First Boat 1980 Hunter 33 ?

[myronjackson]

New to sailboats and looking at a 1980 Hunter 33 in above average condition with fresh power drive line overhaul. Need some feedback from anyone with experience with these boats. Surveyor rates this boat as above average with very little work needed. Says it is very seaworthy. Ultimately plan on taking it to Panama but looking for suggestions. THX in advance.

[manhattan08]

How much have you sailed? Are you comfortable with such a large boat starting out with?? Where will the boat be sailed?

[myronjackson]

I have about 300 hours of actual sail time. Not much, but I am taking some navigation classes and a few other courses. I will spend a month or so on coastal trips the heading from Charleston SC to Bocas Del Torro, Panama. From there I have not decided. Had so many people say smaller but the deal on this Hunter is excellent so was looking for feedback.

[manhattan08]

300 hours of sailtime should have you prepared for a larger boat. The Hunter 33 cheribini is a good boat; however I believe the boat is on the small side for do a Charleston to Panama crossing. I have a 1985 hunter 28.5 ft. and feel that your trip would require a larger boat - something closer to 36 foot. Just my 2 cents....

[bljones]

Go for it.

[deniseO30]

H33 is a very good boat! I single handed/ steered with sails on one the very first time on it because the steering wheel cable let go and the owner was crawling around in the bilge fixing it

[ScuzzMonkey]

My wife and I just sold our '78 Hunter 33. It was the perfect first boat for us; forgiving and easy to sail but capable of performing well once we learned better what we were doing; sturdy enough to shrug off our various dangerous mistakes; and laid out well for single or double-handing while retaining enough storage space to let you get somewhere interesting while doing so. There is an excellent community of other owners of Cherubini Hunters out there who are extremely helpful when it comes time for maintenance or upgrades.

That said, I think with three hundred hours under your belt, you are probably in a position where you don't need a boat that small. On the other hand, we probably wouldn't have sold ours if there had not been two of us.

We're out shopping for a replacement now, and it has been damn hard to find anything that measures up to those qualities even in larger sizes and higher price points. If you don't need the extra space for some reason, it could still be a great choice.

[BCC1]

My first sailboat was 38'. With your experience, the Hunter should be great fun!

[Faster]

I'm wondering about 'the month or so coastal hopping SC to Panama..." Sounds kinda quick to me.. GE puts it at about 3700 nm along coasts of Florida, gulf states, Mexico and Central America... pretty hard to put over 100 nm/day coastal hopping.

[bljones]

C'mon faster, you know a "month or so" in cruising time = GTWWGT (Get there when we get there) in real time.