Do Hunters Make Good Bluewater / Liveaboard Boats ?

[estarzinger]

OP: elliebell Join Date: Nov 2011

Originally Posted by Bash

I've mentioned to our moderators, more than once, that it's interesting to note that the people who usually want to initiate such discussions have belonged to Cruiser's Forum less than a month. This thread is a case in point. Is it possible that the same person keeps registering as a new user to instigate such discussions? I realize how difficult it is to enforce the "no trolling" rule, but honestly, there's a bit of deja vu going on in the original post.

.....

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

From the ARC . . .with is a bit more european than the SSCA . . .

1. Jeanneau 24
2. Beneteau 18
3. Swan 15
4. Hallberg 13
5. Lagoon 12
6. Dufour 9
7. x-yachts 9
8. Bavaria 8
9. Oyster 8
10. Catana 5
11. Anel 4
12. Discovery 4
13. Hanse 4
14. Ovni 4
15. Sweden Yachts 4

There don't appear to be any Hunters.

Gosh, Evans, will you please stop confusing us with facts? They make my head hurt...

Cheers,

Jim (who has seen folks successfully cruising in an incredible variety of boats)

[avb3]

Originally Posted by micheck

From the ARC ... no Custom Van De Stadt either ...

or HInckleys

[neilsailingrn]

I had always heard that Hunters were junk. I was at an auction and on a spur of the moment thing I decided to bid on this 1982 30' Hunter. I'll be damned if I didn't end up with it. Long story short I was really impressed with the way it sailed. Felt very solid on the Chesapeake in Feburary's weather. Felt quite safe. And the amenities were endless. That's coming from a guy who owned a Downeaster 32' Cutter rig at the time. I wouldn't have crossed the Altantic in it but surely that little Hunter would have taken me down the coast to the Bahamas in fine fashion. Just my two cents!

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by avb3

or HInckleys

or many many many others, so I don't understand the point other than a smoke screen effect

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

or many many many others, so I don't understand the point other than a smoke screen effect

The point was simply to provide some factual background in response to S/V Illusion's comment: "There are as many, if not more Hunters sailing around the world than any other comparable production boat manufacturer". Which I think the facts indicate is not quite true.

I don't quite understand your comment about a 'smoke screen'. I was not expressing an opinion and instead posting straight facts related to the OP - you don't like facts?

My opinion on this is two fold: (1) you can, and people do, cruise successfully on almost anything that floats; and (2) given the extremely wide variety of cruising boats and deals available today there would be quite a number of boats I would look at (for blue water cruising) before a Hunter. IS that clear enough for you - no smoke?

I have watched the Hunters develop and been aboard and sailed quite a few (from the annual 'best sailboats' magazine testing). They generally have nice interiors and the construction quality has improved.

[sailstoo]

Originally Posted by colemj

ONLY if you make the correct choices about guns and anchors when outfitting it

And it's not a catamaran, so you are already ahead of the game there

Mark

What caliber anchor would you recommend?

[colemj]

Originally Posted by sailstoo

What caliber anchor would you recommend?

We have a catamaran, so I'm too busy trying to keep it upright to answer that right now (the damn thing keeps flipping over at the dock)...

Mark

[Intentional Drifter]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

As I've said before, while sitting in some remote motu in the S Pacific commiserating with everyone else, all of us doing repairs, no one ever once mentioned the brand of boat when complaining.

That's the lovely thing about boats -- they are equal-opportunity when it comes to needing repairs!

Seriously on the topic, though, I've been on several Hunters that appeared to be perfectly fine for a liveaboard cruiser, and others that were not. The same can be said for many brands.

I think that worthiness for the task is far more the result of the original design's mission statement, and then how the specific boat has been fitted out and maintained.

ID

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

The point was simply to provide some factual background in response to S/V Illusion's comment: "There are as many, if not more Hunters sailing around the world than any other comparable production boat manufacturer". Which I think the facts indicate is not quite true.

I don't quite understand your comment about a 'smoke screen'. I was not expressing an opinion and instead posting straight facts related to the OP - you don't like facts?

My opinion on this is two fold: (1) you can, and people do, cruise successfully on almost anything that floats; and (2) given the extremely wide variety of cruising boats and deals available today there would be quite a number of boats I would look at (for blue water cruising) before a Hunter. IS that clear enough for you - no smoke?

I have watched the Hunters develop and been aboard and sailed quite a few (from the annual 'best sailboats' magazine testing). They generally have nice interiors and the construction quality has improved.

Come on now. You went to all that trouble to look up and post those numbers to prove someones small comment not being fully correct etc in the name of helping. Which proved and helped answer what as far as the orginal question?

So now there's someone with a good rep on the forum and in other circles adding more smoke to the Hunter fire.

Next time just state your opinion up front please and be done wit it..

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Come on now. You went to all that trouble to look up and post those numbers to prove someones small comment not being fully correct etc in the name of helping.

Well, actually yes, that's just what I did. It took all of about 5 minutes to get the numbers and I thought people would find them interesting. Sorry you did not like them

Which proved and helped answer what as far as the original question?

The simple facts that #1 the majority share of offshore boats are small niche brands, and #2 if you are looking at only the big brands, Hunter is in the second tier of the leading offshore production brands. Some people have found it useful when trying to make a decision to see the statistics of what other people are actually sailing offshore.

So now there's someone with a good rep on the forum and in other circles adding more smoke to the Hunter fire.

I don't understand your continued reference to 'smoke', nor to 'and in other circles'. We are here to have some discussion - right? I posted some facts I thought might be interesting - not smoke. I posted my opinion - not smoke. What's your problem - you don't want anyone to post anything that disagrees with your perspective?

Next time just state your opinion up front please and be done wit it..

Well thanks for your advice. I will surely give it serious consideration. But I find posting facts useful to most discussions. Why are you so hostile?

And I still agree with Bash that this whole thread was started as a troll.

[Bloodhound]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I don't feel any of these type threads benefit anyone by trashing the orginal asked about boat, or for that matter any boat.

In the end all boats can do 95+% of any sailing one would what it to do and we know it's the boat fitout for it's use and the decision made by the owners. Low quality in today's market would ave been considered very high quality 20 years ago (pretty much hold true for any product made). Everyone wants something diferent in "their" boat which is normally beyound what they "need" to do the job.

In the end you should find a boat model you like and research it with most credit given to people who have or have had the model. Arm chair opinions about boats that that a person has never been on is worth less than what you paid for it.

Whatever boat a person has; they came up with some basis to themselves as to why they choose it.

Pretty much says all that needs to be said. This boat, that boat, my opinion, your opinion. Opinions being very similar to a certain part of the anatomy of most creatures, vertebrate and invertebrate --- everyone has one. But there are two issues with the statistics (oh how they lie - just read How to Lie with Statistics). (1) The samples are not global; they're regional, and (2) the samples are too bloody small. Bottom line: looks like no "brand" dominates and everything under the sun sails the Seven Seas. JM(NSH)O

[sailorboy1]

gee I'm hostile -..................................... I edited everything else out

[Vasco]

If you can't afford an Oyster, Morris, Hinkley or some other esoteric "custom" boat don't you dare put to sea. The bashing of production boats is snobbery at its worst. The funny thing is that few of those doing the bashing will ever be able to own an Oyster, Morris, or Hinkley. Thankfully some companies still manufacture boats that are generally affordable.

[Weyalan]

In general, it is the sailor that makes a boat "blue water", not the marque. And liveaboard... well, you can live aboard practically anything that floats! Personally, Hunters would not be on my list, were I in the market for a blue water liveaboard, but on the other hand, my current choice of yacht gets vehemently denigrated as entirely inappropriate by many here, so what do I know?