hunter 18.5 sailboat review

Small Craft Advisor

Hunter 18.5

Simple, fun and forgiving—perfect for the sailing family.

We’re all romantics. Some of us have it worse than others, of course—those with the proverbial wandering eye—and our backyards are a visual testament to both our passion and our lack of impulse control. We’ve got a small marina’s worth of vessels in various states of repair—the sprit-rigged dinghy, the leaky catboat, and the sweet little double-ender that just needs some cosmetic work—in truth we own more boats than we could restore in three lifetimes. Despite what we tell ourselves (and our spouses), not all boat purchases are especially rational decisions.

But the same thing that seems to draw us to certain boats blinds us to others that might, arguably, be a better fit. Some of the more common production fiberglass trailersailers are good examples. Staring at them probably won’t make your heart sing— no portlights, no sweeping sheer line, and not much wood—just angular windows, predictable lines, and lots of white fiberglass. But over the years we’ve found that many of these popular factory boats—which typically aren’t great in any one category but are pretty good in most—deserve more consideration. The Hunter 18.5 is one we felt warranted a closer look.

The buxom little 18.5 was produced from 1987 to 1993 (a quite different water-ballasted Hunter 19 superseded the 18.5 and was built from 1993 to 1996). The 18.5 featured a modern-looking cockpit and a cabin with as many as four berths. The sliding cabin hatch could be slid forward and hinged up, potentially offering something akin to standing headroom below, and the optional “Weekender Package” included a galley with ice chest, stove, and bucket sink. There was also a portable head located beneath the aft end of the V-berth—everything a small family might need for cruising.

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HUNTER 18.5 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of HUNTER 18.5. Built by Hunter Marine (USA) and designed by undefined, the boat was first built in 1987. It has a hull type of Wing Keel and LOA is 5.61. Its sail area/displacement ratio 20.63. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by undefined, runs on undefined.

HUNTER 18.5 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about HUNTER 18.5 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, rig and sail specs, contributions, who builds hunter 18.5.

HUNTER 18.5 is built by Hunter Marine (USA).

When was HUNTER 18.5 first built?

HUNTER 18.5 was first built in 1987.

How long is HUNTER 18.5?

HUNTER 18.5 is 4.72 m in length.

What is mast height on HUNTER 18.5?

HUNTER 18.5 has a mast height of 6.4 m.

Member Boats at HarborMoor

Review of Hunter 18.5

Basic specs., sailing characteristics.

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 5.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Hunter 18.5 is about 68 kg/cm, alternatively 382 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 68 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 382 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

Maintenance

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Hunter 18.5 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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Bet You Didn't Know This About Hunters!

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So why did you use 3M 4200 instead of 3M 5200 for re-bedding the keel?  

On the advice of people far more experienced that I. We considered 5200 but there is ever another problem with the keel, getting it off is as bad, if not worse, than an epoxy bed. 5200 gives the flex but is still a cast-iron bastard to get off if something goes wrong. Since the bolts are there to provide the mechanical attachment to the boat and the bolts on the 340 are 4 1 1/4" and 1 1", they had plenty of strength. 3M 4200 is an adhesive and is still insanely strong. So we accepted it as a compromise to retain a lot of the original bond, allow the keel to flex like it is supposed to and make it actually possible to drop the keel in the event damage is done. And not at the cost of two solid days in the slings and damage to the keel stub in getting it off. 4200 will actually separate. They were recommending a straight bedding compound like they do on race boats. 4200 was the middle ground from a 5200/epoxy bed. Matt  

Is that the super shallow draft version? I hear that is an expensive option! To me it does seem to be strong, but only if there are no air gaps. But of course it is not exactly making for easy maintenance. Seems to me to be a more of a budget cutting measure as I am sure the epoxy that they buy by the tanker full is cheaper than 3M 5200, but is not made for any kind of repairs or maintenance. Kind of like the new "sealed for life" transmissions. Sure fine for the first owner, but not so much so for the second who has to have it rebuilt because they made it so you could not have the fluid changed as part of the scheduled maintenance.  

So, in all this, I'm still wondering what caused the damage in the first place. If it was cracked and leaking toward the aft end of the keel - that sounds like a pretty good grounding.  

We exposed the joint and it appeared to be a hairline crack towards the aft on the port side. Barely visible. There is no evidence of the boat ever having gone aground, we've never been aground since we bought it and the boat has spent its entire life on the Chesapeake Bay. Not impossible to ground and do damage but one of the safest places in the world to do it. I've seen keels with grounding damage. No scrapes, no dents, no chunks removed, nothing on ours. Only evidence of an issue on the keel was the cracking fairing compound and that is a common problem on externally ballasted boats. Inspection found no evidence of any keel damage at all. Our best speculation is given the thinness of the keel profile at the aft is more prone to flex and there isn't a lot of surface area there to bond to. And after putting the keel back on the long keel studs made it hard to get good torque on the nuts. Probably a combination of the long bolts, thin keel and perhaps a light amount of epoxy contributed. We sailed the boat in heavy conditions during a day race and we think that it started the crack to open just enough as the keel flexed in 30 knots of wind and short 4-6 foot chop. The amount of water was negligible. Perhaps a paper towel's worth a day after we splashed following our two weeks on the hard for inspection. I checked the boat twice a day for the six weeks leading up to the repair date. Even the surveyor said it was a long term problem and recommended against repair unless we planned to keep the boat a long time (more than 5 years). Just live with it, sell it and make it someone else's problem. This we obvious did not do. There was no corrosion on the studs and virtually no delamination in the glass in rearmost stud tunnels. So we caught it very early before it had a chance to damage the studs or wreck the rear sump laminate. Crevice corrosion on the bottom of the #4 backing plate but that is not uncommon given the shape of the sump in this area. As I said, speculation at best. Since the repair, the boat is back to being bone dry in the bilge. Matt  

Matt- FWIW "Hunter" went out of business about a year ago. The new owners, who bought the assets, may or may not be building the same way. 5200 requires no mixing but requires a fairly long cure time, days. Eventually it does get quite hard but I suspect it still is more flexible than many epoxies. Epoxy has to be mixed properly and typically cures in hours, or overnight. So besides price, there could be good reasons to use one or the other in the larger manufacturing process.  

hellosailor said: ...FWIW "Hunter" went out of business about a year ago. The new owners, who bought the assets, may or may not be building the same way... Click to expand...

Five, then I've been mislead. A member of one of the ofrums said they went by the Hunter yard and it was padlocked and closed. This was followed by news that they had filed for bankruptcy and subsequently, the new owners bought the assets of the company and were re-opening it again, with no mention that they were also buying the liabilities, specifically, no mention that they would honor existing contracts or warranties. If that's incorrect, then that's incorrect. As you say you've actually spoken to the new owner, it would seem that you've got better information. Have you seen any specific citation that the new company IS honoring past liabilities, including purchase contracts for existing hulls, and warranty expenses? It would seem that they should have been very proud to announce that, if that were the case. I missed the memo?  

hellosailor said: Five, then I've been mislead. A member of one of the ofrums said they went by the Hunter yard and it was padlocked and closed. This was followed by news that they had filed for bankruptcy and subsequently, the new owners bought the assets of the company and were re-opening it again, with no mention that they were also buying the liabilities, specifically, no mention that they would honor existing contracts or warranties. If that's incorrect, then that's incorrect. As you say you've actually spoken to the new owner, it would seem that you've got better information. Have you seen any specific citation that the new company IS honoring past liabilities, including purchase contracts for existing hulls, and warranty expenses? It would seem that they should have been very proud to announce that, if that were the case. I missed the memo? Click to expand...

"perhaps your friend visited them " I never mentioned a friend . or an acquaintance . I said someone on another forum. A friend is someone who will bring you bail money, or any other unlikely request, and ask questions later. An acquaintance is someone you'd be reluctant to call for the same reason as your friend. Some guy online? Could be a dog (old joke) for all you know on the internet. As you say, things change during a bankruptcy sale. The old company and the old ways didn't make a sufficient profit. The new company will make changes to ensure profits. And typically, that means, yes, they will do things differently. If the old company riveted on the wings (like Boeing) or welded on the wings, the new one might glue the wings on. As they are on some modern combat aircraft, even if those are also from Boeing. And with some stuff today, I see glue used in big plants and multiple expensive screws used in smaller plants, where they don't know what glue is. Yet. Slave labor is cheaper than glue. No way to tell unless you call Mr. Marlow and ask, huh?  

"They pretty much told him every single Hunter keel was put on with epoxy. " Heheh. Cheeki Rafiki? Maybe you didn't hear about, what was it, Thursday's Child? A boat custom built for the head of Hunter back around the late 80's, that lost its keel very soon after launching. One might suspect that event inspired someone to use epoxy on the later boats. Ya'think? As to 4300/vs/5200 and peeling off laminates, that sounds like someone doesn't quite have it right. If 4200 and 5200 have "almost the same" bond strength, they will remain bonded to a laminate, or not, in the same way. Given that the strength of laminates will also vary quite a bit, there would have to be a significant difference between the bond strength (4200/5200) and the 4200 would have to be significantly weaker in order to ensure it failed to bond, and released from the laminate. I don't know, I'm not looking those up. Just saying, the (non)numbers don't add up unless there is some significant difference. If you have, say, a six by 36 inch area to bond, that's only 216 square inches, but if the bond strength is 700# per square inch, that's still enough to keep a seventy-five ton keel attached. Assuming the laminate can hold up to that.(G)  

The notion that the keel was held in place by epoxy, and that the keel bolts are essentially superfluous, is very misleading. The epoxy is there to keep the water out, period. Epoxy is very strong stuff, but it is also prone to crack propagation (as you have apparently found out). Therefore, the material tensile strength (e.g., the value given in an earlier post in this thread) may seem pretty impressive, but that is determined using a very small homogeneous specimen under optimal conditions. One little flaw (and there are always flaws under real world conditions) and catastrophic failure is inevitable. Steel, bronze, and iron are much more forgiving, which is one reason they are used in applications with high tensile loads (like keel bolts). I can pretty much guarantee that without bolts your keel would have fallen off a long time ago.  

On a quality-built boat, a hull-keel attachment should be seen as a permanent bond, unlike deck fittings, stanchions, thru-hulls and other fittings that may need to be rebedded, and might be more appropriately sealed with butyl tape or silicone. The two places where 3M 5200 is the ideal adhesive are the hull-keel attachment and the hull-deck attachment. The problem with epoxy in the hull-keel joint is not lack of strength, it is that epoxy cracks. Cracks allow water ingress. Hence, we come to the problem at hand: a leaking keel. Some of you need to pay attention to terminology. There is a difference between "epoxy" and an epoxy putty or mix. Mixing epoxy with another substance lessens its tensile strength and may give it different material properties. "Such improvements are usually achieved at the sacrifice of tensile, flexural, and impact strength (when granular fillers are used). Most fillers reduce the coefficient of thermal expansion and shrinkage in proportion to the amount of filler rather than the type of filler used." from "Dow Liquid Epoxy Resins". http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_0030/0901b8038003041c.pdf?filepath=/296-00224.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc I want the strongest, most flexible adhesive on my hull-keel joint. That is not pure epoxy by any stretch of the imagination. There is an Latin expression used in law: "res ipsa loquitur": "the thing speaks for itself". When you keel leaks and/or falls off, without any apparent, abnormal, impact - that speaks for itself. You can argue against reality all you want without changing it.  

jameswilson29 said: On a quality-built boat, a hull-keel attachment should be seen as a permanent bond, unlike deck fittings, stanchions, thru-hulls and other fittings that may need to be rebedded, and might be more appropriately sealed with butyl tape or silicone. The two places where 3M 5200 is the ideal adhesive are the hull-keel attachment and the hull-deck attachment. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: The problem with epoxy in the hull-keel joint is not lack of strength, it is that epoxy cracks. Cracks allow water ingress. Hence, we come to the problem at hand: a leaking keel. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: Some of you need to pay attention to terminology. There is a difference between "epoxy" and an epoxy putty or mix. Mixing epoxy with another substance lessens its tensile strength and may give it different material properties. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: I want the strongest, most flexible adhesive on my hull-keel joint. That is not pure epoxy by any stretch of the imagination. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: There is an Latin expression used in law: "res ipsa loquitur": "the thing speaks for itself". When you keel leaks and/or falls off, without any apparent, abnormal, impact - that speaks for itself. You can argue against reality all you want without changing it. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: I want the strongest, most flexible adhesive on my hull-keel joint. Click to expand...

Read the initial post. The OP refers repeatedly to Hunter's use of "epoxy", not epoxy putty or an epoxy mixture. My 37 year old Pearson keel does not leak and the bolts look great considering their age; my bilge is usually dry. I don't know what Pearson used in 1977 and I don't know when 3M 5200 came into widespread use. Pearson did do a good job with the basics. Just because many manufacturers do the same thing, does not make it right. Sometimes they use something or do something because it is easiest and/or most economical, or because everyone else is doing it that way. There have been many class-action lawsuits against the participants in particular industries who were all doing something wrong. It might, however, provide a legal defense to someone who follows the herd and uses the same methods and materials. No one is infallible. Every one should do his or her own research. No one should assume someone is always correct because he or she is an "expert" or a "professional". I know you do not like 3M 5200. I know you sell butyl tape and are an advocate for its use. I use butyl tape for the appropriate application. I also use silicone, polyester resin, epoxy resin, thickened epoxy putty, and 5200 for the appropriate application. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I applaud the OP for paying attention to his hull-keel joint. As someone who just repaired his rudder, I share his concern for the basics. Too many boaters are concerned about the latest and greatest gadgets and ignore the basics. Any one who follows the boating news knows that boats are having rudder and keel problems that did not exist, or were not reported, 40 years ago. There is a serious builder and/or industry problem to be addressed when keels start leaking and/or falling off relatively-new boats during normal usage.  

jameswilson29 said: Read the initial post. The OP refers repeatedly to Hunter's use of "epoxy", not epoxy putty or an epoxy mixture. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: My 37 year old Pearson keel does not leak and the bolts look great considering their age; my bilge is usually dry. I don't know what Pearson used in 1977 and I don't know when 3M 5200 came into widespread use. Pearson did do a good job with the basics. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: Just because many manufacturers do the same thing, does not make it right. Sometimes they use something or do something because it is easiest and/or most economical, or because everyone else is doing it that way. There have been many class-action lawsuits against the participants in particular industries who were all doing something wrong. It might, however, provide a legal defense to someone who follows the herd and uses the same methods and materials. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: No one is infallible. Every one should do his or her own research. No one should assume someone is always correct because he or she is an "expert" or a "professional". Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: I know you do not like 3M 5200. I know you sell butyl tape and are an advocate for its use. I use butyl tape for the appropriate application. I also use silicone, polyester resin, epoxy resin, thickened epoxy putty, and 5200 for the appropriate application. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Click to expand...

jameswilson29 said: There is a serious builder and/or industry problem to be addressed when keels start leaking and/or falling off relatively-new boats during normal usage. Click to expand...

Threads like this always make me appreciate the encapsulated keel on my old Cal. Not that encapsulated keels are completely problem free (e.g., the hull/keel lamination can flex if not built thick enough)...but the issues in this thread are pretty much irrelevant to a boat like mine.  

MaineSail for the win. As usual.  

Not really in it for a win just to let folks now that there is more than one way to set a keel, none of them being wrong, just different approaches... Some very, very experienced builders choose epoxy set keels.....  

I love how that trawler mast looks on your boat E! There's been allot of dooms dayers here lately. Sigh.  

Wow, I did not know there were winners and losers in discussions! So, who "won" the SDR thread with the professional delivery boat captain against some douchebag?  

Heh-heh. The douchebag! Obviously! As you well know, counselor, winners and losers are always decided by the preponderance of evidence (see above). I'm just sayin'.  

Oh boy, you asked for it Maine. It's the new FightClub: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/vessels-lost-missing-danger/105421-rallies-gone-wrong.html  

Maine, presumably that green fallen keel was lead. Anyone who has worked with lead for a while would know that lead forms a thin layer of oxide, exactly the same way that aluminum forms a molecular skin and raw iron develops a rust blemish. And that lead oxide layer will prevent any type of adhesive bond to the lead itself. So all it takes is casting the keel on Monday and not cleaning it off when bonding it on Tuesday, and the bond will only be to the oxide layer. And it will fail relatively easily. Which is not to blame everything on the worker or the metal. I've used 5200 on properly cleaned stainless and seen it peel off like silly putty after it cured. No idea why--but it has me convinced that I can't trust 5200 on stainless. On wood or FRP, I trust it just fine. The greatest advantage to keel bolts, is that you can LOOK at them and get some idea about whether they are doing their job. At least most of the time. Looking at a glued joint, you can't tell a damned thing about how well it is working. So you have to trust the builder, who of course always has used the finest skilled labor and has the highest quality product in mind.  

Aloha, we are planning on taking out our Hunter Passage 45 and re-bedding the keel. We have one bolt that is leaking and the last time they took her out and painted her, they just tightened the bolts, after seeing about a cm of gap all around. They placed the boats full weight on the keel and tightened the bolts. Does that sound right? Now 4 years later she is leaking a bit again. Could you please place the pictures of your keel being re-bedded. Thank you  

so you can get it apart if you need to unlike true love 5200 is for ever  

on fiberglass  

Matt Not sure you are still monitoring this forum. I just saw your post today (May 5, 2016) and was curious to learn more and to see photos. Ours is a 2006 H36 with keel issue. First noticed a crack at the hull to keel sump joint on the leading edge and also on the sump to keel flange. This was repaired by sanding down to show no crack and to then epoxy and glass air. Can't recall how we did the keel to sump crack, but definitely did not drop the keel. After repairing from the outside, saw a hairline crack in the bottom of the inside of the sump at the leading edge. Proceeded to gouge out the gelcoat to repair to find water come out. Would like to chat with you on my dime if it is ok with you. regards, Peter  

mpickering said: Trouble-free when it works and beyond incredibly strong. The keel bolts are an afterthought. You don't need them. I have 5 keel bolts, 4 of them 1 1/4" monsters and in an epoxy joint, they are superfluous. Click to expand...

Does this need any special repair unlike the ones mentioned in this thread? Hunter 33 broke loose and grounded. Boat yard sales it needs its inner liner repaired?  

Attachments

Best bet for you would be to start a new thread, as this one is 4+ years old. Based on what I see in your thumbnails, yes it does need to have the keel dropped, the stub and liner and any stringers fixed, and then have the keel properly reattached.  

always good to see a main sail, smacky, and wilson thread dredge though. Ah the good ole days.  

mpickering said: My wife and I are the happy owners of a 2000 Hunter 340. Boat surveyed almost flawlessly a year ago. Had a good season, saw a little rough weather on the Chesapeake and spent the winter in the water. Come the spring, we noticed water kept appearing in the bilge. We'd dry it out, it would come back. Over a couple months, we progressively eliminated sources until we finally began to realize the water was coming from the #4 and #5 aft most keel bolts. Out of an abundance of caution, we hauled the boat, brought the surveyor out and revealed that we likely had a crack in the keel bedding that was letting water in via the keel joint. Recommended repairs was to expose the joint and fill it. Most yards stated the only sure way to repair such an issue was to drop and rebed the keel. After much hand-wringing, the need for safety won out. We contracted for a yard in Annapolis to do the work and got the boat in the keel stand. They pulled the keel nuts and backing plates and we saw water in the tunnels. That cinched it. Hunter owners out there, do you ever wonder why you rarely hear about issues with Hunter keels? Here's the reason: View attachment 35265 That's air. Air from the gap from the saw required to cut away the keel joint to drop the keel. Air across 90% of the joint save for the first 3 keel bolt holes. That is all that is holding 4600+ pounds of lead in the air still attached to the boat. All courtesy of Hunter's preferred bedding compound for keels: Epoxy . I learned a lot that day. The main thing being that Hunters don't have keel issues because the bond is so strong it takes a very hard grounding to damage them. Even the factory was surprised to hear a 340 was getting the keel done. For some reason, lots of builders are putting keels on with epoxy nowadays. It makes sense from a maintenance standpoint. Trouble-free when it works and beyond incredibly strong. The keel bolts are an afterthought. You don't need them. I have 5 keel bolts, 4 of them 1 1/4" monsters and in an epoxy joint, they are superfluous. All five nuts were off and the keel was hanging on the boat from three plugs of epoxy that had formed around the forward 3 keel bolt studs. But epoxy creates stiffness along a joint of dissimilar materials that can and does flex. Hence why you're supposed to bed with something flexible to allow for that motion. As long as it holds up it will be fine. But, as my experience shows, once a little fatigue happens or the joint flexes beyond the tensile strength of the epoxy, it doesn't bend; it cracks. That's what we think happened in our boat. That probably combined with a day at the factory where not enough epoxy was put on the day my keel was bedded on. And when you need to fix it, here's where you wind up: View attachment 35273 Enjoy that view (or cringe in horror) and see what happens when epoxy as a joint compound fails you. The end result, though, was a keel rebed that was better than new. The keel stub was repaired to perfection, the keel was rebedded with 3M 4200 and allowed the keel bolts to be actual bolts to hold the keel on and faired so beautifully you can't find the joint even if you knew where to look. Hunter has apparently been doing this forever. And with few problems to their credit. Until you have one like mine. And so are a lot of other makers which leads me to wonder where they will be once sailing stresses take their toll on what is a butt joint to the bottom of their hulls rather than against a dedicated sump like on my boat. But feel free to share this little tidbit with friends and fellow surveyors. Even our surveyor never knew this about Hunters. I have plenty of pictures of this experience if anyone is curious about the process of dropping an epoxy bedded keel and putting it back on. The end result for us is peace of mind. Matt Click to expand...

15Knots said: Hi Matt, I am faced with what seems to be a similar problem on a 1985 Hunter 28. We are hauling it out in May 2023, so we'll be able to see what's really going on. For right now, it seems to be keel bolt leaks. But I'm not convinced. Anyway, I would love to see more photos and, hopefully, be able to pick your brain on this. Can you reach out to me at [email protected] ? Click to expand...

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Hunter 18.5 - Hunter Marine / STW002395

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• Sailboat Guide

1990 Hunter 18.5

• Description

Seller's Description

This Hunter 185 is in excellent condition (under cover for 25 years) and must be seen. The interior and exterior surfaces are like new, and the boat has everything youd want in a small trailerable vessel. All lines lead to the cockpit for easy single-handling, equipped with an auto-helm autopilot and roller furling.

The Hunter 18.5 is a great boat for day sailing and is suitable for overnight: her cabin offers a V-berth that sleeps 2, a quarter berth that sleeps 1, a porta-potie, 2 side windows, built in coleman cooler, and a portable cook top. Outside her cockpit it seats 4 adults and features a large storage lazerette, a fiberglass motor mount and new tiller steering.

Equipment: Her auxiliary power is a newer Tohatsu 5HP, 4 cycle gas outboard motor, and a 3 gal. fuel tank with very few hours.

It features a shoal draft with 2-foot wing keel: dock lines, and fenders, life vests and tools included.If trailed, the Hunter 185 can be launched in shallow ramps; includes newer tires, main sail with cover, roller furling jib, new 12w battery, bilge pump, stainless steel bow pulpit, life lines, anchor with rode, depth finder, and VHF radio. Trailer is included

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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Hunter 28.5? good or bad

• Thread starter robert gallagher
• Start date Jul 5, 2006
• Forums for All Owners
• Destinations

robert gallagher

My 1st mate and I currently sail a 1981 Cat22 swing keel in a Texas lake. We decideded to super-size and have been looking at all of our options for the past 6 months. The money will be right by August, we are starting to consider a boat size and we will be putting our boat up for sale. We saw a Hunter 28.5 and thought this might fit the bill.I wanted to ask on this site for opinions / thoughts / reviews from other boat owners. This, I hope, will shed some light on some issues for us to consider (if there are any). Our plan is to get comfortable with a boat this size before going for something to take us to the coast, to Florida, and the Keys (10 year plan).Thanks for any insight.RObert  

Stu Jackson

Go to the top of this page, Boat Info and go to Owner's Reviews  

Hunter 29.5 Robert - Like Stu said, you can get a wealth of information from the owner reviews. We had a similiar path/plan. We started chartering a 22 Capri for a year, then made the plunge for our current h29.5. I had looked at the 28.5 and very similiar boat. Our plan is to keep her for 5-8 years (three years have already gone by) and move up to something in the 35-36 size. Eventually move onto the 41 foot size for our retirement.We like the 29.5 for the Chesapeake. The 4 ft draft works well in this area and when it is the admiral and I (plus dog) we have spend a week at a time on the hook cruising around.  

Get the Hunter 28 Much newer and nicer boat that doesn't cost much more. The 28.5 are too old to consider for purchase in my eyes.  

Warren Milberg

I personally think That the Hunter 28.5 is one of the best kept secrets in the used boat market. I have a 1986 model and love it. As indicated, there are over 50 owner reviews of this model boat on this site. I don't think you'll find many who don't like the boat. And here is a short list of likes/dislikes I recently sent to the H28.5 website: What I like best about my Hunter 28.5:- Good looks- Great sailing performance- Easy to single hand- Low purchase price (very competitive on east coast)- Fairly easy to maintain- A very reliable Yanmar diesel- Big enough for small family cruising- "Just enough" boatWhat I like least about my Hunter 28.5:- Iron keel (although not a big deal)- Foss Foam rudder- Somewhat tender (also not a biggie)- Expected low resale value- No suitable drain under engine for stuffing box- Salon table takes up too much cabin space- Difficult to access upper rear of engine  

draft I don't know what the draft is on the 28.5 but if Florida is on the horizon it should be a big deciding factor. The closer to 4 feet the better. I looked at a couple of 28.5's a few years ago but I couldn't find one in very good condition so I passed on the model. I agree with the previous posts, a lot of bang for the buck. Good luck, Jack  

Graduation to the final cruser Robert, Sounds like your head is on right.Owners review are a good idea, talking to owners, surveyors, and even boatbrokers, but on all forums there are folks that "live" there and answer all questions wherther they are qualified or not so take em with a grain of salt. Owning a Hunter qualifies one to answer this question but not all...A gradual increase of a yachts size is a tried and true method of getting your plan together to cruise.A Hunter is not a curising vessel for many reasons, but have they? Yes. They sail well, are eye-pleasers, comfortable, and roomy too. If in a bay or a close coatsal cruise it woul do fine, but if you want to get 'use' to your ultimate cruiser (a full keel yacht turns slower, and fetches differntly than a 'cocktail' yacht) why not look for one now?  

We love ours We got our 86 model 28.5 earlier this year and I love it. It is my first boat in about 10 years. My only other boat was a 14' Hobie Cat.The Hunter can be had for a great value. I like the wheel steering and inboard deisel. I mainly sail in Glveston Bay and may one day try a little near coast sailing adventure. This thing accomidates my family of 5. It has been a bit of work and I still need to fix the pressurized water system. The pump works but it has some leaks. If you can get one for around 10k I say go for it! You can see my web page here http://www.compassnet.com/mfeidler/splashpad.htm  

Had an '87model... and think it was one of the best boats Hunter ever built! Sold it and bought a 35.5 and almost wish I'd kept/moved the 28.5 instead. Absolute dream to singlehand, faster than most Catalina 30's with more useable space, feel of a 30ft.+ boat, beautiful lines, sails 6 feeds 4 and sleeps 2 better than any boat in it's class!!! I'd buy mine back and upgrade it in a minute. Oh yeah, I went 23.5, 28.5 and now 35.5...very natural progression. If you are on Cedar Creek Reservoir, this would be a GREAT boat. Ours was on Lake Travis.  

We've had ours for 14 years! I'll echo what Warren said in reply #4 above. we've had our for 14 years on Lake Michigan. We've cruised for as long as 3 weeks covering 400 miles which included crossing the lake (80 miles) twice, have gotten into some fairly heavy weather and she has taken great care of us. The 18hp Yanmar runs like a dream. We have the 4' (iron) keel. A little rust now and then but keep it painted and you'll be fine. She single-hands very easily, looks great and is easy to maintain. You could do a LOT worse and not much better! There's also a great website I've added below.  

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