Hunters are built with countertop material

Wega24 · #1 (**permalink**) 11-11-2002

I KNEW IT....
looking over the latest doublespread advertising for Hunter boats, my darkest fears came true.

Under bullet point no 6 .. pointing at the bow of a rather large Hunter model it says :
Hunter using the finest corinthian countertops for long sparkling performance..
( or close to that anyhow )

Its countertop material they are using for their hulls...

Thorsten

p.s I have to check, but maybe they have kevlar countertops ?????

KenD · #2 (**permalink**) 11-14-2002

I know you people love to tear the hunters apart but come on.The brochure is refering to the corian countertops in the heads,and the galley As an installer of solid surface materials I have to give them credit where it''s due they do a nice instalation and the tops will outlast any other product for durability and maintainance. the rest of the boat oh well, but the tops are great.

Wega24 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002

Calm down everybody. I dont have anything against Hunters. I wouldnt buy a new one, but the older cherubini ones are nice...

What I refering to is the MISTAKE the Hunter people make in their current advertising.

They are talking about corian countertops in bullet point number 3 ...

And than under bullet point number 6 with the picture of the hull , they are repeating the same text about their countertops INSTEAD of talking about kevlar reinforced vacuum bagged whatever hull they are building.

Its a faux pas in their advertising department...

Thorsten

Denr · #4 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002

I think wega24''s original point was that Hunter makes the material used for counter top a salient point rather than how well the boat is designed built and how well she sails on all points. I have laminate counter tops on my boat that are 16 years old, no apparent wear or failure at this point in time, what a relief!

And talk about freeboard, the Hunters put the new Catalina 350 to shame in the category of "the whole boat is a sail". If the hull of the Catalina 350 equals the sail area of a main and 100%, then the freeboard of the Hunters equate to a main plus a 150%! The Hunters are still butt ugly, definitely an acquired taste.

KenD · #5 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002

I would think that the hunter group (advertising section) would want to hear about their blunder,embrassed to all get out but still would like to know about it. The cost of pulling the brochures is minimal compared to the amount of egg on their face.I agree with Denr on the sail mass will this give hunter and catalina an unfair advantage in races, should go to rules comittee and get rerated?

PBzeer · #6 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002

It seems to me, that the mid-size and smaller Hunters, and Catalinas, are built with a particular market in mind. That of the weekend sailor, usually on a lake, who wants an affordable boat they can be comfortable on. In that respect, I think both fill a niche that the "bluewater" builders not only don''t, but can''t, due to cost. Not everyone can drive a Mercedes, that''s why there are so many Chevys and Fords. It''s the same with boats. So yeah, they may not be the best looking or best sailing boats on the market, but they do have their place. And simple economics tells you, the more boats there are out there, the cheaper "stuff" will be to put on ''em.

And yes, I own a Hunter, a H26. It''s big enough to weekend on, or even vacation on. AND, for $650 a season, I basically have a lake cottage. But, more than that, it got me back into sailing. And that ain''t a bad thing !!!

John

kokopelli9 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002

Wonderful attitude! You''re right...you get down that highway in the Mercedes as well as the Ford. What''s important is that you''re doing something you love!

bobbi

928frenzy · #8 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002

A fellow Hunter 34 owner has sailed single-handed across to the Med. He is due to return to FLA with his spouse and son next year. Therefore, even an old Hunter can cross the pond, if the Captain and crew are capable.

For now, I''m pleased with our Hunter 34. It sails fairly well in the light air that is typical of the Chesapeake, but it can also handle gale-force winds and 8''+ waves. It is not setup for Blue-water sailing, but it''s nice to know that it could be if and when we decide to go offshore for extended periods.

Naturally, I''d prefer a more robust hull to make pond crossings, but for now the Hunter serves us well for what we do, and for the price it''s hard to beat.

~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~

windship2 · #9 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002

928 frenzy,
Alot of boats that are not deemed offshore capable can do these kinds of voyages. The smallest boat to cross the pond was five feet ten inches. Your right, it does depend mostly on the experience and capabilities of the skipper or skipper and crew.
The questions that come to my mind is, how badly was the boat effected? Will the bulkheads start to fail early or will the hull to deck joint start to leak next year.Are stress cracks starting to appear in numbers or worse than they normaly would? I could example further but I think you see what I''m getting at...How much life was taken from the boat. I guess that would depend on what kind of weather she encountered.

Dennis

sunseeker52 · #10 (**permalink**) 12-04-2002

It''s all about being on the water. I used to ride a Harley and it really made me mad that the "rice-rocket people" would not wave to the Harley riders and vice versa. We are all in it for the same thing. So this beating someone up for not sailing the "right" boat is DUMB!!