1979 33 ft Hunter Cherubini

[sailguy40]

I don't know much about Hunter Cherubini other then most I seen were just gorgeous. I am looking at a 33' right now which I am very interested in. Is there any advice anyone here can give me regarding this model? For example, is there anything that I should know regarding this vessel other then the usual things about buying a sailing yacht?

I am looking for a boat that I can live aboard off and on during the summer. I also want to sail from New Orleans to Florida keys and maybe even Bahamas. I will go at least once a year. Is this model vessel appropriate for such trips? I will also sail it along the gulf coast to the barrier islands.

[Jeff_H]

For what it is worth, the Hunter 33 was not a Cherubini design. Nor does it display the typical characteristics of the boars which Cherubini designed for Hunter. In the late 1990's I moderated an online Q and A with the Hunter design team and it was made clear that Cherubini only designed the 30 and 27 of that era. He was involved in the 36-37 cutter, but was not the designer.

While I am a very big fan of the Hunter 30 of that era (we had two in our family) I have always viewed the 33 as a very inferior design to the other Hunters of that era in almost all ways, except build quality, which was uniformly pretty good, with one major flaw.

This issue with Hunters of that era was blistering. The Hunters that we had in our family both experienced the worst blistering that I had ever heard of. Many times blistering is simply superficial and inconsequential but in both of our Hunters of that era, we experienced blisters that extended clean through the laminate .

I would suggest that you look for a good clean 30. They have a nicer interior layout, the same amount of interior space, and sail much better than the 33.

Respectfully,
Jeff

[sailguy40]

I would have never known Cherubini was not the actual designer, they all list them as that. Must be one of those things where it is branded by name for marketing purposes. I did read somewhere else regarding blisters, this one had a bottom job a couple years ago but I would have to get a survey. I wonder what it is that causes these particular models to be venerable to blisters like that? I did look at a 27 and 30 a couple months ago. Exterior wise they both looked the same as the 33 but just not as big. I was also looking at a 1987 Hunter 31 but it was quite a bit more cash and nicest looking thing ever but not sure I trust the newer sailing yachts. For one reason or another, I really like the lines of Hunters. I don't think I ever seen an ugly Hunter new or old. It has to say something if they are actually still in business all these years. If I could I would go with a 41DS but too much boat for me right now and out of my price range, maybe in a few years I can get one if I really wanted. Do you have a Hunter, if so what model? Also thanks for the heads up here, I will keep that in mind. I also got a Columbia 29 I am looking at too.

[sorcerer33]

I owned a 1982 Hunter 33 for several years. I loved the layout and liked the way it sailed. There were some problems with the engine mounts. I think the rubber mounts were the wrong hardness and should have been replaced. Ultimately, Dick Ash, a VP at Hunter, lived up to his name and screwed up some warranty repairs so badly that they had to buy the boat back from me. The repairs were related to deck delamination. I lived aboard for several summers and really enjoyed the boat when I could let go of my anger at Dick!

[T26Rich]

Not sure about your facts. John Cherubini II would also disagree with your facts.
The history of the Hunter 37 Cutter begins with a tale of two men. Warren Luhrs (1944 - ) was a member of a boat building family in New Jersey. John Cherubini (1921-1983) was also from a family with roots in shipbuilding from the Delaware River area. John studied naval architecture with Westlawn prior to the Second World War and worked as an aviation engineer during the war. Both men raced small sailboats in the same waters and had made each other’s acquaintance by the early 1970s. In 1972, Warren contracted John – initially through Bill Seidelmann - to design sailboats for a new Luhrs venture known as Hunter Marine. The first fruit of this venture was the Hunter 25, introduced for the 1973 model year.

Those early years at Hunter Marine were busy ones for John Cherubini, as he was retained by Luhrs as their head designer. “There followed, in this order, the 30 in '73, the 27, in '74, the 33, the 37, then the 35 and 36 (essentially both stretched 33s), the 54 in '78-79.” (from John Cherubini II: thread post 09-05-2007, John Cherubini Designs, HunterOwners.com)

If you want to talk to John, he can be reached at Cherubini Yachts,
51 Norman Ave Riverside, NJ 08075
(856) 764-5319

[T26Rich]

A few more points. The Raider 33 and the Hunter 33 hulls are nearly identical and both designed by JC (same rig, same balast, bow entry angle, the original cabin top of the Hunter is similar to the Raider).
The bow entry angle of 45 degrees of the 33 is the same as the 37
Cabin layouts of the 25, 27, 30, 33, and 37 are similar.

I've been sailing the H33C SD for about a year now in the Barnegat Bay, NJ. It sails well and has a nice cabin layout. I've had her sailing at 8 knots with just the headsail and 12 knots of wind. No ill manners. Great boat.

It is a budget production boat for the masses and hit its mark squarely. Its numbers are solid cruiser, the rig is strong with a double lower shroud and single spreader mast. There were 579 made, many of which are still in service. You can enjoy it as is or upgrade the interior with comforts and flare quite easily.

[jimgo]

I had a chance to see a Raider about 6 months ago. This one was more of a racing boat, but it looked pretty neat.