# Hunter 38 or Beneteau 37



## clapotis2 (Aug 13, 2009)

I used to sail C&C for a while. Last one was C&C 36 and I sold it.
I would like to buy a new boat and I am not sure if Beneteau 37 is a better choose that Hunter 38.
I love both living space, but I am not sure about sailing performance.
I like a boat can get close to the wind, a little bit nervous, fast and quick response and a boat can move well in a light wind. Spinnaker is a must. I am not a big fan of furling mainsail.
The Beneteau First looks good for performance, but not good for living space.
I tried to compare both specifications and I am just lost.
Il Hunter is more performant that Beneteau.
Clapotis 2.


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## sailhog (Dec 11, 2006)

Seems like all the newer Beneteaus between 30' and 40' come with in-mast furling. I'm with you -- I don't like it either. Not sure about the Hunters, but they seem to have gone down a similar path in that respect. On the other hand, SailorTJK frequents this board, sails a beneteau with in-mast furling, and loves it. What year are these boats you're looking at?


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## tweitz (Apr 5, 2007)

I would add that a common concern about the Hunters is the fact that they use a B&R rig with very swept back spreaders. This makes it very tricky to properly trim for off wind performance, since the main will quickly touch the spreaders when one is not closehauled. Like everything else it is a trade off. I also note that, at least a couple of years ago, regular non furling mains were available on all new Beneteaus, though lots of people like the furling (I didn't). As usual, there are also very different opinions on the Hunter arch with the traveler on the arch. No answers, but lots of opinions.


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## clapotis2 (Aug 13, 2009)

About year, I looking for 2005 or newer. About in-mast furling, the main never fit perfectly and we lost at least 5 degrees on close wind. That is a good option for cruising not for sailing.


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## doubleeboy (Jul 21, 2008)

Have you looked at any of the recent Catalinas? Might be something there for you. Cruisingdad sure loves his. 

If you like a boat that points well and is nice down below and quick I would humbly suggest a Dehler 39SQ. Not going to find one for sale at every brokers dock, but I have yet to meet an owner didn't love theirs. Even the shoal draft model like ours points very well. 

michael


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## donradclife (May 19, 2007)

Not sure which Beneteau you are looking at, but you can get good performance comparisons by looking at the PHRF rating databases. Try to get both boats rating by the same PHRF comittee, like Southern California, as there are some regionial rating differences.


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## gleason99 (Feb 21, 2010)

*Standard mainsail*

I have owned a B-37 for 18 months with a standard mainsail and the performance for a cruising boat is outstanding. Boat likes to hit 8 knots on the gps often. No helm the autopilot will steer in 20 knots upwind with a single reef in the main. Racing friends say it sails like a hevy J-105. maybe not as much storage as a H-38 but it sails very well. i have owned j-29's and Schock 35's and this is the BEST sailing boat inthe cruising Beneteau line. Group Finot knows what they are doing!


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## cperry (Jul 14, 2000)

I was very inerested with your enthusiasm for the sailing abilty of your B 37. I have just paid a deposit on a boat to be deivered in April. I have not seen or sailed one yet.
Since your post, have you done any racing to compare up and downwind performance with other classes?
How do you rate under IRC?
I have been advised to buy high spec carbon sails to make it really go. What do you think?
Thanks
Chris
Adelaide


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

gleason99 said:


> I have owned a B-37 for 18 months with a standard mainsail and the performance for a cruising boat is outstanding. Boat likes to hit 8 knots on the gps often. No helm the autopilot will steer in 20 knots upwind with a single reef in the main. Racing friends say it sails like a hevy J-105. maybe not as much storage as a H-38 but it sails very well. i have owned j-29's and Schock 35's and this is the BEST sailing boat inthe cruising Beneteau line. Group Finot knows what they are doing!


I agree. It is not like the other Beneteau (Oceanis), it is a great design.
It will be significantly faster than any similar sized Hunter or Catalina.

If you search on the "interesting sailboats" thread you will find a post about that boat.

Regards

Paulo


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

cperry said:


> ...
> I have been advised to buy high spec carbon sails to make it really go. What do you think?
> Thanks
> Chris
> Adelaide


No, you should not buy pure racing Carbon sails, or you should buy another boat (the First 35 or 40), mostly for racing. Carbon sails are not good for cruising because they degrade quickly with the sun and they cannot be folded without a lot of care, because they "break".

If you like to cruise fast and do some club racing you should have top cruising sails (hybrid sails many times with carbon fiber). The difference is that these ones are more resistant to the sun and are more forgivable in what regards folding.

It seems that one of the best performance cruising sails on the market are the new EPEX sails from Elvstrom.

Elvstrøm Sails - EPEX Technology

But you can find very good performance cruising sails in any top manufacturer, like North Sails.

North Sails: Spectra

Regards

Paulo


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## MJBrown (Apr 1, 2009)

While I didn't sail it, I was on a B40, we traveled together with a B37 in 15-20kt winds and they out ran us. I had some trouble trimming the main on the 40due to halyard tension but still figured I could out run him. Not a chance, the boat is flat out fast. He also had no problem running with us under power. Check the specs on her and I think you'll find she's built for speed.


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## cperry (Jul 14, 2000)

Paulo and MJBrown
Thanks for the positive response.
Chris


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## dmac001 (Oct 14, 2010)

*B-37's production years*

Regarding the B-37's, what production years are considered good or are they all pretty much the same? Is there a sweet-spot regarding their design and build quality? Thanks


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## MJBrown (Apr 1, 2009)

The current model is the one in reference. The previous model called the 373 is also a nice sailing boat but not like the new 37.


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## MrGuggenheimer (Apr 24, 2011)

I've owned a B37 for about 8 months now and I'm extremely happy with her. Sails very well, can confirm 7,5 - 8 knots are often achievable. Extremely nimble and quick to respond. Handles rougher oceans very well, always calm and composed yet light and nimble. While furling mains have drawbacks, they are very convenient. Singlehanded sailing is extremely easy, reefing takes mere minutes, and sailing performance is still VERY good.

I love the cockpit. It's where you spend most of your time, and the B37 has a ton of room. I put a big dodger on it - not the prettiest thing, but it makes the cockpit that much more usable and comfortable.

Interior is bright, roomy, comfortable. I actually got the first 3-cabin to be produced in the US. Amazing how the are able to put that much usable space inside that hull! I've had some small warranty claims - mass production Beneteau's do have some flimsy parts on them. You get a ton of value for the money, but some items are more Ikea quality... However, the hull, rigging, sails, electronics and all the parts that really matter are top notch, and an occasional plastic doohicky that breaks is not a big deal in the bigger scheme of things - especially when warranty claims are answered well.


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## BryceGTX (Sep 7, 2011)

clapotis2 said:


> I would like to buy a new boat and I am not sure if Beneteau 37 is a better choose that Hunter 38.
> I love both living space, but I am not sure about sailing performance.
> Clapotis 2.


The way I see these two boats is as follows:

The Hunter 38 at a bit above 18,000 pounds is almost 4000 pounds heavier than the Beneteau 37 at a bit above 14,000 pounds. So the hunter is going to be considerably more comfortable at any speed or wave height.

The Hunter 38 with a 6,500 pound shoal keel is considerably heavier than the Beneteau 37 keel of 4,250 pounds. The significant difference in keel weight allows the Hunter to sail more upright and provides a significant benefit in rough water as we discussed in the Catalina 385 thread.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/80211-new-catalina-385-a-11.html

The Hunter 38 has 991 square feet of sail compared to 729 square feet of sail on the Beneteau 37. This considerable difference in sail area no doubt gives an edge to the Hunter in many points of sail. And since the hull designs are so similar, it is unlikely that either boat has a disadvantage. The additional weight does not create enough additional wetted surface to affect the speed of the Hunter especially given the additional sail area.

It seems that if you prefer the Euro-style, you would be incline to pick the Beneteau over the Hunter. The Hunter has a bit more traditional interior compared to the Beneteau European style interior.

If you prefer comfort, you probably will be inclined to pick the Hunter. With 30% more mass than the Beneteau it will be considerably smoother in any water. For cruisers, this additional mass will be a big benefit.

The way I see it the Hunter is more desireable. The increased sail area and weight are overriding factors in my mind. However, if money is a significant issue, then the Beneteau might be more desireable given that everything is lighter and smaller so initial and replacement costs are invariably less expensive.
Bryce


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

BryceGTX said:


> The way I see these two boats is as follows:
> 
> The Hunter 38 at a bit above 18,000 pounds is almost 4000 pounds heavier than the Beneteau 37 at a bit above 14,000 pounds. So the hunter is going to be considerably more comfortable at any speed or wave height.


Sure, everybody knows that in what concerns sailboats, the heavier the better and that sea motion has only to do with weight.



BryceGTX said:


> The Hunter 38 has 991 square feet of sail compared to 729 square feet of sail on the Beneteau 37. This considerable difference in sail area no doubt gives an edge to the Hunter in many points of sail. And since the hull designs are so similar, it is unlikely that either boat has a disadvantage. The additional weight does not create enough additional wetted surface to affect the speed of the Hunter especially given the additional sail area.


Sure, very similar:










They have about the same beam and about the same LWL and the same water line length. Of course the fact that the Benetau has finer bow entries and a more modern hull with beam brought aft counts for nothing, not to mention differences in rocker or the fact that the Benetau 37 was designed by one of the greatest NA alive that managed that a hull designed at already some years is still today actual and modern.

Of course the Hunter will be faster on most sail points. The fact that the sail area/ «displacement of the Benetau Oceanis is much bigger (19.76 to 17.87) is just a small detail and we all know that SA/Disp is not very important in what regards a sailboat speed, nor the finer bow entries

I am not judging any of the boats here and we all know that a perfect boat for one sailor would be other sailor's nightmare, just commenting some "small" imprecision.

Regards

Paulo


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## BryceGTX (Sep 7, 2011)

PCP said:


> Sure, everybody knows that in what concerns sailboats, the heavier the better and that sea motion has only to do with weight.


Sounds like you learned well from me on the Catalina 385 thread.  Yes, weight is not important. What is important is how you place the weight. And just like the Catalina 385, the Hunter 380 has its weight better placed than than the Beneteau 37.
Good Job

Just like the Catalina 385, the Hunter 38 will have considerable mass righting moment. The Hunter gains a whopping 53% increase in keel weight over the Beneteau. Yet it only adds 18% increase in hull mass. So the Hunter will have much less heeling in any wind. And due to its considerable keel mass will heel much less on waves. ie.. more comfortable boat.
Bryce


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## BryceGTX (Sep 7, 2011)

PCP said:


> * the Benetau has finer bow entries and a more modern hull with beam brought aft*
> Paulo


So let me understand you correctly.... you are showing me through the deck views of these two boats in an attempt to show me what the waterline shape looks like? And the implication is that waterline shape determines how well it goes through the water?

Here's a thought.. the hull curves down from the deck view.. so the deck view will not give a very good representation of the hull in the water. We cannot determine how the hull goes through the water by looking at the deck view.

However as illogically as it sounds, were I to compare these two views you show as if they were water line views, the Hunter has the advantage in both the bow and stern with more curved shapes. The Beneteau with straight stern clearly is at a disadvantage as we all know. But this discussion seems useless.
Bryce


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## BryceGTX (Sep 7, 2011)

PCP said:


> The fact that the sail area/ «displacement of the Benetau Oceanis is much bigger (19.76 to 17.87)
> Paulo


Although an interesting number, I prefer to use the SailArea/Displacement of the actual sail area. In that case, the Hunter clearly comes out on top.

The major issue with using your SA/Disp calculation is that such a calculation assumes that displacement is an indicator of size. The larger the displacement, the larger the boat. So the 30% displacement increase of the Hunter would indicate a 30% larger boat.

And as we could imagine, larger boats in general with more displacement require larger sails. And larger boats have more wetted surface. Since we know the first order drag is proportional to wetted surface, the bigger boat may have 30% more drag. Meaning more sail is required.

However, the Hunter 38 and Beneteau 37 are virtually the same size. The Hunter has only about 6% more wetted surface. However, it has 36% more sail area.

So as we see, the SA/Disp number is almost useless to compare these two boats. Given the difference in sail area and the small additional drag of the Hunter, we would find the Hunter 38 would outrun the Beneteau 37 in most any wind by a wide margin.

And of course, with its considerable higher righting moment the Hunter would do this with much less heeling angle. Less heeling angle allows more efficient use of the wind force.

Bryce


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