Hunter 26 / 27 experts

[fastjedi]

It's looking like the sailing bug is about to bite even harder. Sometime in the next 12 months I am going to have to by a grown up yacht. I would be looking to keep it in the south west, probably Plymouth. For the first season I guess I would be happy to coastal sail ... but want something I can grow into - France / Channel Islands

The Hunter 26 / 27 / 272 / 273 looks favourite at the moment (not that I have had an opportunity to sail one yet) I think I want twin keel / inboard engine ... but am in danger of being seduced by cheaper / later outboard variants.

Can anyone outline the key differences between the 26 / 27 / 272 / 273 and what is there to look out for?




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[bendyone]

Try

http://www.hunterassociation.org.uk

We have a Horizon 26 kept in Plymouth, the main differance between the 26 and 27 is a longer stern and larger keels. The inside space is the same. The 26 costs less and are older but still very good boats.

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[JackFrobisher]

Our first boat was a Horizon 26. Can't comment on the 27s but they looked identical apart from the sugar scoop.

We are Solent-based and went all over the place from Calais to Salcombe to the Channel Islands. We even went to Paris via the French canals. The rig is easy to take down and the mast weighs only about 50 kilos so is easy to move and stow.

Overall, the boat sails well and is very manoeuvrable under power. Very comfortable for two, "cosy" for four, as long as you are friends. We had ours for nine years.

Boats with outboards are cheaper, but you lose the cockpit locker and the mechanism for raising and lowering the outboard is prone to "being difficult". You can however, take the engine home for the winter or if there is a problem with it.

Boats with inboards must have the correct prop. This sounds obvious but ours was over-propped when we bought it. The Yanmar 1GM is a great small diesel but needs to achieve its maximum revs to produce a decent speed in the H26. Anything less and a heavy sea or a strong headwind will almost stop it.

One last thing, we always felt that the fresh water tank was rather small.

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[jamesjermain]

The 26 was the original, the 27 had an extended transom for a longer sailing waterline and greater speed and was more of a cruiser racer, particularly when fitted with a fin keel rather than twins. The 272 and 273 were updates of the 27. OOD models are equipped to class rules for racing.

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[Benbow]

And I have a 26 for sale ! We put a flexible water tank under the S berth and opened up the old tank for storage, works well. Delivery to S coast - no problem !

(Sorry if this is geting monotonous, Dickies of Bangor have had it for 3 weeks now and still not listed it)

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[alldownwind]

We had a 26 as our first cruiser. They sail brilliantly. In a blow they can be rather 'bouncy' in a rough sea, feel a bit insecure although in fact they are nothing of the sort.
We bought one with an outboard because we thought it would be a less complex boat and you could take the engine home to fix it if there's a problem. In hindsight I think it was a mistake. Under power with the outboard it was a bit of a so-and-so especially in astern, the engine being offset. The lifting mechanism was awkward and I was forever straining my back with the thing. And an outboard is much more prone to niggly faults than a diesel anyway.
We ended up putting a 1GM10 into it, we acquired a second hand one at a very good price. The boat was transformed. Also ludicrously economical to run, it used one pint of fuel an hour! Getting the cockpit locker back is a great benefit too.
The heads is rather cramped on the 26, the toilet faces directly in from the side of the boat as I recall and I found it impossible to pull my trousers up without opening the heads door!! On the 27, I think the toilet was angled into the corner which ought to be better.
Great little starter boat though. I remember our first serious trip from North Kent, one inclement September, when we found ourselves in Burnham Yacht Harbour, our little yacht all dishevelled and salt-stained, tied up amongst enormous and pristine multihulls which didn't look as though they often went anywhere. We really felt quite smug about it!

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