Hunter 42 - at sea

[jpswoope]

Realizing this thread is now ten years old, I would like to thank the contributors and moderators for a very informative discussion!

My wife and I retire in four months and are looking seriously at the Hunter 42 Passage Center Cockpit design for a coastal liveaboard cruiser (full East Coast U.S. and Caribbean) for the next few years. This thread has been very helpful. Thanks!

[Ramin]

I am a newbie so take my comments as that, from a newbie.

I have been looking for a boat for some time now. When I started I didn't even know there where differences in a blue water or coastal cruiser until this search began. Also, this search is two years old with that same amount of time in questioning brokers, sailors, boaters, yacht club members, and boat yard repair techs. I would also like to mention that me and the wife have decided on a 1987 Hunter 31 sloop as the best bet for our "first" boat. The price and functions will fit the ticket for us to learn on and wont break our bank for what one day will be the real deal ocean going vessel we want. So this all said, all the questioning and pestering of before mentioned folks has made it clear to me in my mind. Hunter boats are GREAT coastal cruisers and live abords, but I would not take my family accros an ocean in one no matter what options I put on in. Each and all of these individuals expressed the fact that Hunter boats are designed for coastal cruising and for living enjoyment, not so much ocean going. One broker even went so far to say that he would not sell me one if he knew that I was planning a trip accross. But all of these same people told me they were GREAT boats for coastal cruising and with what I explained was my desires, would be perfect for us. I truly believe that the boat you use and love must also be the right boat for your planned adventures. I now want comfort and live ability, so I will get the Hunter and travel the coastal waters of Texas and every where else I feel safe doing so. But the day will come when I know that I will want to tempt the larger seas and oceans out there. I will then have to say good by to the Hunter and look for a vessel of that magnitude. I hope that owners of Hunters don't find this a slight on Hunter boats because I do in fact love them. I just want to be practical when my family is concerned. They are great boats for coastal cruising and such, but I in my slim knowlede can only utilize my research into the subject hence making my dicision somewhat objective. I must then conclude that sea crossings boats they are not. Each person questioned stated the same reasons as mentioned in earlier posts, but the main people that I spoke with that held great weight with me was the yard techs. I spoke to three differnt yards and all said the same. The hulls give to flexing in heavy seas. The hulls meet ocean going boat standards for certification, but the bulkheads and hulls allow too much flexing that in very extended periods of turbulant seas would cause moderate to severe failures in areas of the boats. When I asked what areas, they all said bulkhead and deck to hull mounting.

So thats my 2c. I want one and love them. I will get one, but you wont see me crossing an ocean in one.

Newbie out.

[HeartsContent]

Ok ... here's a secret! Brokers will tell you lead them to believe you want to hear.

I think it's time that we tell all those folks sailing Hunters around the world to get those vessels into coastal waters immediately. Sorry, it's for your own good.

The boats that can leave the coast have been clearly identified in threads on this board so notice has been given. Deviations should not be made - I don't care how many Hunters have been lucky enough to survive ocean crossings in and placing in races. My goodness they were living on borrowed time.

Posting pictures of Hunters in locations around the world will just encourage crazy non-saltly sailors to attempt the same! So let's shut that down immediately - where's the moderators when you need them.

That's all I have tonight!

[TQA]

I looked quite hard at an early Hunter Passage mainly due to the excellent aft cabin and ensuite bathroom which my then partner loved.

The stern layout is attractive and the lockers are very useful. My current boat has large volumes of ususeable space in that area.

The salon layout is very light and airy and would be enjoyable at anchor but the lack of handholds would have to be addressed somehow. Doable though. The cabin sole was flimsy in some areas I could feel it giving as I walked around.

Yes it is lightly built but for coastal cruising through the Caribbean t would have done me.

There are no good passage berths on the boat but that would be OK as you only have a few night passages most are day sail.

I would have looked for an early one as I prefer to have a backstay.

I dislike spade rudders as they are very vulnerable but it would not be a deal breaker and it would be nice to have a boat that steered while going astern.

I am not sure I would want to venture far offshore in one though. Too many vulnerable areas and the lack of a passage berth although one person has made some mods to allow the use of the aft cabin centre queen on passage.

[DavidB.UK]

I do hope some of the original contributors to the thread are still active members.

I am a newbie to this forum (it's AWESOME btw, lots of well informed helpful people) and to this kind of sailing, I made the decision that I want to buy myself a yacht as a live-aboard a few months ago and since then I have been casually reading bits and pieces in forums and trawling classifieds to try and get an idea of whats out there and what I might like, and of course what is in budget.

I settled on an Oyster 46... and then I found out how much they are! WOW!!!

so then starting looking around again at something more affordable, and given that my priorities are currently as follows...

1) comfortable marina live-aboard
2) gentle coastal cruising (UK) to gain some coastal experience
3) cross the channel to France
4) sail down into the med

Timeline for the above is most likely going to be 12-18 months before venturing out of British waters and given my meagre budget and the fact that the boat will most likely spend the first few months in the marina I am given to thinking that a hunter passage 42 will be an excellent choice.

Are then any thoughts about making a trip to the med from the UK in a HP42?

Whereas I do have plans to sail over to the US and round to Australia even, such epic adventures are planned for after I bought my Oyster 46 in a few years time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Anyway, back to reality for the time being...

I have been looking at around £70k for a 1995 HP42
I would be really interested to see what peoples thoughts are on this, what new opinions have been formed/changed since 2010 when the last posts were made.

TQA, did you buy an HP42 in the end?
Ramin, how have you got on with yours?
jpswoope, what did you settle on in the end?

_____________________________________

Ps. not set on HP42, but I am set on that large aft cabin/island bed set up, would value any other suggestions that might be within my budget

[DavidB.UK]

A little OT...

but have just found this too...

This looks like it might also fit the bill quite nicely...



Thoughts anybody?

[TQA]

No I did not buy the Passage I looked at.

I finished up with a New Bombay Trading Company Explorer 44. A cruising interior in a racing hull.

The one I found was a turnkey boat with a shed load of spares included. The only thing I changed was the anchor winch, the PO was young and fit and I am old and getting creaky so an electric replaced the manual job. I have been cruising her 2 years now and am happy with my boat. It it is a change to plan passages at 6kts and expect to do better.

As I get even older and creakier I might change the hank on staysail for a roller furler and the spi for a code zero again on a furler.

Have you had a look at the Pearson yet I think you might be disappointed at the space in the forepeak double. But it looks on paper a good deal and no teak decks.