# Hunter 28.5?



## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

I got a call from a broker today who just got in a 1988 Hunter 28.5. He's pushing me to look at it right away because it "will sell real fast" because of its great condition. I'm going to take my time, because there are lots specimens of this boat out there. He does seem to have a good price on it vs. Catalinas, O'Days, and other production boats - but it's a Hunter, so that's what I would expect. (A quick check on Yachtworld puts the asking price about in the middle, but if the condition is as good as he says that would be a good price. I need to do more research on this.) He said it has had a complete epoxy barrier coating of the hull and (he thinks) the keel.

I've heard so many "things" about Hunters that I'm reluctant to even give it a look. We got on a couple that had real problems a few weeks ago, and that left a very bad impression, especially with my wife.

If you have good things to say to encourage me to look at this model of boat, please post them here. If you have bad things to warn me about, please send me a PM. (I don't want to start open Hunter bashing up here.) I'll be looking at some Hunter websites this evening.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Nah..hunters are good boats! many newer Hunters have Iron keels so the joint can be a bit of a prob down the road. Like Catalina they are still in biz.


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## MarkCK (Jan 4, 2009)

Hunters get a bad rap, probably some of it deserved, but they are not bad boats. I think the newer ones are of better build quality than the old ones. Or maybe the problems just havent shown up due to the lack of age. 

A visual inspection will tell you most of what you want to know about the boat.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

Boat Review by David Pascoe - Hunter 28

Commentary about this review can be found in other threads.


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

The Pascoe review was one of the first things I found. To be fair, he reviewed the 28, not the 28.5. How similar are the boats?

There is a part of me that says I would not buy any model of boat from someone who made such huge mistakes on another model, but not sure how fair that is.

My pet peeve is the swim ladder. The top rung is about 1" away from the stern, with no tread attached - just bare SS. Very easy to slip off, especially when wet. That bad impression was indelibly etched into my brain when I had to climb on one on the hard, 10' up from ground level on a rainy day. Scared the crap out of me. From pics on the web, it looks like they all have this problem.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

Ya gotta read a lot of Pascoe and you will find he trashes anything the average person can afford


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## eMKay (Aug 18, 2007)

tommays said:


> Ya gotta read a lot of Pascoe and you will find he trashes anything the average person can afford


Yeah, and Fool up there likes to post this useless crap when anyone looks at ANY Hunter, I for one am tired of his BS, which is why I rarely even post here anymore.

As for the 28.5, I looked at a couple and it's still on my short list of boats for my next boat. It seems to be well built, roomy, and sails well.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

swim ladders are easy to fix or modify. very easy. that's all?


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

RhythmDoctor said:


> ...My pet peeve is the swim ladder. The top rung is about 1" away from the stern, with no tread attached - just bare SS. Very easy to slip off, especially when wet. .....


Yes, the 40 footer from the same era is the same too.... - but as Denise says, that's fixable and won't break the bank.


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Dock and YC mate has one of this.....Frankly, they are VERY happy with there boat. Sails reasonably well, plenty of room etc. 

Now a Hunter is not my 1st choice of boats..........but, it is not the boat brand of rumours etc that put it at the bottom of the pile. More the what type/style of boat I personally like......I prefer boats in the race/cruise category vs cruise category. A bit on the slow side, and I also like to race, not that one could not race a Hunter and be successful. 

I also know of three others with Hunters from that era, ALL love their Hunters! If it will suit your needs, go for it. I also recall finding a "hunter owners" site/forum one time online also. 

Marty


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

If it between a Hunter and Catalina, there is a reason Catalina's retain their resale value better than Hunters.

If you are now set on moving from the 25ft range to the 27-30 foot range, look at tartans, C&Cs, and sabres also. Their fit and finish is much better as is their structure. They are a level up on the production boats while they still made quite a few of them, their attention to detail and equipment tends to be over sized and higher quality. In the era of boats you are looking at their should be quite a few of those three out their.

There are important things to compare on this size boat. Engine hours for one. Hull and blisters. Condition of sails, headroom. bilge depth, storage space, chain plates and rigging (both running and standing (wire vs rod)

Winters will primarily have Hinters and Catalina's for sale as they trade up wards there. Look at other brokers again in the Chesapeake for more of a variety. Let all the different brokers educate you on the differences between Hunters, Catalina's, Benetaues, Tartans, Sabres and C&C's and go on a lot of boats. When you do you will know when you've found the "right one"

The have a survey done. Again take your time, do not rush into it and you choose well

Dave


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## jjns (Jul 8, 2007)

RD - 
We had an '89 H28. Loved it. 

Personally, if I got a call from "a broker" PUSHING me to buy, I would seriously be considering his motives (and likely running away). 
If it is a good deal, he will have NO trouble selling it and will not need to brow-beat anyone into the purchase.
Sounds more like it is his mortgage payment that can't be missed.
That "gotta buy it before someone else does" is one of the oldest tricks going. 
Brokers are just like everything else, there are good ones and bad ones.

Look at all boats in your price range (and a little above), see so many that you start to go cross-eyed,
Take pictures and make lists on each one you see (30 boats from now, details will start to get a little muddled). Go back and see the ones you like, maybe a couple of times.

This is a buyers market. You can take your time. 
If you miss a good deal, so what. Another will be along shortly.
It is easy to get discouraged, we lost count of the number of "pristine" boats that we drove hours to see, only to find they were trash.

You will know the right boat when you find it.


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## aceman3100 (Aug 23, 2017)

I own a 1986 hunter 28.5 and think they are built pretty solid. The only thing that I would like different is the spreader is offset to the back a bit so when you want to go downwind wing on wing, it does not let you extend the boom out a full 90 deg so you have to adjust your angle a bit, unless you use a spinnaker for downwind sailing. I had it in a storm 2 years ago in lake michigan where I took 70 mph winds (no sails up at that point) and she held together just fine and stays high enough to deal with the 7-8 ft waves. She sails fast and efficient for normal crusing, I can get speeds 5 kts from a 7.5 wind. We enjoy sailing her and there is plenty of standing room, rear quarter berth is a bit tight, fine for kids. If you do alot of long trips, the waste tank seem to fill up faster than I would like. The diesel yanmar runs forever on 12 gallons.

Regards, Mark N.


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