Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasshay
Tack change. Thanks to all who responded to my question. I've been mulling over the idea and putting myself(family and friends) in the scenario of being on a boat of the 28 ft Oday's character and decided for the difference in money, I like this better 1983 Hunter 34, Email offers Encouraged! Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com . I have a contract in hand and plan on flying up and meeting with the surveyor in the next day or two. Pros? Cons?
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I have the 31' version of that boat. They handle extremely well in tight spaces. They're "big" for their size.
Be sure to get an
engine survey (not just an
oil analysis -- have a certified
marine diesel mechanic go over the engine). Engines of that era are salt-water cooled, and mine was eaten up with
electrolysis. I had to replace it.
Also get a marine
survey. He/she probably won't go up the
mast, but they can inspect the
rigging with binoculars -- there's a lot of
rigging on those boats. In particular pay attention to the forestay, which is easily compromised by the headsail
halyard unless a proper
halyard restraint is installed. Got the scars to back *that* one up!
Also look carefully at the
roller furler. If it's a
Hood 810, try to get the buyer to drop the price by about $500 to replace the lower unit with a
single line drum. As the
Hood 810 is originally built, you *cannot* reef it in an
emergency.
Have the surveyor run some kind of swab down the
rudder shaft, which is accessible at the stern of the boat from the inside. What he's looking for is rust. I had one rust from the inside out. Fortunately the shaft broke while I was already under tow. It could have been disastrous if it had broken in a storm. The
rudder blade is solid foam and
fiberglass, so shouldn't be a concern.
My
Hunter has NO
leaks. NONE. The toe rail is quite stout.
See what kind of gas it uses for
cooking. If it's compressed natural gas, you'll have an extremely hard time finding it and will most likely have to replace the
stove, and that boat does not come with a
propane locker, so that could be a problem. Not all boats of that era used CNS. Mine came with an alcohol
stove.
My boat is fast but bow
tender, and the high freeboard causes the whole boat to act like a sail. It's really not a problem once you're used to it, but in the marina, if it wants to turn to port and you want to go to starboard, just give it its
head. It will turn on its center axis and you'll end up where you need to be.
One thing Hunter did with this series was make the
cockpit a little shorter to make the living space a little bigger, but that's probably not an issue with the 34'. My
cockpit is a little on the small size for a boat of its size but it gives me more living space. On my boat, the ice box is awkwardly placed and WAY too deep. I filled half of it up with broken up styrofoam coolers and used the lid as a shelf. Otherwise you'd have to have the arms of an orangutan.
Speaking of long arms, take a good look at the cockpit
storage. It can be very hard to get in and out of the lazarettes, and not that easy to use as
storage.