People hate hunter sailboats is mostly because of their poor quality, poor structure, and not sailing fast. However, there are also quite a lot of hunter-owners who love their boats.
Poor quality
Some hunter owners complained that their boats are made from plastic, it is easy to break pieces during strong weather.
One hunter-380 owner even mentioned that a piece of his cabinetry was adrift during a gust.
Some hunter owners do not have so many quality issues with their boats. I guess the quality issue is case by case in hunter sailboats.
Not well constructed
Many hunter owners pointed out that hunter sailboats are not well designed. The major problems are their hull and BnR rigs.
The hull form is inadequately designed and the hull flexed a lot. The BnR rigs are not designed for an offshore passage. Most owners complained about the BnR rigs and forward mast during downwind.
Seems hull and BnR rigs are common problems with hunter sailboats.
Not sail fast
The majority of hunter-owners acknowledge that their boats do not sail fast. Hunter sailboats are easily overrun by other sailboats.
It is fair to point out that hunter is not a racing sailboat. It is built for coast or bay cruises. I would suggest Beneteau, Catalina, or maybe J35 if you really want a sailboat with speed.
Some people call hunter sailboats ” RV with sails” because the boat does not sail well offshore and it is slow and tender on the water.
Hunter has decent interiors. There are so many compliments on the interior design of Hunter sailboats, especially the new model with large cockpits and an arch. It probably makes you feel like an RV when you are on a hunter sailboat with a spacious design.
High Maintenace
There are a certain number of hunter owners who revealed that hunter sailboats are ok for the first few years, but afterward, the maintenance cost is high.
If you are serious about buying a hunter boat, I would suggest you to do your own research on maintenance costs and talk to your friends who own a hunter boat to get real numbers.
High depreciation
A group of people brings up that hunter sailboats do not hold up their value well. Because of their not so good reputation from past years, they often sell at a discount price.
Many people suggest buying a hunter boat late than the year 90’s because you can get a real bargain at the used market. Do not buy any hunter boat early than the year 80’s, especially the year 70’s, these boats still sail but maintenance is a headache to you.
A production boat
What is a production boat?
A production boat is built in high volume but relatively low price
Hunter sailboats are production boats and that’s why they are inexpensive and affordable.
It is true that hunter sailboats are not high-end custom-built boats but they are solidly built sailboats.
Do not compare hunter boats to Swan, Morris, or other boats that are not in the same class. Try to compare apple to apple. Compare hunter boats to other production boats like Catalina, and Beneteau.
There are a certain amount of people who believe that production boats mean poor quality, but there are also quite a few people who believe that modern production boats are perfectly fine.
- Production boat companies throw millions and millions of dollars into their boats Research and development
- Building techniques developed each day with the new technology
Not bluewater sailboat
Most people do not suggest crossing the ocean with a hunter sailboat. Hunter sailboats have limited tankage for water and fuel.
Hunter sailboats are not built for the long passage. They are built for coastal or bay cruising. Hunter sailboats are best for daysailing or weekends out on a lake or bay.
The majority of people are not comfortable and confident in a hunter sailboat in storm conditions. Choose a heavily built bluewater boat to cross the ocean.
Below is a detail tour guide on a 2006 Hunter 46 LE
Poor customer service
Some hunter owners complained about their bad experience with hunter customer service. These owners said that hunter customer service people had never returned their email or phone calls.
The majority of hunter owners admitted that they receive delayed customer service.
Final thoughts
Based on your priority
No boat is perfect. The one who fits your needs is the best one. You need to access the boat based on your priority.
Once you are clear that any features you must have, any features you can live without, then you will know what kind of boat you want.
The more comfortable you are on your boat, the better sailor you are.
Know the trade-off
You can not have everything on a boat, there is always a trade-off involved.
If you choose the speed you probably need to give up on the spacious gallery. If you choose comfortable living then you need to accept slow sailling.
There is limited space on a boat. If you add one thing on then you have to subtract one thing off.
All boat has problems
All boat has problems either new or used. Some problems are caused by the boat itself, but most problems are caused by human error or inexperience.
The more comfortable you are on your boat the fewer problems you will have because you are confident in what you do, so you will make fewer mistakes.
Several useful suggestions before you purchase a boat:
- Get on board of your friend’s boat to experience it yourself
- Get a surveyor before purchasing a used boat
- Get everything fixed before signing the contract
