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Opinions on Hunter 23.5 / 240.
- Thread starter Alan Russell
- Start date Jan 14, 2007
- Hunter Owner Forums
- Smaller Boats
Alan Russell
My wife and I have been sailing our potter on the East and West coasts of Florida for over a year now. We've enjoyed overnighting, but we find the potter a little cramped. In looking for the perfect boat, I managed to step aboard a hunter 23.5 the other day and it seemed pretty good. I do a little open ocean sailing in the potter (within 10 miles of the coast), and mostly sail in semi-protected water. I also like to single hand the boat, and that is very imporant when we have our 19 month old daughter aboard (as someone needs to be dedicated to child happyness). What is the optimum healing angle of the hunter 23.5/240's (I'm assuming the sail about the same, as they are pretty similar)? On the potter anything beyond about 15 degrees of heal is slower (although it can feel fun!). How useable is the portable toilet on the boat? Can a person of normal size manage it without too much work? Are their any weakpoints on the boats that should be looked for, or standard modifications that need to have been made, for example on potters a new rudder bottom half is needed otherwise you get mega weather helm. Can two people really sleep in the aft berth, and how hard is it to get into that berth? Do you guys add a few opening ports so you can get some airflow? Can you sail with the seahood up? When single handing is it hard to operate the motor and the tiller at the same time? I'm in west palm beach, Florida and if you know of one for sale please feel free to email me at kartdude99 AT yahoo.com Also if anyone has a boat in the area where I could take a gander at it and chat, that would bee good too.
potter Do you think the potter is cramped because there are 3 of you on the boat ? Young childern need lots of things . I used to belong to a potter web group a few years ago . Some day s I think I want a smaller boat for trailering distances . Thanks in advance for the input , Mike
P19 I think the Potter 19 is cramped with two people who aren't spry and swvelt. Get past the centerboard trunk/compression post to get to V is hard. Getting into the V is hard especially for the second person (first person tends to get kicked). The head is under the starboard berth, which requires a bed rearrange for a midnight call of nature (and the head on my boat is what keeps the filler cusion from falling through, so moving it to the cockpit wont work unless I rework the cushion). The other issue we have is that the centerboard, if up, acts as a pump and ships water into the cabin. When its down, thats not an issue, but if I want to anchor in shallow water I want it up. Finally, other than the cockpit the boat can't really sit more than two people. Its palatial for a 18' boat. I guess it depends on your type of crusing. My wife and I moved down from 30' RV, so our expectations are different than folks who moved up from back packing. I love the P19. It sails well, and in VERY shallow water. I've sailed downwind in 10" of water!
potter Thank you for an honest answer . I guess I will hang on to my 23 , I am spoiled by the room on it . Take care Mike
Rob Ullinger
Our Sanity has been challenged, but When our kids were younger, we would spend as long as a week on our 23.5 on Lake Erie. We have 5 (five) kids. But we had a lot of fun. The first time we stayed in Cedar Point Marina, a Great Lakes tourist hot spot with a large amusement park, we were docked near a large, 60'-70' cruiser (power) that had to tie up to the end of the pier, as it was too big for the normal docks. I watched the family of 4 step down onto the pier one morning in their neatly pressed shorts and shirts, then our kids, quite frumpled, kept coming and coming, sort of like a clown car in a circus. But, the kids did learn that there were times when the boat got the attention of both parents, and their needs did not always come first. On the other hand, at that time both my wife & I worked at jobs that required us to be called to work on very short notice. On the boat, they had the security of knowing that the pagers were turned off, and both Mom & Dad were there until we got back home. They also learned how to work and together, and I feel that our family is much closer because of the summer cruises on our boat. To your questions; The 23.5 is concidered tender by some, as she heels over quick, but stiffens up between 10 & 15 degrees. The first cruise we were on, I announced that the head was full on the evening of our second night at anchor. The next morning, the entire family was on deck and waiting for the water taxi in record time. They insisted that before the next summer, I install a bigger head. We now have a "proper" marine head with a 9 gallon holding tank. Our 23.5 came with clam cleats for the halyards and centerboard. They often slip at the most inoportune times. Newer models come with rope clutches, which is a vast improvement. Newer models also come with an opening port in the aft birth. I made my own version of a "windscoop" that hangs above the forward hatch to direct airflow into the cabin, which makes a huge difference. We do not have the canvas pop top, but we normally sail with the companionway hatch in the lower (horizontil) position, primarily for visibility. I like to see where I'm going. My wife & I generally sleep in the v-berth, mostly beacause I can get on deck quicker from there, while disturbing fewer people in the cabin. Hope this helps. Fair Winds, Rob S/V Kinship
Trailer One thing I forgot to add, the weakest part of the boat is not actually part of the boat. The trailers that were shipped with the boats are grossly under-engineered. If you look in the archives, you will see many threads on trailer modifications and upgrades. Fair winds, Rob S/V Kinship
Thanks guys. I think we are going to supersize! And look for a 260. My wife and I looked at a Catalina 250 WB, and she loved the enclosed head. Then we looked up the specs on the Hunter 260, and saw it weighed less than the cat, had more ballast, and almost a whole foot more of headroom...
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