[TheSeaPenguin]

I currently have a '78 Hunter 25, and for the past two seasons it has been considered less than acceptable by the wife. Something about the cramped space. And the heat. And the lack of headroom. And the lack of a wheel.

So, time to look for something that the boss finds more acceptable. Which mostly means a double berth that doesn't end in a point. A wheel. More space. And generally a level of plushness that isn't found on very standard interior of a well aged Hunter 25.

Searching yachtworld.com the Hunter 28.5 ('84-'87) and 28 ('89-'94) seem to be reasonable boats given the livability requirements of the wife, and well, they are still sailboats... Plus they aren't outside of the budget.

Sounds good until I find the first link on google: yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/hunter28.htm

So - are Hunter 28s really that crappy? And if so - what are other boats that can be found for under 20k that have the excessively plush Hunter style livability?

Thanks!

 

[scottyt]

the post cherubini hunters where not the best, they did have issues. there are decent coastal and inland boats, but not blue water at all. they had resin issues, and build quality issues. but still usable for what they are.

look at the hunters before 83 and you will see a very solid boat, with known issues but what 20 something boats dont.

where are you located?

 

[TheSeaPenguin]

Located in West Michigan and sail on Lake Michigan out of Muskegon - so fortunately won't exactly be going for true blue water sailing.

I looked at a few of the earlier Hunters a few steps up in size from what I have now - and the wife was less than impressed

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[jephotog]

Lots to choose from

At 20K, and looking for more space and plush accomodations, there are a ton of 30 footers that would have a nice sized head, double berth, standing headroom and decent galley.

Off the top of my head.
Catalina 30 if you want some luxury
J30 If you want some performance.

Plenty of well built boats 28-30 ft could be hand in that price range though.

 

[rdstanley]

I would highly recommend a Catalina 30. Tremendous space. My situation was similar. We had a Ericson 26 that the admiral did not like. She soon lost interest in it. We looked at a Catalina 30, she feel in love with it and we are very happy with it.

Just my thoughts....

 

[imiloa]

A little bigger boat

There are a large number of Ericsons on Lake Michigan as many were sold out of Larsen Marine across the lake from you in Waukegan. The 80s vintage 27, 28, and 28+ are very solid, good sailing, well-finished boats that could be had in your price range. There are quite a few on the lake. (Also a very large online owners community.) Good luck in your search for your next boat.

 

[defensible]

Trying to answer your original question.

There are 3 28's at our Iowa marina. All are very well kept, fresh water boats. I've been sailing my new to me in August of 08 and competing in Wednesday night beer can races. I replaced my headsail this spring, but sail with the 1993 original main and am able to finish in the middle of the pack against Capri 22's, Catalina 30's and 34's. I haven't had to put a lot of work into the boat. However, I wonder about the condition of the 28's that you are looking at in the $20,000 range. I paid $30,000 for mine with trailer, replaced the headsail, added adjustable Genoa tracks and a back stay adjuster.

Good luck in your search.

 

[jjns]

TSP -
We started out on an '89 H28. Great little boat, a few things we didn't like but isn't there always something. The aft cabin is rather cave'ish but works well just the same, for us the biggest complaint was the floor of the head, due to it's location, the floor is not flat, so when sitting down upon the throne, your right foot is trying to find a home on a slanted surface, didn't bother me so much, wife HATED it.
The Vee-birth is comfortable enough (we used the cave as I am over 6 ft tall and the admiral was left with no foot room) and has a little screen to pull across for privacy.
We did find it a little inconvenient to crawl across the settee's to access the forward birth and the table was not of the best design, 20 years might have had something to do with that too but the fold-down sides would not produce a flat table when unfolded. Mostly little gripes, nothing that would stop me from recommending it though.

We also found Hunter service to be first rate, we required a new prop strut when we bought and I could of had one made but the nice people at Hunter had one on the shelf and I received it in a matter of days, price was reasonable too.

If I had any complaints with build quality, there always seemed to be a few more cracks thru the gel coat after spending some time on the hard.

One more thing to consider is resale value, while it is a perfectly good boat, when you choose to sell it, the prospective buyer will be reading the same articles that you are now. And listening to all of "those people" that keep harping about how bad a Hunter is. Just something to keep in mind.

The catalina 30 is a good recommendation, definitely worth looking into and they have the added bonus of a good reputation.

If you really like the layout of the 28, you may want to consider the 30. Much nicer down below, bigger aft cabin that is not so enclosed, better engine access, flat floor in the head.....

Have fun, see lots of boats, take your camera and a notepad. After a while, all the boats seem to blend in the memory, and some of the details can get lost.

Most of all don't get discouraged. When we boat our first boat, we looked at about 30 others before finding "the one". Our second search was a lot more work, easily saw over 50 boats.
We lost count of the number of boats that were "well maintained and in excellent shape" that had damaged keels/hulls/engines, broken stuff, rotted stuff.......

It can be VARY discouraging to drive for 4 hours to see your dream boat only to find out it that is might have been, 20 years ago (when the pictures were taken).

Good luck.

 

[TheSeaPenguin]

Looks like I will have to take a closer look at the Catalina 30, I had written it off early on - and it sounds like it deserves a closer look.

jjns - Really appreciate the reply, have some great stuff in there that I am going to have to consider.

defensible - I am hoping the prices I am looking at will be attached to reasonable boats, since I am looking at the mid - late 80s for the most part (28.5s) and all are cradle boats, but your point is well taken. Especially with the build concerns.

Thanks all!

 

[aerie]

I agree that you should look at the Catalina 30. I have friends who cruise extensively on theirs all over the Great Lakes. I was surprised to see how roomy it was down below for a 30-foot boat.

 

[soulfinger]

Also, you have to take what you read at "yachtsurvey.com" with more than a grain of salt. They don't have anything nice to say about anything. They're mainly powerboat guys, and they have a "if it's not a bertram it's crap" attitude.

There's a couple of early 90's hunter 29's (I think) around me, and they're nice looking boats, and don't suffer from some of the somewhat dated styling you see in other hunters.

 

[TheSeaPenguin]

I went and saw a Catalina 30, and I can't say I was impressed.

Everything was too short by 6 inches. The table could be lowered to have a berth in the seating area, but was 6 inches to short in every direction to actually be able to lay down straight. The aft berth was great, except it was almost impossible to fit under the cockpit on the centerline portion of the berth, 6 inches of more room would have been enough.

There wasn't an honest double berth on that boat that didn't end in a point.

Is this changed in later years? (This one was an '81) What kind of room on the Hunter 28/28.5 is there under the cockpit? I know I can't expect the world, but it appeared to have room to lower the aft berth by more than a few inches... Once more pizza and I would be touching the bottom of the cockpit...

soulfinger - I took a look at the rest of yachtsurvey.com and you are right, wow. While it doesn't make me think I will take the Hunter 28 across the Atlantic, I am not quite as concerned about that "review." Thanks for pointing that out!

 

[Faster]

While the C30 can lay claim to being one of the roomier '30 footers' around, the lack of clearance in the aft berth under the cockpit is a real problem... I can also see the limitations in terms of berth length for the taller set. It's hard to beat the Catalina support, though, and the widespread re-sale rep.

I think from a design/styling standpoint the late 80s to early 90s Hunters (legend series) have a lot going for them. Whether the build qualitiy is a universal problem during that era I can't say for sure. I like the fractional rigs and the layouts - we have friends with an earlier 40 (huge!) and others with an early 90s 37.5.. lovely boat that feels solid and sails well.

There is one other issue with the late 80s Hunters that you may want to watch for. I've seen several models that had a almost-impossible-to-get-rid-of strong urea-like odor. The '85 40 and an '89 31 were two cases in poiint. This is an obnoxious smell that can be somewhat 'cured' by regular ozonation, but it's never gone and can be smelt on the clothes of those that liveaboard such models. It seems by the 90s it was gone.. don't know the cause for sure, but perhaps it was from some of the glues used during construction. Others have speculated that it was from trapped pockets of bilge water within the liner systems, I suppose that's possible too. I'm also not sure its a problem across the board, but I seen/smelt it often enough to think it might be.

 

[TheSeaPenguin]

Faster - thanks for your comments. Was the urea-like odor obvious enough that I would notice it when first entering the boat? Or is it going to be something I would notice 2 weeks after buying it?

 

[Faster]

If it's there you'll know it... if it shows up in a couple of weeks, splurge on a marina and take a shower!

 

[defensible]

Check tanks

On the Hunters, check to see if they have changed waste tanks to plastic. Hunter had used an aluminum tank that has to be changed on many of the boats. I suppose the failure of some of the tanks may have something to do with chemicals used in them, the amount of water used when flushing (they say 7 pumps), and how long the contents were usually left standing. That said, my tank is fine, knock on wood, on my 93 Hunter 28 and no urine smell.

 

[TheSeaPenguin]

defensible - Thanks for the information on the tankage. Definetly something I will have to look into.

Faster - I don't understand... How often are you supposed to shower? I thought that was whenever you did the bottom paint...