Hunter 30 Review, a 1970s Hunter Sailboat That Still Earns Its Keep

The affordable fantasy that launched Hunter sailboats

Hunter sailboats began as a response to the 1973 oil embargo. Founded by Warren Luhrs as an offshoot of the Silverton powerboat business and based in Alachua, Florida, Hunter Marine set out to build sailboats in high volume at low prices by standardizing designs and changing tooling as little as possible. The boats were marketed as the affordable fantasy and came with a Cruise Pac of sails, dock lines, fenders, life jackets and extinguishers when rivals sold pulpits and lifelines as options.

The Hunter 30, drawn by John Cherubini, was one of the first three models alongside the 25 and 27. Sailboatdata and Wikipedia date production from 1973 to 1983, Practical Sailor from 1974, and about 1,000 were completed, some of them as the Quest 30, a bare-hull kit for owners to finish themselves. For many sailors who grew up in Florida in the 1970s and 1980s, the Hunter 30 was the boat they dreamed about, and Practical Sailor's recent owner survey found boats passed down through two generations, sailed to the Caribbean and back, and used as cheap homes through graduate school.

A MORC-era hull with a lot of room inside

Practical Sailor notes that the hull length is 29 ft 11 in, the maximum under the then-popular Midget Ocean Racing Club rule, with short overhangs giving a long 25 ft 9 in waterline. The beam, just over 10 feet, was moderate for the 1970s; the Catalina 30 is nine inches wider. The hull is very full to maximize interior volume, with a conventional fin keel drawing 5 ft 3 in, a shoal keel option and a keel and centerboard version, and a skeg ahead of the rudder.

Displacement is 9,700 pounds with 4,100 pounds of ballast, a ballast ratio of about 42 percent. Sail area on the standard masthead rig is 453 square feet; a tall rig, roughly 2 ft 10 in higher, was built for light-air areas. Practical Sailor cautions that company literature listed the same ballast for both keels, which would make the shoal boat more tender, and suggests the deep keel unless you really need the shallower draft.

Better under sail than its reputation

Practical Sailor raced a Hunter 30 in more than 20 knots of wind with old sails, almost no sail controls and a rough bottom, and still found it went to windward respectably in a serious fleet, reached and ran competitively, and took first in its main-and-jib class. The magazine described it as responsive and easy to steer, slightly under-rigged with its short mast, and better in a breeze than in light air. A 130 percent furling genoa suited heavy air; owners in light-air regions use 155 or 170 percent genoas.

Its PHRF rating of 186 in the New England fleet should be favorable, and Wikipedia lists ratings from 180 for the tall rig to 192 for the shoal boat. Rigged with modern sails and proper controls, it should keep pace with other 30 footers of its era such as the Pearson 30, the standard-rig Catalina 30 and the O'Day 30.

On deck: narrow side decks and painted nonskid

The wide cabinhouse shows where Cherubini's priorities lay. The side decks are narrow and getting past the chainplates to leeward under sail can mean climbing onto the cabin top. The foredeck is small, but 1978 and later boats have a self-draining anchor well large enough for two anchors. A wheel was standard, and a T-shaped cockpit replaced the original bench seats after the 1980 models; the older benches let you lie down but trap water and benefit from added drains.

Early Hunters used a painted-on nonskid aggregate rather than a molded pattern, so most boats have long since been repainted or covered with nonskid mat. Original deck gear was minimal: one pair of jib sheet winches, no main halyard winch, no vang, no backstay adjuster. Most surviving boats have been upgraded, and many are now rigged for singlehanding from the cockpit.

Interior volume was the selling point

Almost every owner Practical Sailor surveyed mentioned the space below, especially for the price. The layout is conventional: a V-berth forward with storage beneath, a roomy enclosed head with a shower and a hanging locker opposite, settee berths either side of a drop-leaf table, an L-shaped galley with the sink under the companionway, and a quarter berth to port with a small chart table at its head. Hunter was one of the first production builders to fit numerous opening ports as standard.

The finish is plain and the joinery was a common complaint, along with door hinges and hardware. The original alcohol stove, thin icebox insulation and small water tank have been replaced or upgraded on most boats. The teak veneer cabin sole cannot easily be repaired after water damage and often has to be replaced.

Yanmar 12, 15 or 18, and the repower question

For the first four years the standard engine was a 12 hp Yanmar, reliable but noisy and prone to vibration. After 1978 Hunter fitted a 15 hp Yanmar, later an 18 hp. Most owners considered the power minimal in a head sea. Engine access was criticized by almost everyone Practical Sailor surveyed, and the skeg ahead of the rudder means removing the shaft can require pulling the engine first.

Many boats have been repowered, commonly with a Yanmar 2QM15 or 2GM20F. A documented repower and a three-blade prop make a real difference to usability, though the larger prop costs some sailing speed. Fuel capacity is only about 12 gallons.

The other Hunter 30s: 30-2, 30T and the 2006 boat

Hunter sold the Hunter 30 name on several more boats. The Hunter 30 built from 1988 to 1992, now called the 30-2, is a 10,500 pound fractional-rigged boat with a wing keel drawing 4 ft 3 in, a walk-through reverse transom, 18 gallons of fuel and 37 of water. The Hunter 30T of 1991 to 1994 developed it with a T-shaped cockpit, a swim platform, an 18 hp diesel and sleeping for seven. Adding to the confusion, Wikipedia notes that the 2006 Hunter 31 was also marketed as a Hunter 30.

These later boats have more modern interiors and swim platforms, and owners searching for a hunter 30t sailboat are usually after that extra volume and the easier boarding. They trade a little higher than the Cherubini original but share none of its parts.

Hunter boats after the company

Hunter Marine went through Chapter 11 in 2012 and was sold to David Marlow, becoming Marlow-Hunter. Practical Sailor reports that the company is now closed. For a boat that left production in 1983 this changes little: parts are generic, the Yanmar engines are well supported, and a large network of owners shares refit knowledge. Expect roughly $4,500 to $11,000 a year for a slip or mooring, insurance, haul-out, engine service and small parts.