hundred dollars of my own money over and above normal costs to put this boat into what I call good working order.  
Sailing characterisitcs 20 knot winds with only a jib I was able to maintain a speed of 8 to 10 knots. I found the boat has excellent handling characterictics.  
Motoring characterisitcs Excellent backing, Better control with a three bladed prop.  
Liveability Very good for two persons, good for two weeks with four people  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) so so  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Ounce the sale was made trying to get help from the dealer was like trying to pull teeth from a mad elephant. When the dealer did show up and he tried to fix something it was worse than if he had left it alone. I talked to other boat owners who purchased boats from the same dealer. They replied that they had the same problems. When Hunter Marine was contacted about the dealer they really did not care about the service he provided. They where only interested in how many boats he sold. I was told that was the bottom line.  
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 |