Buying a Legend

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I am just about to sign an order for a new Legend 356. Uo to now I have only owned power boats.
Anyone got any comments on Legends?
 

davidwf

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Cannot comment on legend but I can give you a tip as a result of my buying a new yacht two years ago. That is don't rush the launch, take it slowly when it arrives, and go over the yacht with a fine toothcomb. Although my problems were fixed quickly they wouldn't have happened if I'd taken time to inspect the boat properly before launch.

In fact I would hire a surveor to give it a once over before you take delivery.

Simple things like the heating system being incorrectly wired (it sort of worked at first glance ), the mains input socket having live and neutral reversed and the big issue of loose keel bolts. All fixed under warranty but a little less haste on my part to take delivery may well have allowed the distributor to find them. Although I doubt that, hence the recommendation to get a surveor to give the once over.
 

brian_neale

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To put my remarks in context, you must know that I am buying a new, traditionally styled, long keel gaffer, whose lead ballast alone weighs as much as some modern boats of the same LOA. Nevertheless, I do recognise that many people's sailing needs are different to mine (like getting to Cherbourg while I am still fiddling about with running backstays and topsails in the Solent...).

I took a look at a Legend at the boat show, mainly to see what a typical and very popular modern boat looks like, and it happened that the Legend stand was quieter than others at the time. The salesman was leaping about quite a bit, having just been showing the boat to someone else, and I was amazed at how much various bits of the boat bent as he stepped heavily on them. Things like cockpit locker lids, the cockpit sole - bits that are frequently stood and jumped on. I am sure that it is strong enough for what it is designed to do. Did not give me much confidence, however, and I would worry about how long glass fibre would last with that kind of flexing without starting to craze, and how strong the bits I could not see were. Not to speak of that crazy mast staying mechanism, paring mast size to a minimum.

Light, fast, comfortable in a marina. Definitely all of those. Beyond that - I would really want to see it in action before buying.
 

Stemar

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"The fiberglass content of the hull is about as little as it could be without falling apart. The hull bottom was so thin that it frightened me"

Not my words, nor about your model, but from a surveyor looking at a Hunter Legend 28. The whole article is at http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/hunter28.htm.

Of course, new boats may be better built, but I suggest you read ithe article before you commit yourself.

Another point to consider is that most of the Legends I've seen have no backstay. I'd be concerned about the strength of such a rig in a bad squall. To brace the mast, the shrouds are swept back quite a long way, which means you may not be able to depower the main in that same squall. I'm no expert, and it's all strictly IMHO, but that's not a setup I'd be keen to trust my life to.
 

Jules

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356 looks like a super boat. I have a 310, not kept in a marina, but sailed in NW Britain.
My next boat will be a 356. The rubbish in this post about rig and hull thickness is just that, as my boat is strongly built and the new ones even have Kevlar reinforcing in bow sections. The rig works well under all points of sail, but the only advice would be to reef early as the sailplan is large and to go for the deep keel version. Look at Hunterowners.com for polite US owners forum.
If you buy a 356 you will be delighted. Opal are good to deal with, but like any volume product spend a lot of time checking everything out at handover. The factory is just down the road.
 

Eudorajab

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I have owned my35.5 now for many years and sailied far and wide in all conditions and in more instnaces that I care to remember where the salty seadawg "heavy mob" are sitting in their cockpits, harbour bound remonstrating with the wind gods and talking a good sail and more times than not have heard the proverbial "you cant be going out in this weather"!! (I thought wind is what sailboats were made to use to make them go). Forget all the BS. Legends are fast, comfortable and extremely reliable boats. Check out the hunter owners web at hunterowners.com infomative posts and hints tips and advice. After all, how many hurricanes do we have over here ?? P.S if you find out the name of the yard in wherever who refuses to lift out legends as mentioned in another post you will probably find they use a forklift to lift the boats. What a load of tosh.

Enjoy your legend .. they are great boats. P.S there is a uk legend owners association as well. I think its loa.co.uk or legendowners.co.uk.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Eudorajab on Wed Jan 23 08:12:23 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
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