Hunter boats? any views

[jamesjermain]

Bully for him.I still think they are cheaply fitted out & toy like looking.Each to his own.

All right, I am going to enter this debate. I agree with you, Nicholas123 - and with Seajet. I think some of the Hunters do look a little toy-like - dinky - particularly the Medina, Sonata and Impala. But I can assure you, Nicholas, they were extremely well made. The methods they used were simple (no GRP linings until very recently and no sandwich construction) for easy maintenance and repair and this meant that sometimes the decks flexed a little more than some people were used to. But at least they never became crunchy as some balsa and foam cored decks do.

In most of my reviews of Hunters I would describe the interior as 'simple', 'basic' or even 'spartan' and Peter Poland and I would have occasional spats. But again the keynote was toughness and easy maintenance above fashion and frippary.

I owned a Sonata lifting keel which the five of us (inc three daughters under eight) would cruise between Chichester and Poole with occasional forays to the West Country. She was the only 23 footer then that could sleep five and was fitted with a proper sea toilet. My wife produced splendid suppers on the two-burner Origo stove.

Madrigal went through some pretty severe weather and harsh treatment but in four seasons I don't think anything broke. Mind you, since she lived in a mudberth for two years, the keel would regularly jam. Amazingly she sailed almost as well with it up and down!

 

[AngusMcDoon]

It's a shame the Sonata cannot continue to be made at a economically viable price as they must have the strongest following of any boat of its size.

 

[Nicholas123]

A novice chum bought a grp twin keel Kestrel 22 - yes there is confusion with the plywood lift keeler - on E-Bay one evening after a bottle of wine !

I'm sure he won't mind me saying she is no sailing boat; if that's Nicholas 123's idea of sailing nirvana it explains a great deal !

I can't remember saying it was sailing nirvana seajet those are your words though I did have a hell of a lot of fun in it & gained some quite incredible experience.
It is the fact that I never considered it remotely a race horse that it so surprised me when I ran rings around that Hunter Pilot.A boat you will appreciate was quite a bit bigger & came from that stable that they make all sorts of claims for.

 

[Nicholas123]

All right, I am going to enter this debate. I agree with you, Nicholas123 - and with Seajet. I think some of the Hunters do look a little toy-like - dinky - particularly the Medina, Sonata and Impala. But I can assure you, Nicholas, they were extremely well made. The methods they used were simple (no GRP linings until very recently and no sandwich construction) for easy maintenance and repair and this meant that sometimes the decks flexed a little more than some people were used to. But at least they never became crunchy as some balsa and foam cored decks do.

In most of my reviews of Hunters I would describe the interior as 'simple', 'basic' or even 'spartan' and Peter Poland and I would have occasional spats. But again the keynote was toughness and easy maintenance above fashion and frippary.

I owned a Sonata lifting keel which the five of us (inc three daughters under eight) would cruise between Chichester and Poole with occasional forays to the West Country. She was the only 23 footer then that could sleep five and was fitted with a proper sea toilet. My wife produced splendid suppers on the two-burner Origo stove.

Madrigal went through some pretty severe weather and harsh treatment but in four seasons I don't think anything broke. Mind you, since she lived in a mudberth for two years, the keel would regularly jam. Amazingly she sailed almost as well with it up and down!

Sounds reasonable to me & I would'nt argue with you except,I don't think good quality fitting out & attention to detail would necessarily amount to "fashion & frippery." It could add considerably to the overall bill & that would put them beyond the mass market where they are obviously made for.

 

[jamesjermain]

Agreed

 

[rotrax]

I can't remember saying it was sailing nirvana seajet those are your words though I did have a hell of a lot of fun in it & gained some quite incredible experience.
It is the fact that I never considered it remotely a race horse that it so surprised me when I ran rings around that Hunter Pilot.A boat you will appreciate was quite a bit bigger & came from that stable that they make all sorts of claims for.

I think the Hunter Pilots are a small fairly heavy cruiser with a small sail plan, so I would not expect them to be quick. Seem to attract a dedicated following of enthusiasts from the gathering I saw in Yarmouth last September. The only British Hunter I have experience of is a 27 OOD. Deep winged keel, big rig and quite sporty. Fairly tender and handled like a big dinghy-went better flat. The 27 OOD was a syndicate boat and our first venture into sailing. For what it cost it was good value and certainly not cheap and nasty. Not the same quality as other boats we have owned since, but they cost proportionaly far more. I would have no qualms about serious passage making in a Hunter in reasonable conditions. Good solid boats IMHO.

 

[Seajet]

While the Hunter Pilot is not to my taste, and doesn't follow the ethos of earlier Hunters, I think it or virtually anything else would have to be having a bad day for a Kestrel to get past...

 

[Zagato]

I quite like the look of the Sonata, it's kind of sharp looking, better than the others I reckon, I would and maybe should have one with a lifting keel!

Jamesjermain - you mentioned Madrigal. If that is sail number 1018 it's up for sale for £4995.

http://www.sonata.org.uk/boatsforsale/index.php

Hmm wonder if i can persuade the old man he needs another boat

 

[Nicholas123]

I think it or virtually anything else would have to be having a bad day for a Kestrel to get past...

That's probably because you have got no real experience of a Kestrel seajet.It's amazing what a good seaboat it turned out to be in practice & I regularly overhauled bigger more fashionable boats in boisterous conditions when their owners confidence was obviously lacking but I'm not here to promote Kestrels.Quality is about something other than just speed seajet & some of us appreciate that!
Maybe you should trade in your Anderson seajet & buy something with a bit of character?

 

[TimBennet]

I quite like the look of the Sonata, it's kind of sharp looking . . .

I think the Hunter Sonatas, Impalas (and Sigma 33's) have all aged quite nicely. For IOR inspired boats of that era, they are amongst the better looking.
They are also tough - there's no structural issues with them and with 450 Sonatas being thrashed around the cans for 30 years, any short comings would have surfaced by now.

Several years ago, one Sonata on its way to the Nationals by road was involved in an accident. The car and trailer both flipped over and the boat went skidding along the motorway. Some club colleagues of the driver heard about what happened, and as they had already launched their boats, took an empty trailer back up to the crash site. The recovery men lifted the boat onto the trailer and they made the practice race start on time. The car and original trailer were right-offs. The scratches were deeper than 'T-Cut' depth, but there was no structural damage from hitting the tarmac at 50mph.

 

[Seajet]

I reckon I know a bit about quality, which is why I have the boat I do; quality is not just decent build, it's decent design too !

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I reckon I know a bit about quality, which is why I have the boat I do; quality is not just decent build, it's decent design too !

You beloved boat was never very popular though, was it? Outsold many times over by 450 Sonatas, 1100 Hurleys, over 1500 J22's...

To me, that says a lot about a design.

 

[Seajet]

You beloved boat was never very popular though, was it? Outsold many times over by 450 Sonatas, 1100 Hurleys, over 1500 J22's...

To me, that says a lot about a design.

Angus,

I know you are keen to be insulting, but it doesn't cut much ice...

The Anderson was always an expensive boat, and at nearly 200 sold was considered very successful, as the yards' main work was for the MOD this was as much as they could handle anyway.

Andersons had built boats of various kinds - trad' fishing to racing - since 1917.

The Anderson 22 was a development of the Hunter 701 you speak so highly of, Peter Poland of Hunters was not happy about that.

3 crossed the Atlantic and one survived bouncing on a reef, she was later used as an advert at boat shows exhibited as she came back.

The magazine reviewers at Small Boat, Yachting World, PBO and Sailing Today ( the last two being on my boat ) seem to have agreed with me with titles like ' Andersons' All Rounder ' and ' Legendary Lift Keeler '

Now stop sulking just because I mentioned the narrow safety margin of your multihull thingie; BTW how many of those sold, in a yard doing nothing else ?

 

[PeteCooper]

So yet again a reasonable thread degenerates into why Anderson 22s are the best.
It's like a stuck record.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Now stop sulking just because I mentioned the narrow safety margin of your multihull thingie; BTW how many of those sold, in a yard doing nothing else ?

Me sulk! I'm completely I think you are confused again.

No idea how many made. I'm sure the manufacturer can answer that one for you. Would you like their phone number?

Why did Anderson go out of business then if they made the best boat ever? Maybe side-decks came back in fashion. 1500 J22's, and J still around making boats and making a profit. Got any pictures you can post of an A22 so I can compare?

 

[Nicholas123]

I reckon I know a bit about quality, which is why I have the boat I do; quality is not just decent build, it's decent design too !

Could'nt agree more & this is what I'd buy if I were in the market for a 22 footer now.http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/advert.phtml?id=287429

Yours does look a bit like a submersible seajet now come on admit it

 

[PaulR]

must happily admit to liking hunters - first boat we had was a europa , second a delta lift keel and 5th a 272 , also agree with thrust of others comments that the hunters have been solidly and simply built - not elaborate - not fancy , but straightforward , good value, easy to maintain and pleasant to sail


always wondered where each of them are now ?

europa Folly, mustard colour last saw her at burnham marina a long time ago!
delta lift keel Celox - sold by my insurers to fellow club member at Orwell YC following sinking in 1987 hurricane and last I saw she was still sailing there but that also was a long time ago
272 twin keel - Rumdoodle we sold her about 2001/2 and not seen her since

 

[Lucky Duck]

must happily admit to liking hunters - first boat we had was a europa , second a delta lift keel and 5th a 272 , also agree with thrust of others comments that the hunters have been solidly and simply built - not elaborate - not fancy , but straightforward , good value, easy to maintain and pleasant to sail

That pretty much sums it up for me - good, honest boats.

On you second point I do wonder where our old Ranger 265 is now, we sold her in 2001 to a retired gentleman. Saw him out a couple of times on the Orwell that season then have never seen him since. Hull number was 13 and was called "Sign High" - definately not my choice of name!

 

[Zagato]

Perhaps we ought to start a where's my old boat, lost & found thread. I wonder if you could do it with old girlfriends

 

[tyce]

I have to admit that i quite like the A22 having sailed on them regularly many years ago and they are quite a handy boat in varied conditions, however the Sonata is a far nicer looking boat and sails the socks of A22's in any races i have been present in (not me sailing on either boat just observing).