[MKR]

There were not many Hughes 29's built for some pretty good reasons.

They also had a series of unusual and undesirable features such as very narrow beam, pinched transoms, short waterline lengths, narrow side decks, coamings that were essentially out at the rail allowing cockpit flooding and so on.

If these boats are conceptually appealing to you I suggest that you consider either a Shipman 28 or Albin Ballad 30 which were better boats all around.

Respectfully,
Jeff

While this post may have been made respectfully, it is an unfortunate post in that there is very little information about these boats on the web, and this comment sits here like a giant turd. I recently purchased a Hughes 29 that was in very good condition. I almost didn't, in part because of this post. In the end, I let the boat speak for itself. They are solidly built, beautiful boats. Between two hundred and two hundred and fifty were built in the early seventies, in Ontario, off the coast of Lake Huron. A Shipman 28 or an Albin Ballad 30 may be a better choice, but I have never seen one for sale on the Canadian Great Lakes. I don't know if I have ever seen one. In the end, you can only realistically buy a boat that is available to you. The Hughes 29 is a little smaller, but similar to a C&C Redwing 30 or possibly a Northern 29. It has a very nice interior with a functional layout, despite being cramped (headroom about 5'10"). Side decks are cramped and narrow, but it has a lengthy cockpit.

It may help to think of the Hughes 29 as an extra long, well ballasted 26 or 27 footer rather than a extra narrow 29 footer. Although similar in length, these boats were not intended to be the size of a Catalina 30 and they can be purchased for a fraction of the price. The 3000lb keel and the narrow beam allow the boat to slice through the choppy waters so common on the Great Lakes. The C&C 25 that I previously owned, had a much rockier ride. There are better technical racing boats out there, but for many people, sailing is a romantic venture and these boats may satisfy your needs on a different level.

 

[MKR]

I am not sure I should weigh in here again, but I will take one more stab at it. I may have come on a little strong in my last post, but I did not disparage the poster. I don't even disagree with the many of the posters observations. Like many boats, the Hughes 29 has it's share of shortcomings. The point that I was trying to make, but apparently didn't is that potential boat buyers rely heavily on internet reviews and information, and because very little information on the Hughes 29 is available on the web, this seven year old post stands out prominently, like the definitive indictment of the Hughes 29. Any cursory research on the web will invariably end up at this thread. This is not the fault of the poster.

It is my opinion however, that there is more to this boat than pinched transoms and narrow side decks. I know of more than one Hughes 29 owner that has expressed frustration with this post. The gentleman that I purchased my boat from clearly loved his boat and had sailed it, and taken meticulous care of it for many years. It might be useful if owners were to defend the virtues of these boats, but to do so puts you at risk of being labelled as "angry and lost". Go figure.