1982 Hunter '54

[sailingdog]

Cam-

Thanks for making my point

[cayoosh]

Thank you again for your honest input. It had not occured to me that the cost of maintaining a boat would increase exponentially, and unfortunately the money pit is not bottomless, I had (foolishly) assumed that the ongoing costs would be refected proportionately to increase in length. But then that is the exact reason I have asked the questions, so that I can collect feedback from others more knowledgable than I.

There are probably enough other posts out there to read that will offer input into alternatives in the 35foot range, so unless someoone would like to step up and suggest a boat that will primarily be sailed on the south east coast of Australia, I will continue to read and research as the selection is too large to try and sail every single one, but gathering feedback from you guys has been helpful.

[brak]

10K a year is less than what I spend on the upkeep of much smaller sailboat. Granted, I am still in initial years of owning her (and may be at some point the number will stabilize, though considering list of projects I have - not soon). That said, in my experience cost of maintaining a boat for me follows this forumla (YMMV, this is just a guesstimate)

Annual cost = Const * (length ^ 3) where Const ranges from about 0.2 to 0.3 (mine tend to run high but I think it may get better in later years).

[ilnadi]

a not-yet-not-a-newbie perspective.

background: 3 years ago we chickened out of an older Sabre 28 and bought a newer Catalina 25.

I regret the decision
a. when the Pamlico gets too much for the C25 (ok, before someone beats me to it; in reality for us in it)
b. when we cannot fit in the C25 with kids.
c. when I see the Sabre 28 (in same town) sailing by and looking pretty

BUT,
all self-serve items take longer because I am learning as I go
buying a 12-year newer boat helped that cause a lot
my mistakes are cheaper (cannot imagine what would happen if I made some of them on a 54-footer)

SO when I am doing maintenance or my imitation of all three stooges, I am very happy with my decision. Now, after 3 years or next year, we will step up to something but again just big enough for us and what we want to do.

do you want the 3-acre lot that you do nothing but mow and tend or the .2 acre backyard you enjoy every day?

[Moonfish]

I had some slip neighbors when I lived on my boat in Portland, OR who owned a Hunter 54 of the same era. They loved it, for its sailing performance, livability, and value. Sailed it by themselves all the time, and he singlehanded it with no problem. Before I moved up here they were actually preparing the boat for a south pacifc cruise. I wonder where they are now... No comment on the boat's quality, just reporting what one set of owners thought.

[dohenyboy]

As the owner of a Hunter 54 I can answer your questions.Its in Newport Beach harbor on a mooring.


Yes the interior room is small for a 54-foot boat. The v-berth is plenty for two people but the rear stateroom berth is barely adequate.
Most of them come with either the original 36 hp (Perkins I think) which is a little underpowered or like mine 76 hp yanmar (more than enough)
Weak points are the plate that the keel bolt nuts go on top of; tends to corrode, and the steering quadrant. It is attached to plywood which tends to rot out and you lose steering at the wrong moment. Not hard or expensive to fix with carbon fiber or fiberglass reinforcement, just be aware.
The dinghy garage is usefull but cannot fit a normal size dinghy in it without letting the air out. Lots of writing out there on forums that this could cause problems in a following sea with it getting filled in, but have no experience with this. But the transom is really useful for boarding.
Got new mainsail and headsail in 2006 from UK sails, cost $10,000 for both including lazy jack system and sail cover. In light winds it sails okay, but once you get 10 knots or above it really starts to move. PHRF rating is 51.
Under power you really need an autopilot. The boat will "turn on a dime" but has no directional stability under power. But under sail I can trim it to be more or less hands off.

I have had no core or structural issues. The bulkheads are not attached to the hull and so in any motion its noisy. Definitely not a blue water boat, but fine for coastal.

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by dohenyboy

As the owner of a Hunter 54 I can answer your questions.Its in Newport Beach harbor on a mooring.


Yes the interior room is small for a 54-foot boat. The v-berth is plenty for two people but the rear stateroom berth is barely adequate.
Most of them come with either the original 36 hp (Perkins I think) which is a little underpowered or like mine 76 hp yanmar (more than enough)
Weak points are the plate that the keel bolt nuts go on top of; tends to corrode, and the steering quadrant. It is attached to plywood which tends to rot out and you lose steering at the wrong moment. Not hard or expensive to fix with carbon fiber or fiberglass reinforcement, just be aware.
The dinghy garage is usefull but cannot fit a normal size dinghy in it without letting the air out. Lots of writing out there on forums that this could cause problems in a following sea with it getting filled in, but have no experience with this. But the transom is really useful for boarding.
Got new mainsail and headsail in 2006 from UK sails, cost $10,000 for both including lazy jack system and sail cover. In light winds it sails okay, but once you get 10 knots or above it really starts to move. PHRF rating is 51.
Under power you really need an autopilot. The boat will "turn on a dime" but has no directional stability under power. But under sail I can trim it to be more or less hands off.

I have had no core or structural issues. The bulkheads are not attached to the hull and so in any motion its noisy. Definitely not a blue water boat, but fine for coastal.

Dohenyboy,

A very thoughtful and cogent report on one's own boat. It is such a pleasure to see a factful commentary like this one. RPs (rep points) to you.

[CharlieCobra]

Agreed, I was considering one for the fact that they are so fast. Dohenyboy, nice concise write up.

[cayoosh]

Hi Dohenyboy,

Great report thanks. I had an email from a guy in Hawaii a while back and he made the following comments about his Hunter 54:

"I can't speak for the others but we have sailed her for over 20 years across all of Hawaii's notorious channels without any problems.This boat loves to surf and has always been great fun to sail, have surfed down steep 12'+ waves many times in the channels and never been a problem.

Thanks for your input, others I have had contact with have all said what a fabulous boat they are to sail and also how fast they are.

Why do you think it has "no directional stability under power"?

[negrini]

Cayoosh, I have done same mistake years ago. I went for the biggest size my money could afford. What a mistake ! Maintenance is everything on a boat ! Consider carefully your monthly/yearly budget and resist the temptation of buying over it. More than just overkilled by the budget, what happens in real world is, short of money, you'll be forced to neglect maintenance. And this is just a little hop to a disaster .... Please maintain your boat, and stay alive .... In general, a well equiped and maintened boat is far more enjoyable and safer, regardless its size.