Hunter 37 Cutter, Any one have any experience on one?

[PDixon]

In my long search for a good low priced cruising sailboat, I have begun to look at the Hunter 37 Cutter. I know that Hunter reputation is not held in high regard by many sailors, but I was interested in hearing the opinion of people who have had actual experience with this particular model which Hunter produced from 1978 to 1985.
Thanks for your responses

[paulk]

Haven''t sailed one, but have been impressed by the sensible & roomy layout below and wide decks for sail handling. The cockpit is big enough to be useful without being overly dangerous if pooped by a wave. I think I recall a bridge deck, which is a helpful safety feature in this regard as well as a good structural stiffener. Also of note - especially compared to other Hunters - is the inward-turning hull-deck flange and reasonably close spacing of bolts holding them together. This is a much preferred construction feature that costs more to do than out-turning flanges. Some of the forward sections of the topsides seemed somewhat large and flat -- possibly subject to oilcanning because there isn''t much support framing behind them. Your surveyor could explore this issue with you. Sailhandling equipment and rigging seemed to be strong enough to handle the likely loads, and the boat''s lines look good overall. One area of concern might be the plastic ports not closing well, but that''s something that could be fixed. The boat''s PHRF rating shows it''s not a racehorse, but isn''t a slug either, and should perform reasonably well. I believe she has a 5'' draft, which allows for access to many shallower areas while still providing reasonable windward ability. Overall, a pretty nice cruising boat if you can find one in good condition. I don''t know if I''d take one transatlantic in the wintertime, but depending upon your goals, she could be pretty nice.

[h37skipper]

There are many owners of the H37C that correspond regularly via e-mail and on the "Hunter Owner''s" website(http://www.hunterowners.com/), especially the Cherubini forum. We know of at least 800 serial numbers, most actively sailing. And they are all over the world and were sailed to those locations. I regularly single-hand my H37C, easily done being a cutter with no one sail being that difficult to manage. A very hard boat to beat considering the availability and price.

[R33]

I just delivered one on a 100 mile trip which was to windward in 20 true for about 70 of those miles. I found the boat to be dry, stable, and with a solid feel banging into 8 foot waves. We had good boat speed considering the solid 3 blade prop. The yanmar motor powered us along very nicely when called upon.

This particular boat has several soft spots in the deck, one big one in front of the mast, and leaking ports. The owner intends to restore the boat.

I know of one other 37 cutter rig in our club that has sailed from NY to Bermuda w/o incident. One caution, the rudder on that boat bent and according to the owner it happened in the past year. He he has no idea how. I would wonder if other 37''s have rudder problems. The boat I delivered did have alot of weater helm.