Hunter Legend Deep vs. wing keel

[ChuckBuck]

Hey folks,

Looking at couple late 80's Hunter Legend 35s and some 37s. The only ones I can find on the great lakes have the wing keel - not ideal for 'my kind' of sailing..

From the specs...
Legend 35
-wing 4'6"
-deep 6'6"

Legend 37
-wing 4'9"
-deep- 6'8"

I have sailed on a 35 with the deep keel and was VERY impressed. I'm looking to sail on Lake MI only, so having a deep draft is not an issue for getting into and out of harbours.

I see that the PERF ratings don't appear to change much between the two keels but I find that hard to believe. Anyone sailed either and can comment?

Many Thanks in advance team!

[Faster]

We have the same issue with those boats around here.. we don't need the shoal draft but seemingly nearly all models are wing keeled.

I have sailed an early 90s Legend 375 with the wing keel and it seemed to sail just fine, but there were not boats nearby to compare to.. the numbers looked good and the boat felt fine too.. We have a couple of friends with winged 355s and they are pleased too.

[kwaltersmi]

I crewed aboard a Legend 37.5 wing keel for the Wednesday night races as well as during some longer coastal races and the 2008 Queen's Cup (Milwaukee to Grand Haven). The boat was competitive and sailed to her PHRF, in my experience. She was stiff and well balanced. I think it would be an ideal racer/cruiser for the Great Lakes, regardless of the keel. I was always impressed with the lively performance, helm feel and spacious, well-laid out cabin.

IIRC, the fin keel option was dropped on both boats when they went from Legend 35 to 35.5 and Legend 37 to 37.5. I would assume that means customers and Hunter were happy with the performance from the wing/bulb keel. This change occurred for the 1990 model year.

The boat I crewed on is now for sale and may be one that you've check out also. It would make a nice upgrade for my family and I, but she's out of my budget.

FYI - the draft of the Legend 37.5 wing/bulb is 4'11", not 4'9".

[ChuckBuck]

thanks for the insights Kwaltersmi!!

I too sail on Lake MI - out of Chicago.

What was the name of the Hunter 37.5 your raced on and out of what harbour?

All the best.

Chuck

[kwaltersmi]

I was on Windfeather II out of Grand Haven, MI. I think the current owner may be retiring from sailing...swallowing the hook.

[Don0190]

My last boat a Cal-39 was a shoal draft wing keel of 5'4" (and it was a massive wing with some real weight) and my current Hunter 410 is a deep draft of 6'4". The Cal pointed at least as high was my Hunter. The Cal heeled less for the same conditions. The Hunter on the other hand handles gusts better and digs in better during them, but this probably has more to do with the rig differences.

I think the differences are minor as to performance.