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Old 12-12-2014, 18:02   #91
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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FWIW:

For those who are comparing this proposed voyage with doing the Baja bash...

Have you noticed that it is on the order of 2100 miles from the exit of the canal to the tip of Baja? It makes the bash look like a walk in the park.

Jim
Good point!

My chart show 3285 miles from Panama to San Francisco, and that is relatively close to the coast and Baja, probably a motoring route.

Going from Panama to to Honolulu shows 4686 miles.

Going from Honolulu to San Francisco shows 2081 if you motor, or if you go up above the typical pacific high, make it about 2500 miles.
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Old 12-12-2014, 21:23   #92
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

Though the music might make you want to push a needle into your eye, here's a vid of the bash:

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Old 12-12-2014, 22:11   #93
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Though the music might make you want to push a needle into your eye, here's a vid of the bash:

LOL! And your kinda BW boat too.
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Old 13-12-2014, 04:44   #94
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

LOL. I didn't realize Hunter offered the ketch rig option on the 356. Makes the boat look much more.... Substantial.
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Old 13-12-2014, 05:50   #95
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Originally Posted by Steady Hand View Post
Good point!

My chart show 3285 miles from Panama to San Francisco, and that is relatively close to the coast and Baja, probably a motoring route.

Going from Panama to to Honolulu shows 4686 miles.

Going from Honolulu to San Francisco shows 2081 if you motor, or if you go up above the typical pacific high, make it about 2500 miles.
Well, not really and this time I had looked at Cornell's work regarding winds on that area and on the first part of the Journey from Panama the winds are less strong and mostly favorable. It depends on the zone but in Pacifc coast Central America the winds are favorable, in June, May and April also. On the Mexican coast it is better in June (Cyclones apart) worse on May and even worse on April. They are a lot worse on the Baja then on the half of the Mexican coast below that zone.


In April is really bad on the Baja with 86% of winds against averaging F4. On the Mexican coast South of it not that bad (about 50%) with an Average winds of F3, 3 days without wind on a month and some considerable percentage of favorable winds. South of Mexico the winds are favorable.


On the Mexican Baja coast in May those against winds are 84% and average F4, with two days without wind. On the Mexican coast to the South it is not different than on April and to the South of Mexico the winds are favorable.

In June (Hurricanes apart)it is better on the Baja with 82% of winds against averaging F3 and two days in a month without wind. On the Mexican coast South it is a bit better than on May with less than 50% winds against averaging F3, 2 days without wind on a month and some considerable percentage of favorable winds. South of Mexico the winds are even more favorable.

For what I understand Hurricanes pass South of the Mexican Baja area so if the Op makes arrives there at the end of May, it will be the best choice.

As most have said the Mexican Baja it will be the worse part but over that to S Francisco it would not be easy too. The winds in June are 86% against averaging (on those days) F4/F5, one day without wind on the month and the rest with F2 favorable winds. On July it will be 74% F4 against, 1 day without wind and the rest F2/f4 favorable winds. On August it will be 88% F4 against with one day without wind and the rest favorable winds F2 to F4.

On a small boat It will require going easy and with plenty time, waiting on the last part of the voyage, on anchorages or harbors, for favorable winds or less strong winds to be able to sail against or motor. The fact that the Hunter will be able to sail with little wind is a plus since the wind on the Central America it will be mostly weak as well as the days with favorable win on the last part of the voyage.

I hope it helps
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Old 13-12-2014, 06:29   #96
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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LOL! And your kinda BW boat too.
No freakin' way.

But I certainly didn't see anything whatsoever in that video that would make me at all nervous about taking my Hunter (or any other production boat) on the trip in that video.

If you did, that might be the difference in this debate.
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Old 13-12-2014, 08:20   #97
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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No freakin' way.

But I certainly didn't see anything whatsoever in that video that would make me at all nervous about taking my Hunter (or any other production boat) on the trip in that video.

If you did, that might be the difference in this debate.
No, no. Just yankin' your chain a bit. Was only thinking that, like the soundtrack, that Formosa would be about as personally unappealing to you as it gets!

Not having done it, I'm not in a position to speculate based on a short video or anything else. But I would suspect Kenomac -- as a former Hunter owner -- might have it about right that a trip like this in a lightweight production boat might make one more uncomfortable than potentially nervous. Then again, it all depends on the conditions.
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Old 13-12-2014, 09:16   #98
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

I think this is why it's called the Baja Bash-

Motoring at 3 1/2 to 4 knots on this big cat. Not sure how the OP will do with his 27 HP?



Faster now, but doesn't look like my kind of cruising. I'm afraid my wife would jump ship after a few days of this. Actually, getting down to the islands from Florida isn't much better, but at least you can do short hops with places to anchor at night.



Ralph
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Old 13-12-2014, 09:30   #99
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

do what you want, just remember: if it ain't fun, it ain't fun
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Old 13-12-2014, 19:11   #100
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

Ship it, and use the $$ left over to squander your health on some forgettable island...Thats fun
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Old 14-12-2014, 15:20   #101
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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But I would suspect Kenomac -- as a former Hunter owner -- might have it about right that a trip like this in a lightweight production boat might make one more uncomfortable than potentially nervous. Then again, it all depends on the conditions.
Actually, it probably depends much more on the sailor.
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Old 16-12-2014, 05:32   #102
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Actually, it probably depends much more on the sailor.
Our Hunter used to sound like it was falling apart even while it was sitting at anchor rocking in the waves, the bulkheads make loud banging and popping noises, cushions and all kinds of stuff being flung from one side of the boat to the other. High freeboard meant the boat would rock with increased intensity and amount just while sitting there on the hook. Our friend's Hunter 450 did the same.... he sold his last year too, due to lack of confidence in the boat following eight years of ownership (his made the same noises and had the same quality issues).

How is the damn thing falling apart while at anchor "dependent on the sailor?" Compared to other heavier displacement boats AND the lower freeboard wider Beneteau type designs, the Hunters just aren't as comfortable, even while at anchor. I lived on our Hunter continuously for over a year and now the Oyster for three seasons, and as I understand, you've never done the same. How does this make you an experienced expert on the subject?


I suggest the OP take his boat out and sit at anchor on some rocky days and see how he likes it. If he's comfortable with the rocky motion and finds it suitable for preparing meals and keeping them inside his stomach, then..... fine. But he needs to find these things out for himself in his boat because..... there's going to be many nights aboard in unfavorable conditions, and I don't mean stormy. Just sitting at anchor can be quite miserable when parallel to the swell.


Actually, the more I think about it, if I was the OP, I'd seriously begin looking at catamarans if the budget allows. Much more comfortable if one is planning on living on the hook 365 days per year.
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Old 16-12-2014, 07:58   #103
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Our Hunter used to sound like it was falling apart even while it was sitting at anchor rocking in the waves, the bulkheads make loud banging and popping noises, cushions and all kinds of stuff being flung from one side of the boat to the other. High freeboard meant the boat would rock with increased intensity and amount just while sitting there on the hook. Our friend's Hunter 450 did the same.... he sold his last year too, due to lack of confidence in the boat following eight years of ownership (his made the same noises and had the same quality issues).

How is the damn thing falling apart while at anchor "dependent on the sailor?" Compared to other heavier displacement boats AND the lower freeboard wider Beneteau type designs, the Hunters just aren't as comfortable, even while at anchor. I lived on our Hunter continuously for over a year and now the Oyster for three seasons, and as I understand, you've never done the same. How does this make you an experienced expert on the subject?


I suggest the OP take his boat out and sit at anchor on some rocky days and see how he likes it. If he's comfortable with the rocky motion and finds it suitable for preparing meals and keeping them inside his stomach, then..... fine. But he needs to find these things out for himself in his boat because..... there's going to be many nights aboard in unfavorable conditions, and I don't mean stormy. Just sitting at anchor can be quite miserable when parallel to the swell.


Actually, the more I think about it, if I was the OP, I'd seriously begin looking at catamarans if the budget allows. Much more comfortable if one is planning on living on the hook 365 days per year.
I don't recall claiming to be "an expert on the subject". It seems you're the one energetically trying to establish that.

That said, I've sailed for a few years now, including off-shore races and deliveries, and on many different kinds of boats, heavy and light, with varying freeboard. I've owned and sailed a Hunter 40 for over a year now and I like it very much. I bought it, on purpose even, after the above experiences and a lot of research. That may or may not make me an "expert", but it certainly gives me an opinion - just like you.

More importantly, I see reports from all kinds of sailors who are sailing Hunters all over the world - and the majority of them seem to be enjoying their Hunters (or Beneteaus, etc.) very much. I've only run across a few people that seem to dislike them very much. So I'm always interested in those opinions - like I am yours.

In evaluating your opinion above, I'm starting to wonder if your anchoring decisions and techniques might be the root of yours and your friend's problems - instead of the boat. See, if you really are experiencing "cushions and all kinds of stuff being flung from one side of the boat to the other" while at anchor, this means you are rolling ~80+ degrees side-to-side

Now, I've never heard of anyone...ever....having that problem unless they've anchored in a surf zone. And if they've done so - the amount of freeboard doesn't matter at all. And, as you report, I would certainly expect the boat to be "banging and popping" as well. That's a lot of stress.

So - in this case, we're back to the problem being more on the sailor and technique than the boat. The boat had nothing to do with the sailor choosing the surf zone to anchor in. See what I mean?

I will say, though, that I'm truly impressed that your Oyster can handle sitting in such a violent anchorage without rolling. That's awesome. I honestly didn't know Oysters (or any boat really) could do that. And I now completely understand why you bought it. It was definitely the right decision for how you use your boat.

For me, I'll stick with my Hunter. I plan to sail it around the ocean and stuff and have absolutely NO plans to anchor in a surf zone - so I think it'll do just fine for my intended use.

Finally, I totally agree with you on the catamaran. That will likely be my next boat as well.

PS - You might ask MarkJ for some tips on anchoring/mooring. He rode out a hurricane in his Beneteau while on a mooring. And he didn't mention "cushions and all kinds of stuff being flung from one side of the boat to the other". So he seems to be doing it right.
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Old 16-12-2014, 08:30   #104
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

If anyone is listening, I'm with Keno on this one. And not because of quality (although that is an issue) it's the boat shape on the bottom.
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Old 16-12-2014, 08:41   #105
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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If anyone is listening, I'm with Keno on this one. And not because of quality (although that is an issue) it's the boat shape on the bottom.

Then I would assume you would hold the same opinion of Island Packets and modern Oysters, Hylas, Passports, etc.? They are all now beamy, flat bottom boats.


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