# 1985 Hunter 25.5



## nking48813 (May 10, 2001)

Sailors: Can anyone warn me of known deficiencies with Hunter 25''s? I''m looking at one that seems to be reasonably priced. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Hunter 25.5 quality*

I own a 1985 Hunter 25.5 and find it exceptionally well built except for the dinky grab rails and cabin hatch slide guards, which are laughable and which I have already replaced. In terms of cockpit and cabin space and comfort it is a couple of cuts above other "price" boats. Sailing qualities are excellent but the boat gets rather tender above, say, 15 knots. Also the more sophisticated controls: cunningham, vang, reef, whisker pole, etc were either missing or inadequate. I spent a bit on deck organizers and rope clutches, as well as on a jib furler, something I deem a necessity. She is close winded on a beat and good on a downwind run (I say good because I haven't gone one-on-one very much with others on downwind runs in our racing fleet to really know yet. Cabin is delightful, though the porta-potty space is, well, okay; at least it's private. To say it's a good boat for the money is to understate its merit. It is an excellent cruiser/racer, especially the deep keel version (draft 4.5 feet).


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Snorin—

I doubt he much cares, given that his pot is SIX YEARS OLD and was his only post on the forum. Please do check dates before replying to a dead thread, would ya... 

Also, might recommend you read the POST in my signature.


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## ecsimonson (Apr 22, 2008)

Time to start finding old threads to respond to just cause sd loves it so much.


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## j34035 (Nov 10, 2006)

It is always good to have new members. Sid, welcome to Sailnet, you will find most people very helpful and friendly, even Sailingdog; his bark is worse than his bite! 
DD


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

I find it amazing that NOBODY actually responded to his question 6 years ago. It was a really good reply to an old question and is still good info for anyone considering this boat in the future who might be using the search feature.

Eric


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## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

ecsimonson said:


> Time to start finding old threads to respond to just cause sd loves it so much.


lol

Nothing wrong with a thread resurrection from time-to-time....

In fact, I brought attention to several of them that ought to be combined... no responses. hehe


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

It's Sd's pet peeve. 



N0NJY said:


> lol
> 
> Nothing wrong with a thread resurrection from time-to-time....
> 
> In fact, I brought attention to several of them that ought to be combined... no responses. hehe


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Long list turned to short list*

I read the rather long list of things I might want to carry with me, and to look for on a boat I am going to look at in the next several weeks. For a novice, what are the MAIN 5 or 6 standout points I should look at when eyeing a boat?

This is a novice question, please help. An 85 H25. is fiberglass hull. That old a boat, does fiberglass have a problem with absorption of water and weakening, and what should I look for that would give that away?

Another novice question. This moisture meter, what exactly is it measuring? Sometimes we put things in messages and don't realize that a bit more info might be needed by those of us "sponges" learning. Thx for help.


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## WouldaShoulda (Oct 7, 2008)

wileycoyote said:


> I read the rather long list of things I might want to carry with me, and to look for on a boat I am going to look at in the next several weeks. For a novice, what are the MAIN 5 or 6 standout points I should look at when eyeing a boat?
> 
> This is a novice question, please help. An 85 H25. is fiberglass hull. That old a boat, does fiberglass have a problem with absorption of water and weakening, and what should I look for that would give that away?
> 
> Another novice question. This moisture meter, what exactly is it measuring? Sometimes we put things in messages and don't realize that a bit more info might be needed by those of us "sponges" learning. Thx for help.


1. Is the mast true, unbent or otherwise undamaged. Are the shrouds, stays and swages free of rust, cracks or broken strands?? Is the deck free of squishy or soft spots especially under the mast?? Are there signs that the hull has ever been penetrated or under water??

2. Generally no. I had my wife walk all over the deck while I felt and observed for dimpling and depressions as she walked. The glass itself is usually sound but most decks are cored with balsa or another substance that may become waterlogged or rotten.

3. A moisture meter measures realtive moisture. It helps identify areas of potential trouble especially if water has penetrated the hardware attachments and infiltrated the core.

The 25.5 was on my list of boats before I bought my own.

The nice things about bouts like this are their simplicity.

The bad thing is the prior owners (probable novices themselves) could have neglected or overlooked maintenence issues for years.

My feeling is, that on boats of this class, standing rigging and core repair are just too costly to consider. There are plenty of boats out there, go to the next one if these problems are discovered.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Standing rigging? Would you detail that.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Standing rigging = the wires that hold the mast up AND their attachment points on the hull/bulkheads.
Running rigging = the ropes

Above all ... get a survey.


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## SLObrett (Aug 21, 2008)

a hunter 25.5 just came up for sale in my area and i found this thread while searching. its good to revive old threads to reduce clutter


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## ImASonOfaSailor (Jun 26, 2007)

Hey i was searching on this type of boat and found this first hit on Google! So has anyone said how strong this boat is and stuff, i found her for 3k?


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## procellous (Jul 29, 2015)

2015 - still useful information! I am considering a Hunter 25.5 myself.


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## Submarine (Jul 30, 2017)

Bought a 1985 Hunter 25.5 a few weeks ago and can't wait to sail her. She has the inboard Yanmar diesel which I wanted to learn about fixing them (though it works fine now). Spent the last few weekends doing little repairs, buffing out the gel coat, and figuring out how things are rigged. I would like to replace the standing rigging due to age and upgrade it a bit, but I don't have a cost estimate yet. I need lifelines too as one is broken.


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## edwardteach99 (Mar 29, 2019)

Old thread or not, I just bought a 25.5 and greatly appreciate the info.


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## Mark Davis (Apr 20, 2021)

Very thankful that this old thread had an informative response to it! Looking at possibly buying a 25.5, I'm glad not everyone is dead wrong about the usefulness of old threads


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