After years of
posting on this forum, I always felt like a fraud because I wasn't a
boat owner. Well no more, I finally have my own - a 2006
Hunter 36. Been waiting to write this post for a long time!
Essentially my choice boiled down to taking out a partial mortgage and getting a
Hallberg Rassy 36 (or a couple similar boats), or
purchase the
Hunter 36 outright. I know most people on this forum would prefer an HR36, but not taking on debt meant having my wife much more on board.
I know Hunters don't get a lot of respect on this forum but I am very happy with my choice. The layout on this
boat is amazing. It has the best shower/head I have ever seen on a boat this size. The
cockpit locker is enormous, as is the aft
cabin. The forward
cabin has a V berth but it is big enough even for someone as tall as me, 6'2". The
galley has a nice dish drain locker with a fan, I don't know any other boat make that has this. There are other clever features I'm still discovering.
It's not perfect - it's not the fastest boat in the bay (although that could be from my lack of experience with it). And locking up the
companionway using a three piece system is a huge pain in the ass. Systems are a little noisy. I would have also liked a self tacking
jib.
Although it's 13 years old, this particular boat was lightly used and almost looks new. The downside is that it was lightly used, so several of the non critical systems (like
stove,
water heater, etc) had been neglected for awhile. But that is stuff I can handle myself.
I am a recent military retiree, and purchased in the
Annapolis area, but eventually will move the boat to Virginia.
BTW, this was a process of many months and I worked with different brokers in the
Annapolis area. Rod Rowan, Deanna Sansbury, and Roger Johansson. All of them were very helpful and responsive, answering my 1000 questions as I have never bought a boat before. I would recommend them to anyone.