Hunter Horizon 26 versus MG Spring 25

Vamoose said:
I owned one for 5 years from new

Great fun , get the trim right they go like a rocket, can be a bit tender.. Need to reef early when it gets draughty.

Twin rudders worked well

Drying out. Not a problem. Did it lots .....saved on lifts for anti fouling

Side decks.. Good when sailing, need getting used to when upright.

Stacks of room for 2 persons, bit cosy for more

We used to take her Holland and France for holidays regularly from the East Coast..

Early models built in Canvey had problems with masts, but was sorted out

Early models guardrail stanchion . Check supports. We had to get the bases on ours reinforced

Otherwise we loved it
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I think I'll take a look at one. I'm curious if the layout (and Hunter 26 layout) will work for me. I also want to start clocking up some miles for my Yachtmaster so will be doing longer passages. I'm happy if they're fast passages but want the boat to be reasonable out in the 'blue stuff' :)
 
Fire99,

I'm sure you're way ahead of me, but as you'll be looking at various boats here's a tip I learned the hard way after I bought a Carter 30; always try laying down on all the berths, don't go by eyesight alone as looks can be very deceiving !

Re the TS240, love the exhibitionist loo.
 
Seajet said:
Fire99,

I'm sure you're way ahead of me, but as you'll be looking at various boats here's a tip I learned the hard way after I bought a Carter 30; always try laying down on all the berths, don't go by eyesight alone as looks can be very deceiving !
Click to expand...

Thanks, it's a good point. A bit like show houses that use reduced sized furniture and removed doors. Sleeping is important to me so I'll be sure to check berth sizes (and comfort) :)
 
bendyone said:
Cleaning it up costs little except for time, but having a recent engine is good.
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Don't get me wrong, the spec. is good. Just find it surprising that people leave general 'toot' (is it too much to move empty bottles and a packet of pringles?) lying around when trying to sell a boat. A nice clean and tidy boat makes such a difference when it's a buyers market.
 
I'd imagine that the MG Spring would perform similarly to our old Evolution 25, by comparison with which the Hunter will be rather slow and lack the performance you're after.

As already mentioned, an Evolution is well worth a look and really quite Tardis like. Here are a few pics of our old one to give an idea of how much space there is.
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/syllogismcheck/slideshow/Trifle Sale
 
I have come along a little late on this discussion, but having previously owned a Spring 25 for a couple of years I thought I would comment. There was also a Horizon 26 at our club and the Spring was certainly a lot faster, the PY handicap rating shows that. I never went aboard the Horizon so cant give much more of a comparison. I found the Spring was very fast down wind, but I struggled to make it go well upwind. As it has already been said it is a tender boat and needs reefing early or a crew dangling their feet over the side in a blow. One of my reasons for not keeping it long was down to my mooring. I had originally thought it would settle in to the soft Medway mud and be ok. It did settle in to the mud, but very rarely upright and I found I constantly had rain water washing around the bilges. It found it way in through the cockpit locker lid.
The accommodation for a 25ft boat is very good, a decent sized aft double cabin, if a bit claustrophobic on the side under the cockpit. A good sized heads compartment, and potentially another 4 berths in the saloon. The V-berth probably more suited to 2 children. Head room was good for the size of boat, I'm about 5'10" and could stand comfortably in the centre of the cabin, but my head brushed the roof by the sink and cooker. The sloping side decks took a little bit of getting used to on the mooring, but give good sitting head room below and are level most of the time when sailing.
By the time I sold it I was beggining to sail it better, reefing earlier, but a change in circumstance allowed me to move on to the Fulmar. It took me nearly a year to sell it, and that was just over 2 years ago at quite a bit less than I really wanted for it. I made the mistake of buying before selling, so was getting a bit desperate. I guess there are some bargains to be had now.
There is a lot of good information on the MG Spring 25 website.
 
FulmarJeddo said:
I have come along a little late on this discussion, but having previously owned a Spring 25 for a couple of years I thought I would comment. There was also a Horizon 26 at our club and the Spring was certainly a lot faster, the PY handicap rating shows that. I never went aboard the Horizon so cant give much more of a comparison. I found the Spring was very fast down wind, but I struggled to make it go well upwind. As it has already been said it is a tender boat and needs reefing early or a crew dangling their feet over the side in a blow. One of my reasons for not keeping it long was down to my mooring. I had originally thought it would settle in to the soft Medway mud and be ok. It did settle in to the mud, but very rarely upright and I found I constantly had rain water washing around the bilges. It found it way in through the cockpit locker lid.
The accommodation for a 25ft boat is very good, a decent sized aft double cabin, if a bit claustrophobic on the side under the cockpit. A good sized heads compartment, and potentially another 4 berths in the saloon. The V-berth probably more suited to 2 children. Head room was good for the size of boat, I'm about 5'10" and could stand comfortably in the centre of the cabin, but my head brushed the roof by the sink and cooker. The sloping side decks took a little bit of getting used to on the mooring, but give good sitting head room below and are level most of the time when sailing.
By the time I sold it I was beggining to sail it better, reefing earlier, but a change in circumstance allowed me to move on to the Fulmar. It took me nearly a year to sell it, and that was just over 2 years ago at quite a bit less than I really wanted for it. I made the mistake of buying before selling, so was getting a bit desperate. I guess there are some bargains to be had now.
There is a lot of good information on the MG Spring 25 website.
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That's very interesting. Always good to hear from a previous owner of a prospective boat. How do you find the Fulmar in comparision? Very different boats I'd wager. Certainly the Spring sounds an interesting boat to check out though I guess my only concern is on longer passages if her tender nature may be a bit wearing.. Maybe I want the best of all worlds.. haha
 
I know I'm kinda throwing these out into the mix but for a slightly larger boat, any thoughts on the Beneteau First 28 (with a lifting keel) ? It seems a little more grown up than the MG and Hunter but would be interested in its sailing performance? A Good compromise on 'sea going' and performance?
 
FulmarJeddo said:
but I struggled to make it go well upwind. As it has already been said it is a tender boat and needs reefing early or a crew dangling their feet over the side in a blow.
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I need to counter that.

Ballast ratio is 48% from memory. Standing on the sidedeck will confirm that. What you get with a Spring is a much bigger sail area, so it may seem like you need to reef 'early'. In other words, you get more power built in. It's up to the driver to moderate it.
 
boguing said:
I need to counter that.

Ballast ratio is 48% from memory. Standing on the sidedeck will confirm that. What you get with a Spring is a much bigger sail area, so it may seem like you need to reef 'early'. In other words, you get more power built in. It's up to the driver to moderate it.
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Interesting. I read on another thread of a test sale taking place in an F8 so clearly not strictly tender.

n
 
I see my old spring Recoil is up sale with harbour yacht brokers in Poole

Vamoose said:
I owned one for 5 years from new

Great fun , get the trim right they go like a rocket, can be a bit tender.. Need to reef early when it gets draughty.

Twin rudders worked well

Drying out. Not a problem. Did it lots .....saved on lifts for anti fouling

Side decks.. Good when sailing, need getting used to when upright.

Stacks of room for 2 persons, bit cosy for more

We used to take her Holland and France for holidays regularly from the East Coast..

Early models built in Canvey had problems with masts, but was sorted out

Early models guardrail stanchion . Check supports. We had to get the bases on ours reinforced

Otherwise we loved it
Click to expand...
 
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